5610 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS

5610.1 This section shall apply to advanced practice nursing education programs that prepare students for practice as nurse-anesthetists, nurse-midwives, nurse-practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists.5610.2 An advanced practice nursing program shall operate within, or be affiliated with, an accredited college or university that is authorized to award graduate degrees or post-graduate degrees.5610.3 A college or university desiring initial accreditation of an advanced practice program shall submit a proposal to the Board as set forth. in § 5601.1(b) to establish an advanced practice nursing education program that prepares students for practice as nurse-anesthetists, nurse-midwives, nurse-practitioners, or clinical nurse specialists.5610.4 To be eligible for accreditation, the advanced practice program shall be at the graduate or post-graduate level.5610.5 There shall be a program coordinator who shall, with the participation of the faculty, be responsible for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the advanced practice program.5610.6 The program coordinator shall:- (a) Be a registered nurse, licensed in good standing in the District of Columbia;

- (b) Have a District of Columbia certificate to practice as an advanced practice nurse in a specialty appropriate to the type of program being administered;

- (c) Have a minimum of a master's degree in nursing;

- (d) Have educational preparation or experience, in teaching and curriculum development or administration at the graduate level;

- (e) Have a minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience as an advanced practice nurse; and

- (f) Have current knowledge of nursing practice at the advanced practice nurse level.5610.7 The faculty shall:- (a) Be registered nurses licensed and in good standing in the District of Columbia;

- (b) Have a minimum of a master's degree in nursing or certification; and

- (c) Be qualified through academic preparation to teach the subject assigned and shall meet the standards for faculty appointment by the governing institution.5610.8 Faculty responsible for clinical management courses or involved in clinical teaching and supervision shall in addition to the requirements of § 5610.7:- (a) Be licensed or certified in the state in which they practice, to practice as an advanced practice nurse in a specialty appropriate to the type of program being taught;

- (b) Have a minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience as an advanced practice nurse; and

(c) Maintain clinical practice within the advanced role and specialty.

5610.9 There shall be written personnel policies for nursing faculty and clinical instructors that are in keeping with accepted educational standards and which encourage continuing professional growth and development.

5610.10 The program of study shall be:

1. (a) At least the equivalent of one academic year, as determined by the governing institution;
2. (b) A minimum of five hundred (500) supervised clinical hours, with a minimum of fifty (50) minutes constituting an hour;
3. (c) Developed and implemented by the program coordinator and faculty through an organizing framework which reflects the philosophy or mission statement of the advanced nursing education program;
4. (d) Sequentially and logically organized to facilitate student attainment of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities necessary to achieve the program objectives or outcomes for graduates at that level; and
5. (e) Based on sound educational principles.

5610.11 The curriculum content shall include:

1. (a) Didactic and clinical learning experiences necessary to meet the program goals and outcomes;
2. (b) Concepts and principles critical to advanced practice nursing;
3. (c) Professional and legal implications of the nurse in the advanced practice role;
4. (d) Knowledge and skills relevant to practice in the area of specialty;
5. (e) Theoretical and clinical role preparation;
6. (f) Clinical major courses in the specialty area;
7. (g) A practicum, preceptorship, or internship to integrate essential content and the clinical major courses; and
8. (h) Separate, advanced level academic courses in:
9. (1) Pharmacotherapeutics;
10. (2) Assessment;
11. (3) Pathophysiology or psychopathology; and
12. (4) Diagnosis and management of problems within the specialty area.

5610.12 For clinical nurse specialist programs, the program shall also meet the following requirements:

1. (a) Qualify the graduate for a master's degree in nursing;

(b) Have a curriculum that contains a minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours, or the equivalent, in a specific clinical major; and

(c) Have clinical major courses that include didactic content and offer clinical experiences in a specific clinical specialty or practice area.

5610.13 The faculty shall develop and implement a written plan for evaluation of the total program and shall provide for student participation.

5610.14 The data from the evaluation plan shall be utilized for continuous program improvement and shall include the following:

(a) Evaluation time intervals;

(b) Student evaluation of their classroom and clinical experiences and recommendations for improvement;

(c) Measurements of graduate satisfaction regarding the adequacy of the nursing program to prepare them for the scope of their practice;

(d) Evaluation of the graduates by their employers;

(e) Faculty and student evaluation of the program's clinical placements and agencies;

(f) Evaluation of the students and faculty by the clinical facilities utilized for clinical placements;

(g) Trending graduation rates;

(h) Evaluation of the methods and tools used to measure the students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor achievement;

(i) Evaluation of the program objectives or outcomes;

(j) Evidence that the program is meeting its objectives or outcomes as well as the changing needs of nursing and its community;

(k) Recommendations and a planned course of action for program improvement and the correction of identified deficiencies; and

(l) Evidence that prior recommendations and evaluation findings have been acted upon.

5610.15 Students shall be provided didactic instruction in correlation with the related clinical learning experiences.

5610.16 A clinical instructor shall not supervise more than six (6) students while in the clinical setting and the actual number of students assigned per instructor shall be based on the following:

(a) The acuity of the patients needs;

(b) The objectives of the learning experience;

(c) The class level of the students;

(d) The physical placement of the students;

(f) The requirements established by the clinical agency.

5610.17 The faculty shall be responsible and accountable for managing clinical learning experiences of students.5610.18 Supervised clinical practice must include the opportunity to provide pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of diseases and problems considered within the scope of practice of the advanced practice nurse's specialty and role.5610.19 The faculty shall develop written objectives for each clinical course to be used as a guide for the selection of clinical agencies and student placements.5610.20 The students shall be assigned only to facilities that provide students with opportunities to achieve the goals of the program.5610.21 The program shall ensure that its student practice sites contracts with clinical agencies are maintained current and specify the expectations and responsibilities of the parties.5610.22 The program shall develop and implement evaluation methods and tools to be used for measuring students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor achievement to assure satisfactory progression.5610.23 Clinical preceptors may be used to enhance clinical learning experiences after a student has received clinical and didactic instruction in the specific area or course.5610.24 When clinical preceptors are used, the following conditions shall be met:- (a) The criteria for selecting a preceptor shall be in writing and shall include the following:

- (1) The method of selecting clinical preceptors;

- (2) The plans for orientation of clinical preceptors;

- (3) The clinical objectives or outcomes of the preceptorship; and

- (4) A system for monitoring and evaluating the student's learning experiences.

- (b) The designated faculty member shall retain responsibility for the student's learning experiences and meet periodically with the clinical preceptor and the student to monitor and evaluate the student's learning experiences.5610.25 The designated faculty member shall be readily available, either directly or by a communication device, when students are in the clinical area.5610.26 The clinical preceptor shall have the following minimum qualifications:- (a) Current licensure, in good standing, in the state in which they are providing the preceptorship, at or above the level for which the student is preparing, which shall include physicians;

- (b) Be licensed or certified in the state in which they practice, to practice in a specialty appropriate to the type of program being taught, or

(c) Have a minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience;

(d) Maintain clinical practice within the role and specialty; and

(e) Have a philosophy of health care congruent with that of the nursing program.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 51 DCR 7190 (July 23, 2004); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 54 DCR 2116 (March 9, 2007).