1. (a) There shall be written personnel policies for nursing faculty that are in keeping with accepted educational standards and are consistent with those of the governing institution. Policies which differ from those of the governing institution shall be consistent with nursing unit mission and goals (philosophy and outcomes).

2. (b) Policies concerning workload for faculty and the dean/director shall be in writing.

   1. (1) Sufficient time shall be provided faculty to accomplish those activities related to the teaching-learning process.
   2. (2) If the director is required to teach, he or she shall carry only a minimum teaching load.

3. (c) The number of faculty members shall be determined by such factors as:

   1. (1) the number and level of students enrolled;
   2. (2) the curriculum plan;
   3. (3) activities and responsibilities required of faculty;
   4. (4) the number and geographic locations of affiliate agencies; and
   5. (5) the acuity level of clients in affiliate agencies.
4. (d) Teaching assignments shall be commensurate with the faculty member's education and experience in nursing.

5. (e) The ratio of faculty to students in the direct care of clients shall not exceed one to ten students per instructor. The appropriate ratio shall be determined by the dean/director in consultation with faculty and affiliate agencies. Factors to be considered should include:

   1. (1) student's level of knowledge/skill;
   2. (2) course objectives;
   3. (3) acuity level of patients; and

   4. (4) the affiliate agency's:

      1. (A) goals and priorities;
      2. (B) client census;
      3. (C) staffing ratio;
      4. (D) qualifications and longevity of nursing personnel;
      5. (E) percentage of temporary personnel staffing;
      6. (F) physical layout of facility, etc.; and
      7. (G) current usage by health science students.

6. (f) Faculty shall be responsible for the clinical learning activities of students.

   1. (1) Faculty shall supervise students in direct care of clients in only one facility at a time.
   2. (2) Faculty may assign alternative learning experiences or observations to students in more than one setting at a time where students do not provide direct care to clients.

7. (g) Teaching assistants may be used to assist qualified faculty members with student clinical instruction.

   1. (1) Teaching assistants shall be under the direct supervision of an experienced qualified faculty member.
   2. (2) If a faculty member is supported by a teaching assistant, the ratio of faculty to students shall not exceed 2:15 (Faculty plus Teaching Assistant: Student). The same factors identified in subsection (e) of this section should be used to determine the appropriate faculty with teaching assistant to student ratio.
   3. (3) When acting as a teaching assistant, the RN shall not be responsible for other staff duties, such as supervising other personnel and/or direct patient care.

8. (h) Clinical preceptorships may be used to enhance clinical learning experiences after a student has received clinical and didactic instruction in all basic areas of nursing or within a course after students have received clinical and didactic instruction in the basic areas of nursing for that course or specific learning experience.

   1. (1) Criteria for selecting clinical preceptors shall be developed in writing.
   2. (2) When clinical preceptors are used, written agreements between affiliate agency, clinical preceptor and nursing program shall delineate the functions and responsibilities of the parties involved.
   3. (3) Written clinical objectives shall be specified and shared with the clinical preceptor prior to or concurrent with the experience.
   4. (4) The designated faculty member shall be responsible for the student's learning experiences and shall meet periodically with the clinical preceptor and student for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating learning experiences.
   5. (5) The designated faculty member shall be readily available when students are in the clinical area.
   6. (6) Faculty, in courses which use clinical preceptors for a portion of clinical learning experiences, shall have no more than 12 students in a clinical group. The preceptor shall be responsible for the clinical learning experiences of no more than two students.
   7. (7) Faculty which use clinical preceptors as the sole method of student instruction and supervision in clinical settings shall be responsible to coordinate the preceptorships for no more than 24 students.
9. (i) Teaching activities shall be coordinated among full-time, part-time faculty, clinical preceptors, and teaching assistants.

Source Note:The provisions of this §215.8 adopted to be effective September 1, 1994, 18 TexReg 8905.