N.D. Admin. Code § 54-03.2-06-07
The curriculum of the nursing education program must assure the development of evidence-based clinical judgement, and skills in clinical management for the level, scope, and standards of nursing practice. The program outcomes must reflect the scope of practice and level of licensure sought as defined in chapters 54-05-01, 54-05-02, and 54-05-03.1.
1. The curriculum of all practical nurse programs must include: a. Content regarding biological, physical, social, and behavioral sciences and legal and ethical responsibilities for practical nursing practice; b. Nursing process concepts; c. Communication and documentation skills; d. Pharmacologic concepts and medication administration; e. Nutritional concepts; f. Theory and clinical experience related to health promotion and disease prevention for individual clients across the lifespan and in a variety of clinical settings, including basic safety and infection control; g. Learning experiences that promote client-centered care that: (1) Involves clients in decisionmaking, self-care, and healthy lifestyles; (2) Respects client differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs; and (3) Is based on scientific evidence; h. Learning experiences that promote supervision skills and socialization consistent with role and scope of practice and: (1) Promotes functioning as a part of an interdisciplinary team; and (2) Supervised clinical practice that includes management and care of groups of clients and delegation and supervision of unlicensed assistive persons; i. Sufficient practice experiences to assure the development of nursing competencies of the specific role and scope; and j. Learning experiences and methods of instruction which are consistent with the written curriculum plan.
2. Additional requirements for associate degree practical nurse programs include: a. Historical trends in nursing;
b. Theory and clinical experience related to section 54-05-01-06 relating to role of the licensed practical nurse intravenous therapy;
c. Data collection skills;
d. Use of available health information:
(1) Contributing to plan of care and care implementation; and
(2) Computer literacy;
e. Management skills; and
f. Courses that meet the sponsoring institution's general education requirements for the associate degree.
3. The curriculum of an associate degree program leading to registered nurse licensure must include content and sufficient clinical experience to prepare the graduate to:
a. Deliver client-centered care that respects client differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs and is based on scientific evidence:
(1) Biological, physical, social, and behavioral sciences, including disease process, nutrition, and pharmacology;
(2) Content regarding legal, ethical responsibilities and historical trends in nursing;
(3) Nursing process;
(4) Written, verbal, and therapeutic communication;
(5) Basic decisionmaking skills;
(6) Data collection skills to obtain obvious information; and
(7) Health promotion and maintenance for the individual and families.
b. Function effectively in an interdisciplinary team:
(1) Group dynamics;
(2) Goal-setting strategies; and
(3) Management concepts, including delegation and supervision of other members of the health care team.
c. Deliver evidence-based practice, including application of evidence in managing common clinical problems.
d. Apply quality improvement concepts in nursing care:
(1) Basic safety and infection control standards; and
(2) Quality improvement processes.
e. Use available health information:
(1) Documentation of care plan, nursing care implementation, and evaluation of care provided; and
(2) Computer literacy. f. Inform and counsel patients and families: (1) Concepts of informational readiness; (2) Discharge planning; and (3) Implementation of preestablished patient teaching plans. g. Demonstrate nursing values and roles consistent with the scope of practice: (1) Registered nurse standards of practice; and (2) Ethical concepts. h. Courses that meet the sponsoring institution's general education requirements for the associate degree.
4. The curriculum of a baccalaureate nurse program or a direct entry, prelicensure graduate program must include: a. Content regarding legal and ethical issues; history, trends, and theories in nursing; biological, physical, social, and behavioral sciences, including pharmacotherapy; nutritional therapy; and pathophysiology; b. Nursing process; c. Didactic instruction and clinical experience in health promotion, prevention, restoration, and maintenance of clients across the lifespan and in a variety of clinical settings: (1) Communicate, manage knowledge, and support decisionmaking using information technology; and (2) Provide client-centered care that: (a) Respects client differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs; (b) Involves clients in decisionmaking and care management; (c) Coordinates an interdisciplinary team to cooperate, collaborate, communicate, and integrate client care and health promotion; (d) Employs evidence-based practice to integrate best research with clinical expertise and client values for optimal care; and (e) Applies quality improvement processes: [1] Quality improvement theory; [2] Measurement of quality in terms of structure, process, and client outcomes; and [3] Participation in development of changes in processes through utilization of change theory and systems of care with the objective of improving quality; d. Experiences that promote the development of leadership and management skills and professional socialization:
(1) Responsibilities as a member of the profession; (2) Management and leadership; (3) Group dynamics and group leadership skills; and (4) Systems and organizational theory; e. Learning experiences and clinical practice to include management and care of groups of clients and delegation and supervision of health care providers: (1) Infection control and safety; (2) Quality and safety; (3) Public or community health; and (4) Case management; f. Sufficient practice experiences to assure the development of nursing competencies to: (1) Provide development of client-centered care; (2) Provide opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary teams; (3) Utilize or integrate research with clinical experience; (4) Apply the principles of quality improvement; and (5) Utilize technology and information management; g. Learning experiences and methods of instruction must be consistent with the written curriculum plan; and h. Courses that meet the sponsoring institution's general education requirements for the degree.
5. The curriculum preparing for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse must include content and sufficient experience from nursing and related academic disciplines to meet requirements for a graduate degree with a nursing focus: a. The curriculum must prepare the graduate to practice: (1) One of the following four identified advanced practice registered nursing roles as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, and certified nurse practitioner; and (2) At least one of the following six population foci: family individual across the lifespan, adult-gerontology, neonatal, pediatrics, women's health, or gender-related or psychiatric mental health. b. The curriculum shall include separate graduate level courses in the following: (1) An advanced practice nursing core, including legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities of the advanced practice registered nurse. (2) Advanced physiology and pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the lifespan.
History: Effective April 1, 2004; amended effective August 1, 2005; July 1, 2008; April 1, 2011; April 1, 2014.
General Authority: NDCC 43-12.1-17
Law Implemented: NDCC 43-12.1-17