Words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

1. (1) Affidavit of Graduation--an official Board form containing an approved nursing educational program's curriculum components and hours, a statement attesting to an applicant's qualifications for vocational nurse licensure in Texas, the official school seal and the signature of the nursing program director/coordinator.
2. (2) Affiliating Agency or Clinical Facility--a health care facility or agency which provides learning experiences for students.
3. (3) Approved vocational nursing educational program--a vocational nursing educational program approved by the Texas Board of Nursing.
4. (4) Assistant Program Coordinator--a registered nurse faculty member in the vocational nursing educational program who is designated to assist with program management when the director or coordinator assumes responsibilities other than the program.
5. (5) Board--the Texas Board of Nursing composed of members appointed by the Governor for the State of Texas.
6. (6) Class Hours--those hours allocated to didactic instruction and testing in each subject.
7. (7) Clinical Conferences--scheduled presentations and discussions of aspects of client care experiences.
8. (8) Clinical Learning Experiences--faculty planned and guided learning activities designed to assist students to meet stated program and course outcomes and to safely apply knowledge and skills when providing nursing care to clients across the life span as appropriate to the role expectations of the graduates. These experiences occur in nursing skills and computer laboratories; in simulated clinical settings; in a variety of affiliating agencies or clinical practice settings including, but not limited to: acute care facilities, extended care facilities, clients' residences, and community agencies; and in associated clinical conferences.
9. (9) Clinical Practice Hours--hours spent in actual client care assignments, simulated laboratory experiences, observations, clinical conferences and clinical instruction.
10. (10) Clinical Preceptor--a licensed nurse who meets the minimum requirements in §214.10(l)(5) of this chapter (relating to Management of Clinical Learning Experiences and Resources), not paid as a faculty member by the controlling agency, and who directly supervises clinical learning experiences for no more than two students. A clinical preceptor facilitates student learning in a manner prescribed by a signed written agreement between the educational institution, preceptor, and affiliating agency (as applicable).
11. (11) Compliance Audit--a document required by the Board to be submitted at a specified time by the nursing educational program director or coordinator that serves as verification of the program's adherence to this chapter.
12. (12) Conceptual Framework--theories or concepts giving structure to the curriculum and enabling faculty to make consistent decisions about all aspects of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation.
13. (13) Concurrent Theory and Skills Laboratory Experiences--planned experiences which coincide or operate at the same time to provide a common effect.
14. (14) Controlling Agency--institution that has direct authority and administrative responsibility for the operation of a board approved nursing educational program.
15. (15) Correlated Theory and Clinical Practice--didactic and clinical experiences which have a reciprocal relationship or mutually complement each other.
16. (16) Course--organized subject content and related activities, which may include didactic, laboratory and/or clinical experiences, planned to achieve specific objectives within a given time period.
17. (17) Curriculum--course offerings which, in aggregate, make up the total learning activities in a program of study.
18. (18) Differentiated Entry Level Competencies--the expected educational outcomes to be demonstrated by nursing students at the time of graduation as published in Differentiated Entry Level Competencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs, Vocational (VN), Diploma/Associate Degree (Dip/ADN), Baccalaureate (BSN), September 2002.
19. (19) Director or Coordinator--denotes the nurse directly in charge chosen by the controlling agency, approved by the Board, and who is administratively responsible for the nursing educational program.
20. (20) Examination Year--the period beginning January 1 and ending December 31 used for the purposes of determining programs' NCLEX-PN™ examination pass rates.
21. (21) Faculty member--an individual employed to teach in the vocational nursing educational program who meets the requirements as stated in §214.7 of this chapter (relating to Faculty Qualifications and Faculty Organization).
22. (22) Faculty waiver--a waiver granted a director or coordinator of a vocational nursing educational program and submitted to the Board on a notarized notification form, or by the Board, as specified in §214.7(c)(2)(C) of this chapter, to an individual who is currently licensed as an LVN or RN, or has a privilege to practice, as appropriate, in Texas and who is approved to be employed as a faculty member which is valid for up to one year.
23. (23) Lead Instructor--a licensed nurse approved by the Board who has the delegated administrative authority for the program.
24. (24) Mobility--the ability to advance without educational barriers.
25. (25) Non-Nursing Faculty--instructors who teach non-nursing theory courses such as pharmacology, nutrition, and anatomy and physiology and who have educational preparation appropriate to the assigned teaching responsibilities.

