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

1. (1) Accredited nursing education program--a professional nursing education program having voluntary accreditation by a Board-approved nursing accrediting body (i.e. NLNAC, CCNE).
2. (2) Affiliating Agency or Clinical Facility--a health care facility or agency which provides learning experiences for students.
3. (3) Alternative practice settings--settings which provide opportunities for clinical learning experiences although their primary function is not the delivery of health care.
4. (4) Annual Report--a document required by the Board to be submitted at a specified time by the nursing education program dean or director that serves as verification of the program's adherence to chapter 215, Professional Nursing Education.
5. (5) Approved professional nursing education program--a professional nursing education program approved by the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas.
6. (6) Articulation--a planned process between two or more educational systems to assist students to make a smooth transition from one level of education to another without duplication in learning.
7. (7) Board--the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas composed of members appointed by the Governor for the State of Texas.
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 preceptor--a registered nurse or other licensed health professional who meets the minimum requirements in §215.10(f)(5) of this chapter (relating to Management of Clinical Learning Experiences and Resources), not paid as a faculty member by the governing institution, and who directly supervises a student's clinical learning experience. 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).
10. (10) Clinical teaching assistant--a registered nurse licensed in Texas, who is employed to assist in the clinical area and work under the supervision of a Master's or Doctorally prepared nursing faculty member and who meets the minimum requirements in §215.10(g)(4) of this chapter.
11. (11) 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.
12. (12) 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.
13. (13) Curriculum--course offerings, which in aggregate, make up the total learning activities in a program of study.
14. (14) Dean or Director--a registered nurse who is accountable for administering one or more of the following: a pre-licensure nursing education program or a post-licensure baccalaureate or higher degree program for registered nurses, who meets the requirements as stated in §215.6(f) of this chapter (relating to Administration and Organization), and who is approved by the Board.
15. (15) 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 Compentencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs, Vocational (VN), Diploma/Associate Degree (Dip/ADN), Baccalaureate (BSN), September 2002.
16. (16) Examination year--the period beginning October 1 and ending September 30 used for the purposes of determining programs' NCLEX-RN examination pass rates.

17. (17) Extension Program--instruction provided by an approved professional nursing education program providing a variety of instructional methods to any location(s) other than the program's main campus and where students are required to attend activities such as testing, group conferences, and/or campus laboratory. An extension program may offer the entire identical curriculum or may offer a single course or multiple courses.

    1. (A) Complete program--provides the entire program of study at a site other than the program's main campus.
    2. (B) Partial program--provides a course, or courses, from the program of study at a site other than the program's main campus.
18. (18) Faculty member--an individual employed to teach in the professional nursing education program who meets the requirements as stated in §215.7 of this chapter (relating to Faculty Qualifications and Faculty Organization).
19. (19) Faculty waiver--a waiver granted by the Board to an individual who has a baccalaureate degree in nursing and is currently licensed in Texas, or has a privilege to practice, to be employed as a faculty member for a specified period of time.
20. (20) Governing institution--an accredited college, university, or hospital responsible for the administration and operation of a Board-approved nursing program.
21. (21) Health care professional--an individual other than a RN who holds at least a bachelor's degree in the health care field, including, but not limited to: respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, physicians, social workers and psychologists.
22. (22) Mobility--the ability to advance without educational barriers.
23. (23) Non-Nursing Faculty--instructors who teach non-nursing theory courses such as pharmacology, pathophysiology, research, management and statistics, and who have educational preparation appropriate to the assigned teaching responsibilities.

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

    1. (A) Program Objectives/Outcomes--broad statements used to direct the 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.
25. (25) 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.
26. (26) Pass rate--the percentage of first-time candidates within one examination year who pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
27. (27) 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.

28. (28) Professional Nursing Education Programs.

    1. (A) Pre-licensure nursing education program--an educational entity that offers the courses and learning experiences that prepares graduates who are competent to practice safely and who are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination. Types of programs:

       1. (i) Associate degree nursing education program--a program leading to an associate degree in nursing conducted by an educational unit in nursing within the structure of a college or university.
       2. (ii) Baccalaureate degree nursing education program--a program leading to a bachelor's degree in nursing conducted by an educational unit in nursing which is a part of a senior college or university.
       3. (iii) Master's degree nursing education program--a program leading to a master's degree, which is an individual's first professional degree in nursing, and conducted by an educational unit in nursing within the structure of a senior college or university.
       4. (iv) Diploma nursing education program--a program leading to a diploma in nursing conducted by a single purpose school usually under the control of a hospital.
       5. (v) MEEP--a Multiple Entry-Exit Program which allows students to challenge the NCLEX-PN examination when they have completed sufficient course work in a professional nursing program that will meet all requirements for the examination.
    2. (B) Post-Licensure nursing education program--an educational unit the purpose of which is to provide mobility options for registered nurses to attain undergraduate academic degrees in nursing. Post-licensure programs may be components of educational units within pre-licensure nursing education programs or independent baccalaureate degree programs for registered nurses as defined in this section.
29. (29) Program of study--the courses and learning experiences that constitute the requirements for completion of a pre-licensure nursing education program (associate degree nursing education program, baccalaureate degree nursing education program, master's degree nursing education program, or diploma nursing education program) or a post-licensure nursing education program.
30. (30) 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.
31. (31) Requirement--mandatory criterion based upon program assessment directly related to the rules that must be addressed in the manner prescribed.
32. (32) Shall--denotes mandatory requirements.
33. (33) Staff--employees of the Board of Nurse Examiners.
34. (34) Supervision--immediate availability of a faculty member, clinical preceptor, or clinical teaching assistant to coordinate, direct, and observe first hand the practice of students.
35. (35) Survey Visit--an on-site visit to a professional nursing education 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 §§215.2 - 215.13 of this chapter.
36. (36) Systematic Approach--the organized process in nursing which provides individualized, goal-directed nursing care by performing comprehensive nursing assessments regarding the health status of the client, making nursing diagnoses that serve as the basis for the strategy of care, developing a plan of care based on the assessment and nursing diagnosis, implementing nursing care, and evaluating the client's responses to nursing interventions.

Source Note:The provisions of this §215.2 adopted to be effective January 9, 2005, 29 TexReg 12190.