1. A. An out-of-state nursing program that is in good standing in another state in the United States and plans to provide distance-based didactic instruction and on-ground clinical instruction in Arizona shall comply with the application requirements of R4-19-207 and R4-19-208. The program shall employ at least one faculty member who is physically present in this state to coordinate the education and clinical experience.

2. B. Any nursing program that delivers didactic instruction in Arizona by distance learning methods shall ensure that the methods of instruction are compatible with the program curriculum plan and enable a student to meet the goals, competencies, and objectives of the educational program and standards of the Board, A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 15, and this Chapter.

   1. 1. A distance learning nursing program shall establish a means for assessing individual student outcomes, and program outcomes including, at minimum, student learning outcomes, student retention, student satisfaction, and faculty satisfaction.
   2. 2. For out-of-state nursing programs, the program shall be within the jurisdiction of and regulated by an equivalent United States nursing regulatory authority in the state from which the program originates, unless also providing clinical experience in Arizona.
   3. 3. Didactic faculty members shall be licensed in the state of origination of a distance learning nursing program and in Arizona or hold a multi-state compact license unless exempt under A.R.S. § 32-1631(8). Clinical supervising faculty shall be licensed in the location of the clinical activity.
   4. 4. A distance learning nursing program shall provide students with supervised clinical and laboratory experiences so that program objectives are met and didactic learning is validated by supervised, on-ground clinical and laboratory experiences.
   5. 5. A distance-learning nursing program shall provide students with adequate access to technology, resources, technical support, and the ability to interact with peers, preceptors, and faculty.

3. C. A nursing program, located in another state or territory of the United States, that wishes to provide clinical experiences in Arizona under A.R.S. § 32-1631(3), shall obtain Board approval before offering or conducting a clinical session. To obtain approval, the program shall submit a proposal package that contains:

   1. 1. A self study, describing the program’s compliance with R4-19-201 through R4-19-206; and
   2. 2. A statement regarding, the number and type of student placements planned, and written commitment by the clinical facilities to provide the necessary clinical experiences, the name and qualifications of faculty licensed in Arizona and physically present in the facility who will supervise the experience and verification of good standing of the program in the jurisdiction of origin.
4. D. The Board may require a nursing program approved under this Section to file periodic reports to determine compliance with the provisions of this Article. A program shall submit a report to the Board within 30 days of the date on a written request from the Board or by the due date stated in the request if the due date is after the normal 30-day period.
5. E. The Board shall approve an application to conduct clinical instruction in Arizona that meets the requirements in A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 15 and this Chapter, and is in the best interest of the public. An applicant who is denied approval to conduct clinical instruction in Arizona may request a hearing by filing a written request with the Board within 30 days of service of the Board’s order denying the application for approval. Hearings shall be conducted in accordance with A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, Article 10 and 4 A.A.C. 19, Article 6 of this Chapter.

6. F. If the Board finds that a nursing program located and approved in another state or territory of the United States does not meet requirements for nursing programs prescribed in this Article the Board may take other disciplinary action depending on the severity of the offense after offering a hearing conducted in accordance with A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, Article 10 and 4 A.A.C. 19, Article 6 of this Chapter.

   1. 1. Students enrolled at the time of rescission of approval shall not be granted licensure unless the applicant meets all applicable licensure requirements.
   2. 2. The Board shall ensure that the applicant has completed a curriculum that is equivalent to that of an approved nursing program.

Historical Note

New Section R4-19-217 renumbered from R4-19-215 and amended by final rulemaking at 19 A.A.R. 1419, effective July 6, 2013 (Supp. 13-2). Amended by final rulemaking at 20 A.A.R. 1859, effective September 8, 2014 (Supp. 14-3). Amended by final rulemaking at 25 A.A.R. 919, effective June 3, 2019 (Supp. 19-2).