26. (26) Objectives/Outcomes--clear statements of expected behaviors that are attainable and measurable.

    1. (A) Program Objectives/Outcomes--broad statements used to direct overall student learning toward the achievement of expected program outcomes.
    2. (B) Clinical Objectives/Outcomes--statements describing expected student behaviors throughout the curriculum and which represent progression of students' cognitive, affective and psychomotor achievement in clinical practice across the curriculum.
    3. (C) Course Objectives/Outcomes--statements describing expected behavioral changes in the learner upon successful completion of specific curriculum content and which serve as the mechanism for evaluation of student progression.
27. (27) Observational experience--an assignment to a facility or unit where students observe activities within the facility and/or the role of nursing within the facility, but where students do not participate in patient/client care.
28. (28) Pass rate--the percentage of first-time candidates within one examination year who pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Vocational Nurses (NCLEX-PN™).
29. (29) Philosophy/Mission--statement of concepts expressing fundamental values and beliefs regarding human nature as they apply to nursing education and practice and upon which the curriculum is based.
30. (30) Program of Study--the courses and learning experiences that constitute the requirements for completion of a vocational nursing educational program.
31. (31) Proprietary Schools--educational entities defined by Texas Workforce Commission as "career schools and colleges."
32. (32) Recommendation--a suggestion based upon program assessment indirectly related to the rules to which the program must respond but in a method of their choosing.
33. (33) Requirement--mandatory criterion based on program assessment directly related to the rule that must be addressed in the manner prescribed.
34. (34) Shall--denotes mandatory requirements.
35. (35) Staff--Employees of the Texas Board of Nursing.
36. (36) Supervision--immediate availability of a faculty member or clinical preceptor to coordinate, direct, and observe first hand the practice of students.
37. (37) Survey Visit--an on-site visit to a vocational nursing educational program by a Board representative. The purpose of the visit is to evaluate the program of learning by gathering data to determine whether the program is meeting the Board's requirements as specified in §§214.2 - 214.13 of this chapter.
38. (38) Systematic Approach--the organized process in nursing which provides individualized, goal-directed nursing care which includes the vocational nurse's role in participating in data collection, assessment activities, planning and implementing client care, and evaluating the client's responses to nursing interventions and identification of client needs.
39. (39) Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)--a state agency created by the Legislature to provide coordination for the Texas higher education system, institutions, and governing boards, through the efficient and effective utilization and concentration of all available resources and the elimination of costly duplication in program offerings, faculties, and physical plants (Texas Education Code, Title 3, Subtitle B, Chapter 61).
40. (40) Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)--the state agency charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas (Texas Labor Code, Title 4, Subtitle B, Chapter 301).

41. (41) Vocational Nursing Educational Program--a unit or entity within an educational setting which provides a program of study preparing graduates who are competent to practice safely and who are eligible to take the NCLEX-PN™ examination. Types of programs:

    1. (A) Extension program--a site other than the program's main location where the program of study is provided, duplicating the current curriculum and teaching resources.
    2. (B) MEEP--Multiple Entry Exit Program that offers mobility options for students.
    3. (C) New program--a newly created program of study in which the curriculum, teaching resources, or program hours required to complete the program differs from that of the main location.

Source Note:The provisions of this §214.2 adopted to be effective February 13, 2005, 30 TexReg 545; amended to be effective July 10, 2005, 30 TexReg 3996; amended to be effective February 19, 2008, 33 TexReg 1326.