Wyoming Administrative Code
Agency 054 - Nursing, Board of
Sub-Agency 0002 - General
Chapter 6 - STANDARDS FOR NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Section 6-4 - Programmatic Standards for Wyoming Nursing Education Programs
Universal Citation: WY Code of Rules 6-4
Current through December 30, 2023
(a) Curriculum.
(i) Overview. The curriculum for all programs
shall enable the student to develop the nursing knowledge, skills, and
abilities necessary for the level, scope, and standards of competent nursing
practice expected at the level of licensure or recognition. The program shall
revise its curriculum to maintain a program reflecting advances in health care
and its delivery.
(ii) Principles.
The curriculum, as defined by nursing education, professional, and practice
standards, shall include:
(A) A sound
foundation in biological, physical, social, and behavioral sciences;
(B) Integration of legal and ethical issues
and professional responsibilities into didactic and clinical
experiences;
(C) Learning
experiences that promote the development of evidence based clinical judgment,
skill in clinical management, and the professional commitment to collaborate in
continuously improving the quality and safety of the healthcare system for
patients;
(D) Evidence-based
learning experiences and methods of instruction, including distance education
methods if used, consistent with the written curriculum plan;
(E) Delivery of instruction consistent with
the program curriculum plan, which enables students to meet the goals,
competencies, and outcomes of the program; and
(F) Instruction on the Wyoming Nurse Practice
Act and Administrative Rules which shall include:
(I) The mission and purpose of the Wyoming
State Board of Nursing relative to licensure, discipline, practice, and nursing
education program approval;
(II)
Nurse licensure process in Wyoming including eligibility, temporary permits,
renewal, continued competency, and inactive status;
(III) The purpose of the Nurse Licensure
Compact (NLC) and requirements for a multi-state license;
(IV) The scope of practice for nurses and
Certified Nurse Aides in Wyoming; and
(V) The process and potential reasons for
disciplinary action.
(iii) Prelicensure Curriculum. The curriculum
of prelicensure programs shall include didactic content and supervised clinical
experience in the prevention of illness and the promotion, restoration, and
maintenance of health in patients across the lifespan and from diverse
cultural, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds.
(iv) APRN Curriculum. The curriculum of the
APRN nursing education program must prepare the graduate to practice in one of
the four identified APRN roles, i.e., CRNA, CNM, CNS, or CNP, and at least one
of the six population foci, i.e., family/individual across the lifespan,
adult-gerontology, neonatal, pediatrics, women's health/gender-related, or
psychiatric/mental health. The APRN curriculum shall include:
(A) Three separate graduate level courses
(the APRN core) in:
(I) Advanced physiology
and pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the
lifespan;
(II) Advanced health
assessment, which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment
techniques, concepts, and approaches; and
(III) Advanced pharmacology which includes
pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad
categories of agents.
(B) Instruction in diagnosis and management
of disorders across settings and body systems appropriate to the APRN focus;
and
(C) Instruction in the
principles for clinical decision-making in the identified role.
(v) APRN programs preparing for
two population foci or combined nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist
shall include content and clinical experience in both functional roles and
population foci.
(vi) There shall
be provisions for the recognition of prior learning and advanced placement in
the curriculum for individuals who hold a graduate degree as an APRN and are
seeking preparation in a different role or population focus. Post-masters
nursing students shall complete the requirements of the APRN program through a
formal graduate level certificate or degree in the desired role and population
focus. Certificate students must meet the same APRN outcome competencies
required of other students.
(b) Clinical Learning Experiences.
(i) Prelicensure.
(A) The program shall provide clinical hours
comparable to those provided by an approved program of equivalent size and
program type or, in the case of no equivalent program, clinical hours scaled
relative to an approved program.
(B) Faculty supervised clinical practice
shall include:
(I) Development of skills in
direct patient care;
(II) Making
clinical judgments; and
(III) Care
and management of both individuals and groups of patients across the lifespan;
and
(IV) Delegation to, supervision
of, and collaboration with, as appropriate to the level of education, and other
health care providers.
(C) Measurement of student competency shall
focus on student demonstration of care management and decision-making skills
when providing patient care in a variety of clinical settings with diverse
patients.
(D) All student clinical
experiences, including those with preceptors, shall be directed by nursing
faculty.
(I) The faculty/student ratio shall
not exceed eight (8) students to one (1) faculty member for each clinical
learning experiences involving direct patient care.
(II) When preceptors are used in a clinical
setting, one (1) preceptor shall supervise a maximum of two (2)
students.
(III) Nursing faculty
should not be responsible for more than sixteen (16) students involved in
preceptor relationships at one time.
(ii) APRN. Each instructional track/major
shall have a minimum of five hundred (500) supervised clinical hours or as
required for national certification exam. The supervised experience shall
relate directly to the role and population focus, including pharmacotherapeutic
management of patients.
(c) Administrator Responsibilities. The nurse administrator shall:
(i) Have continuous,
active, daily, and direct responsibility and authority at all locations for the
nursing program;
(ii) Oversee the
daily governing organization, nursing education unit, and nursing program
matters such as, but not limited to, personnel matters, student matters,
curricular matters, and resource matters; and
(iii) Have adequate time and resources on a
daily basis at all locations to administer the nursing program.
