1. (a) The program of study shall be:

   1. (1) at least the equivalent of two academic years and shall not exceed four calendar years;
   2. (2) planned, implemented, and evaluated by the faculty;
   3. (3) based on the mission and goals (philosophy and outcomes);
   4. (4) organized logically, sequenced appropriately;
   5. (5) based on sound educational principles;
   6. (6) designed to prepare graduates to practice according to the Standards of Nursing Professional Practice as set forth in the Board's Rules and Regulations; and
   7. (7) designed and implemented to prepare students to demonstrate the Differentiated Entry Level Competencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs, Vocational (VN), Diploma/Associate Degree (Dip/ADN), Baccalaureate (BSN).
2. (b) There shall be a reasonable balance between non-nursing courses and nursing courses which are offered in a supportive sequence with rationale and are clearly appropriate for collegiate study.
3. (c) There shall be a rationale for the ratio of contact hours assigned to classroom and clinical learning experiences. The recommended ratio is three contact hours of clinical learning experiences for each contact hour of classroom instruction.
4. (d) The program of study should facilitate articulation among programs.

5. (e) The program of study shall include, but not be limited to the following areas:

   1. (1) non-nursing courses, clearly appropriate for collegiate study, offered in a supportive sequence.

   2. (2) nursing courses which include didactic and clinical learning experiences in the four content areas, medical-surgical, maternal child health, pediatrics and mental health nursing that teach students to use a systematic approach to clinical decision making and prepare students to safely practice professional nursing through the promotion, prevention, rehabilitation, maintenance, and restoration of the health of individuals of all ages.

      1. (A) Course content shall be appropriate to the role expectations of the graduate.
      2. (B) Professional values including ethics, safety, diversity, and confidentiality shall be addressed.
      3. (C) The Nursing Practice Act, Standards of Professional Nursing Practice, Unprofessional Conduct Rules, Delegation Rules, and other laws and regulations which pertain to various practice settings shall be addressed.
   3. (3) Nursing courses shall prepare students to recognize and analyze health care needs, select and apply relevant knowledge and appropriate methods for meeting the health care needs of individuals and families, and evaluate the effectiveness of the nursing care.
   4. (4) Baccalaureate and entry-level master's degree programs in nursing shall include learning activities in basic research and management/leadership, and didactic and clinical learning experiences in community health nursing.

6. (f) The learning experiences shall provide for progressive development of values, knowledge, judgment, and skills.

   1. (1) Didactic learning experiences shall be provided either prior to or concurrent with the related clinical learning experiences.
   2. (2) Clinical learning experiences shall be sufficient in quantity and quality to provide opportunities for students to achieve the stated outcomes.
   3. (3) Students shall have sufficient opportunities in simulated or clinical settings to develop manual technical skills, using contemporary technologies, essential for safe, effective nursing practice.
   4. (4) Learning opportunities shall assist students to develop communication and interpersonal relationship skills.
7. (g) Faculty shall develop and implement evaluation methods and tools to measure progression of students' cognitive, affective and psychomotor achievement in course/clinical objectives according to Board guidelines.

8. (h) Staff approval is required prior to implementation of major curriculum changes by a professional nursing program. Proposed changes shall include information outlined in Board guidelines and shall be reviewed using Board standards.

   1. (1) Changes that require approval include:

      1. (A) changes in program mission and goals (philosophy and outcomes) which result in a reorganization or re-conceptualization of the entire curriculum, including but not limited to changing from a block to an integrated curriculum.
      2. (B) the addition of transition course(s), tracks/alternative programs of study that provide educational mobility.
      3. (C) all programs implementing a major curriculum change shall provide an evaluation of the outcomes of these changes and submit with the Annual Report through the first graduating class.
   2. (2) All other revisions such as editorial updates of mission and goals or redistribution of course content or course hours shall be reported to the Board in the Annual Report.
   3. (3) Documentation of Governing Institution approval or Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval must be provided to the Board prior to implementation of changes, as appropriate.

9. (i) Nursing programs that have full accreditation and are undergoing major curriculum changes shall submit an abbreviated proposal to the office for approval at least 4 months prior to implementation. The abbreviated proposal shall contain the following:

   1. (1) the new philosophy, major concepts;
   2. (2) program and course outcomes; and
   3. (3) clinical evaluation tools for each clinical course.
10. (j) Nursing programs not having full accreditation and that are undergoing a major curriculum change shall submit a full curriculum change proposal and meet the requirements as outlined in subsection (h) of this section.

Source Note:The provisions of this §215.9 adopted to be effective August 17, 2003, 28 TexReg 6540.