| (a) The progressive designation of approval status
is not implied by the order of the following listing. Approval status
is based upon each program's performance and demonstrated compliance
to the Board's requirements and responses to the Board's recommendations.
Change from one status to another is based on NCLEX-RN® examination
pass rates, compliance audits, survey visits, and other factors listed
under subsection (b) of this section. Types of approval include:
(1) Initial Approval.
(A) Initial approval is written authorization by the
Board for a new program to enroll students, is granted if the program
meets the requirements and addresses the recommendations issued by
the Board, and begins with the date of the first student enrollment.
(B) The number of students to be enrolled while the
program is on initial approval is determined by the Board, and the
requirements will be included in the Board's Order approving the program.
(C) Change from initial approval status to full approval
status cannot occur until the program has demonstrated compliance
with this chapter, has met requirements and responded to all recommendations
issued by the Board, and the NCLEX-RN® examination pass rate is
at least 80% after a full examination year. In order to ensure the
continuing success of the program, the Board may, in its discretion,
impose any restrictions or conditions it deems appropriate and necessary.
(2) Full Approval.
(A) Full approval is granted by the Board to a professional
nursing education program that is in compliance with all Board requirements
and has responded to all Board recommendations.
(B) Only programs with full approval status may initiate
extension programs and grant faculty waivers.
(3) Full or initial approval with warning is issued
by the Board to a professional nursing education program that is not
meeting the Board's requirements.
(A) A program issued a warning will receive written
notification from the Board of the warning and a survey visit will
be conducted.
(B) Following the survey visit, the program will be
given a list of identified areas of concern and a specified time in
which to respond with a set of corrective measures. Further, in order
to ensure the continuing success of the program, the Board may, in
its discretion, impose any restrictions or conditions it deems appropriate
and necessary.
(4) Conditional Approval. Conditional approval is issued
by the Board for a specified time to provide the program opportunity
to correct any areas of concern identified by the Board or from findings
in the program's self study report.
(A) The program shall not enroll students while on
conditional status.
(B) The Board may establish specific criteria to be
met in order for the program's conditional approval status to be changed.
(C) Depending upon the degree to which the Board's
requirements are currently being or have been met, the Board may change
the approval status from conditional approval to full approval or
to full approval with warning, or may withdraw approval. In order
to ensure the continuing success of the program, the Board may, in
its discretion, impose any restrictions or conditions it deems appropriate
and necessary.
(5) Withdrawal of Approval. The Board may withdraw
approval from a program which fails to meet the Board's requirements
within the specified time. A program may also elect to voluntarily
close a program, as provided for in subsection (c)(12) of this section.
The program shall be removed from the list of Board approved professional
nursing education programs.
(6) A diploma program of study in Texas that leads
to an initial license as a registered nurse under this chapter must
have a process in place by 2015 to ensure that their graduates are
entitled to receive a degree from a public or private institution
of higher education accredited by an agency recognized by the THECB
or the TWC, as applicable. At a minimum, a graduate of a diploma program
will be entitled to receive an associate degree in nursing.
(b) Factors Jeopardizing Program Approval Status.
(1) When a program demonstrates non-compliance with
Board requirements, approval may be changed to full with warning or
conditional status, may be withdrawn, or the Board, in its discretion,
may impose restrictions or conditions it deems appropriate and necessary.
In addition to imposing restrictions or conditions, the Board may
also require additional monitoring of the program. Board monitoring
may include the review and analysis of program reports; extended communication
with program directors; and additional survey visits. A monitoring
plan may require the submission of quarterly reports of students'
performance in courses and clinical learning experiences; remediation
strategies and attrition rates; and reports from an assigned mentor
to the program director. Additional survey visits by a Board representative
may be conducted at appropriate intervals to evaluate the status of
the program. The Board may alter a monitoring plan as necessary to
address the specific needs of a particular program. When the Board
requires monitoring activities to evaluate and assist the program,
monitoring fees will apply.
(2) A change in approval status, requirements for restrictions
or conditions, or a monitoring plan may be issued by the Board for
any of the following reasons:
(A) deficiencies in compliance with the rule;
(B) utilization of students to meet staffing needs
in health care facilities;
(C) noncompliance with school's stated philosophy/mission,
program design, objectives/outcomes, and/or policies;
(D) failure to submit records and reports to the Board
office within designated time frames;
(E) failure to provide sufficient variety and number
of clinical learning opportunities for students to achieve stated
objectives/outcomes;
(F) failure to comply with Board requirements or to
respond to Board recommendations within the specified time;
(G) student enrollments without resources to support
the program, including sufficient qualified faculty, adequate educational
facilities, and appropriate clinical affiliating agencies;
(H) failure to maintain an 80% passing rate on the
licensing examination by first-time candidates;
(I) failure of program director/dean to verify the
currency of faculty licenses; or
(J) other activities or situations that demonstrate
to the Board that a program is not meeting Board requirements.