(d) Administrator Qualifications. The administrator shall have the education and experience necessary to direct the program in preparing graduates for the safe practice of nursing. All program administrators shall:
(i) Hold an
active, unencumbered, single-state Wyoming or multi-state RN or APRN
license;
(ii) Have at least five
(5) years of experience practicing nursing; and
(iii) Have experience in teaching and
knowledge of learning principles for adult education, including nursing
curriculum development, administration, and evaluation.
(iv) The associate degree and/or practical
nursing program administrator shall have a minimum of a master's degree in
nursing.
(v) The baccalaureate
nursing program administrator shall have a doctoral degree in nursing or a
related field.
(vi) The
post-licensure nursing program administrator shall have a doctoral degree in
nursing or a related field.
(vii)
The APRN program administrator may have responsibility for the oversight of
multiple program tracks. This administrator shall:
(A) Have a doctoral degree in nursing or
related field; and
(B) Hold current
national certification as an APRN.
(viii) The APRN program shall also appoint a
lead faculty member for each track to coordinate the educational component
specific to that track, including curriculum development. This lead faculty
member shall:
(A) Meet APRN faculty
qualifications defined in Section
4, (f) and (j); and
(B) Hold current national certification in
the same role and population focus.
(e) Programmatic Faculty Standards. All programs shall:
(i) Employ sufficient
qualified faculty, both in number and expertise, to meet the purpose,
philosophy, and outcomes of the program;
(ii) Develop clear workload policies
comparable to those of an approved program of equivalent size and
type;
(iii) Provide substantive,
periodic workshops or presentations devoted to faculty development;
(iv) Provide formal mentoring by established
peers for new full-time and part-time faculty; and
(v) Provide formal orientation for new
clinical faculty.
(f) Faculty Standards. All faculty shall:
(i) Hold
an active, unencumbered, single-state Wyoming or multi-state RN or APRN
license;
(ii) Demonstrate
pedagogical competence by:
(A) A graduate
degree in nursing education; or
(B)
A minimum of ten (10) hours of educational preparation obtained within six (6)
months of the hire date which shall include:
(I) Methods of instruction including the use
of technology;
(II) Teaching in
clinical practice settings;
(III)
Teaching in simulation settings;
(IV) How to conduct assessments, including
test item writing; and
(V)
Management of the educational environment such as legal and ethical issues,
diversity, and incivility.
(g) Prelicensure Faculty. Full and part-time prelicensure faculty shall meet the following educational requirements:
(i) Graduate degree in nursing; or
(ii) Obtain a graduate degree in nursing
within five (5) years of hire date. The administrator shall:
(A) Notify the Board, in writing, within
thirty (30) days of the hire of a non-graduate prepared faculty member;
and
(B) Submit a written plan,
within six (6) months of the hire date, outlining how this faculty member will
obtain a graduate degree within the specified timeframe.
(iii) Adjunct or part-time clinical faculty
shall be educationally prepared with a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in
nursing.
(iv) A minimum of fifty
percent (50%) of the full-time faculty shall hold a graduate degree with a
major in nursing.
(h) Post-licensure Faculty. Faculty teaching in a post-licensure program shall be educationally prepared with a graduate degree in nursing.
(j) APRN Faculty. Faculty teaching in an APRN program shall:
(i) Be educationally prepared
with a graduate degree in nursing; and
(ii) Demonstrate at least two (2) years of
APRN clinical experience.
(k) Interprofessional Faculty. Interprofessional faculty teaching non-clinical nursing courses shall have advanced preparation appropriate for the content being taught.
(l) Preceptors.
(i) Preceptors may be used to enhance
faculty-directed clinical learning experiences.
(ii) Programs shall clearly define the role
and performance expectations for preceptors with respect to teaching,
supervision, and student evaluation.
(iii) Preceptors shall:
(A) Hold a current unencumbered license as an
RN or APRN or unencumbered privilege to practice in the jurisdiction where the
clinical practicum is conducted; and
(B) Demonstrate competency related to the
area of assigned clinical teaching responsibilities.
(m) Students.
(i) The program shall admit students based
upon the number of faculty, available educational facilities, resources, and
the availability of clinical learning experiences.
(ii) The program shall hold students
accountable for professional behavior, including honesty and integrity, while
in their program of study.
(iii)
All policies relevant to applicants and students shall be readily available in
writing.
(n) Program Evaluation.
(i) The program shall implement a
self-evaluation plan which is updated at least yearly and shall be submitted to
the Board upon request.
(ii) The
evaluation report prepared by the program for the national nursing education
accreditation body may be substituted in lieu of the required self-evaluation
plan.
(A) If the evaluation report to the
national nursing education accreditation body is submitted in lieu of the
self-evaluation plan, the program must submit an addendum addressing where the
standards pursuant to this chapter are found in the report.
Amended, Eff. 4/12/2016.
Amended, Eff. 3/23/2022.
Amended, Eff. 6/21/2023.
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