New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 16 - OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING
Chapter 12 - NURSING AND HEALTH CARE RELATED PROVIDERS
Part 3 - NURSING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Section 16.12.3.12 - MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR NURSING PROGRAMS
Universal Citation: 16 NM Admin Code 16.12.3.12
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. Administration and organization:
(1) The nursing education program shall be an
integral part of an institution of higher education that is authorized by this
state to confer credentials in nursing and that is also accredited by an
accreditation agency recognized by the US department of education.
(2) The nursing program shall obtain national
nursing accreditation within two years of the first graduating class.
(3) The nursing programs shall have status
comparable with other academic units. There shall be an organizational chart
which identifies the relationships, within and between the program and other
administrative areas of the parent institution.
(4) The administration of the parent
institution shall provide adequate financial support for the nursing
program.
(5) The parent institution
shall designate a qualified, nursing director who is licensed to practice as a
registered nurse in New Mexico or in a compact state. The nursing program
director shall have responsibility and authority comparable with the
administrative position including but not limited to development,
implementation, evaluation, administration and organization of the nursing
program.
(6) The nursing program
shall have specific written policies available to students and the public
regarding, but not limited to, admission, readmission, transfer, advanced
placement, progression, graduation, withdrawal, dismissal, student rights and
responsibilities, grievances, health and safety.
(7) The nursing program shall provide
accurate, complete and appropriate information to all students and prospective
students about the program including, but not limited to:
(a) nature of the program, including course
sequence, prerequisites, co-requisites and academic standards;
(b) length of the program;
(c) current cost of the program;
(d) transferability of credits to other
public and private educational institutions in New Mexico;
(e) program teaching methods and supporting
technology;
(f) current standing
and any change in regional or national institutional accreditation status and
national nursing accreditation status and board approval status.
(8) The nursing program shall
require primary source verification for education credit given for any
pre-licensure program in their respective institution.
(9) Faculty and students shall participate in
program planning, implementation, evaluation and continuous
improvement.
B. Curriculum:
(1) The mission of the nursing
unit shall be consistent with that of the parent institution.
(2) A nursing program shall develop and
implement a curriculum that includes level objectives, course objectives;
measurable learning outcomes for each course that:
(a) reflect its mission and goals;
(b) are logically consistent between and
within courses;
(c) are designed so
that the students who complete the program will have the knowledge and skills
necessary to function in accordance with the definition and scope of practice
specified in New Mexico Nurse Practice Act.
(3) The curriculum shall extend over a period
of time sufficient to provide essential, sequenced learning experiences which
enable a student to develop nursing competence and shall evidence an organized
pattern of instruction consistent with principles of learning and educational
practice.
(4) Clinical experience
shall provide opportunities for application of theory and for achievement of
the stated objectives in a client care setting or simulation learning settings,
and shall include clinical learning experience to develop nursing skills
required for safe practice. In the client care clinical setting, the
student/faculty ratio shall be based upon the level of students, the acuity
level of the clients, the characteristics of the practice setting and shall not
exceed 8:1. In the simulation setting there shall be nursing faculty who has
received focused training in simulation pedagogy and techniques. Clinical
evaluation tools for evaluation of students' progress, performance and learning
experiences shall be stated in measurable terms directly related to course
objectives. Simulation learning experiences may concurrently include the use of
low, medium, and high fidelity experiences. Nursing programs shall:
(a) establish clearly-defined simulation
learning outcomes incorporating objective measures for success;
(b) incorporate written, planned design of
individual training experiences and shall include consideration of the
educational and experiential levels of the learners;
(c) make use of checklists for pre- and
post-experience analysis and review;
(d) may substitute up to a maximum of fifty
percent of a clinical education experiences using simulation programs and
practices;
(i) in the event of a public health
emergency that negatively impacts access to clinical placement, nursing
programs submit a major change notification increasing the simulation
substitution to a maximum of seventy percent
(ii) the major change would be in effect for
the period of the public health event ending when the health order is
terminated;
(e) have
written simulation policies and procedures specific to the nursing education
available to all faculty and pertinent staff. Simulation learning policies and
procedures shall include evaluative feedback mechanisms for ongoing program
improvement;
(f) incorporate
facilitated student-centered debriefing sessions upon the conclusion of
simulation-based activities.
(5) The curriculum shall provide instruction
in the discipline of nursing across the lifespan and include content relevant
to national and local health care needs. Support courses shall be an integral
part of the nursing curriculum.
(6)
The nursing program shall implement a comprehensive, systematic plan for
ongoing evaluation that is based on program outcomes and incorporates
continuous improvement.
C. Program director requirements:
(1) Prior to appointment, the program
director shall:
(a) hold a graduate degree in
nursing;
(b) hold a current
registered nurse license to practice in New Mexico;
(c) have work experience in clinical nursing
practice;
(d) have work experience
as a nurse educator.
(2)
The program director shall:
(a) maintain a
current registered nurse license to practice in New Mexico;
(b) be afforded appropriate resources to
accomplish the program mission, goals and expected program outcomes;
(c) have the authority and responsibility for
administration of the program to include but not limited to budget management,
workload assignments, management and supervision of faculty and staff,
development and enforcement of policies, meeting regulatory and accreditation
requirements, and development and implementation of curriculum;
(d) have at least eighty percent of obligated
work time to administer the program.
D. Faculty requirements:
(1) The faculty of the nursing program shall
hold a current license to practice as a registered nurse in New Mexico.
(a) A formal plan will be in place which will
include an orientation to nursing program.
(b) Nursing faculty who teach full-time shall
hold a graduate degree in nursing; faculty without a graduate degree with a
baccalaureate degree in nursing may be employed for one year and then are
required to complete a graduate degree within the next five years; an
educational contract with evidence of progression will be submitted with
program annual report.
(c) Nursing
faculty who teach part time shall hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree in
nursing; faculty without a Bachelor of Science in Nursing BSN may be employed
for one year and then are required to complete a BSN completion program or
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program within five years, an educational
contract with evidence of progression will be submitted with program annual
report.
(i) Part time faculty without a
graduate degree in nursing shall report to a master's prepared faculty and
evidence of routine supervision shall be documented.
(ii) Part-time faculty shall be oriented to
the curriculum, and provided with instruction in didactic and clinical teaching
strategies.
(2)
Clinical preceptors are licensed as a nurse at or above the educational level
for which the student is preparing.
(3) Personnel policies for nursing faculty
shall be the same as those in effect for other faculty with the exception of:
(a) nursing faculty workload shall be
calculated by teaching clock/contact hour;
(b) evidence of full time and part time
faculty evaluation shall be in place;
(4) A nursing program shall maintain current
and accurate faculty and student records.
(5) The nursing program will retain a
qualified director and a sufficient number of qualified faculty to meet the
outcomes and purposes of the nursing education program.
E. Resources: The parent institution shall provide sufficient resources, services and facilities to operate the nursing program.
F. The nursing education program will maintain a passing rate of eighty percent or above of first time writers of the national licensing exam. Certain nursing programs in public higher education institutions may have a pass rate of seventy-five percent if criteria in Subparagraph (c) of Paragraph (4) of Subsection C of 16.12.3.8 NMAC
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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