(c) Ongoing Approval Procedures. Ongoing approval status
is determined biennially by the Board on the basis of information
reported or provided in the program's NEPIS and CANEP, NCLEX-RN®
examination pass rates, program compliance with this chapter, and
other program outcomes. Certificates of Board approval will be mailed
to all Board-approved nursing programs biennially in even-numbered
years.
(1) Compliance Audit. Each approved professional nursing
education program shall submit a biennial CANEP regarding its compliance
with the Board's requirements.
(2) NCLEX-RN® Pass Rates. The annual NCLEX-RN®
examination pass rate for each professional nursing education program
is determined by the percentage of first time test-takers who pass
the examination during the examination year.
(A) A minimum of eighty percent (80%) of first-time
NCLEX-RN® candidates isrequired to achieve a passing score on
the NCLEX-RN® examination during the examination year.
(B) When the passing score of first-time NCLEX-RN®
candidates is less than 80% on the examination during the examination
year, the nursing program shall submit a Self-Study Report that evaluates
factors that may have contributed to the graduates' performance on
the NCLEX-RN® examination and a description of the corrective
measures to be implemented. The report shall comply with Board Education
Guideline 3.2.1.a. Writing a Self-Study Report on Evaluation of Factors
that Contributed to the Graduates' Performance on the NCLEX-PN®
or NCLEX-RN® Examination. Within one year of the submission of
the Self-Study Report to the Board, the program shall provide to Board
Staff evaluation data on the effectiveness of corrective measures
implemented.
(3) Change in Approval Status. The progressive designation
of a change in approval status is not implied by the order of the
following listing. A change in approval status is based upon each
program's performance and demonstrated compliance to the Board's requirements
and responses to the Board's recommendations. A change from one approval
status to another may be determined by program outcomes, including
the NCLEX-RN® examination pass rates, compliance audits, survey
visits, and other factors listed under subsection (b) of this section.
(A) A warning may be issued to a program when:
(i) the pass rate of first-time NCLEX-RN® candidates,
as described in paragraph (2)(A) of this subsection, is less than
80% for two (2) consecutive examination years; and
(ii) the program has been in violation of Board requirements.
(B) A program may be placed on conditional approval
status if:
(i) the pass rate of first-time candidates, as described
in paragraph (2)(A) of this subsection, is less than 80% for three
(3) consecutive examination years;
(ii) the faculty fails to implement appropriate corrective
measures identified in the Self-Study Report or survey visit;
(iii) the program has continued to engage in activities
or situations that demonstrate to the Board that the program is not
meeting Board requirements and standards; or
(iv) the program persists despite the existence of
multiple deficiencies mentioned in subsection (b) of this section.
(C) Approval may be withdrawn if:
(i) the performance of first-time NCLEX-RN® candidates
fails to be at least 80% during the examination year following the
date the program is placed on conditional approval;
(ii) the program is consistently unable to meet requirements
of the Board; or
(iii) the program persists in engaging in activities
or situations that demonstrate to the Board that the program is not
meeting Board requirements and standards.
(D) The Board may consider a change in approval status
at a regularly scheduled Board meeting for a program on full approval
with warning or conditional approval if:
(i) the program's pass rate for first-time NCLEX-RN®
candidates during the examination year is at least 80%; and
(ii) the program has met all Board requirements.
(E) The Board may, in its discretion, change the approval
status of a program on full approval with warning to full approval,
to full approval with restrictions or conditions, or impose a monitoring
plan. The Board may restrict enrollment.
(F) The Board may change the approval status of a program
on conditional approval to full approval, full approval with restrictions
or conditions, full approval with warning, or impose a monitoring
plan. The Board may restrict enrollment.
(4) Survey Visit. Each professional nursing education
program shall be visited at least every six (6) years after full approval
has been granted, unless accredited by a Board-recognized national
nursing accrediting agency.
(A) Board Staff may conduct a survey visit at any time
based upon Board Education Guideline 3.2.3.a. Criteria for Conducting
Survey Visits.
(B) After a program is fully approved by the Board,
a report from a Board-recognized national nursing accrediting agency
regarding a program's accreditation status may be accepted in lieu
of a Board survey visit.
(C) A written report of the survey visit, information
from the program's NEPIS and CANEP, and NCLEX-RN® examination
pass rates shall be reviewed by the Board at a regularly scheduled
meeting.
(5) The Board will select one (1) or more national
nursing accrediting agencies, recognized by the United States Department
of Education, and determined by the Board to have standards equivalent
to the Board's ongoing approval standards. Identified areas that are
not equivalent to the Board's ongoing approval standards will be monitored
by the Board on an ongoing basis.
(6) The Board will periodically review the standards
of the national nursing accrediting agencies following revisions of
accreditation standards or revisions in Board requirements for validation
of continuing equivalency.
(7) The Board will deny or withdraw approval from a
professional nursing education program that fails to:
(A) meet the prescribed program of study or other Board
requirement;
(B) maintain voluntary accreditation with the national
nursing accrediting agency selected by the Board; or
(C) maintain the approval of the state board of nursing
of another state that the Board has determined has standards that
are substantially equivalent to the Board's standards under which
it was approved.
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