Wyo. Code R. 054-0002-6
General
Chapter 6: Standards for Nursing Education Programs
Effective Date: 11/30/1999 to 04/17/2001
Rule Type: Superceded Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 054.0002.6.11301999
(a) The purpose of the board in adopting rules and regulations in this Chapter is:
(i) To serve as a guide for the development of new nursing education programs.
(ii) To provide criteria for the evaluation and approval of new and established nursing education programs.
(iii) To foster the continued improvement of established nursing education programs.
(iv) To ensure that graduates of nursing education programs are prepared for safe nursing practice.
(v) To assure eligibility for admission to the licensure examination for nurses, and
(vi) To facilitate interstate endorsement of graduates of board-approved nursing education programs.
(a) Before a nursing education program is permitted to admit students, the program shall submit evidence of the ability to meet the standards for nursing education.
(i) Provisional Approval.
(A) Prior to applying for provisional approval, a governing body desiring to initiate a nursing education program shall, at least one year in advance of the expected opening date, submit to the board
(I) A statement of intent to establish a nursing education program; and
(II) A proposal which includes at least the following information:
(1.) Documentation of the present and future need for the program in the state;
(2.) Rationale for the establishment of the program;
(3.) Potential effects on other nursing programs in Wyoming;
(4.) Organizational structure of the educational institution documenting the relationship of the nursing education program within the institution;
(5.) Accreditation status of the institution;
(6.) Purpose, mission and level of the program;
(7.) Availability of qualified administrator and faculty;
(8.) Budgeted faculty positions;
(9.) Source and description of adequate clinical resources for the level of program;
(10.) Documentation of adequate academic facilities and staff to support the program;
(11.) Evidence of financial resources adequate for the planning, implementation and continuation of the program;
(12.) Anticipated student populations;
(13.) Tentative time schedule for planning and initiating the program;
(14.) Need for entry-level nurses in the state; and
(15.) Evidence of approval from the Wyoming Community College Commission, or the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees, or other pertinent governing bodies.
(B) Application for provisional approval shall be made once the proposal has been approved by the board and the following conditions have been met:
(I) A qualified nurse administrator has been appointed and there are sufficient qualified faculty to initiate the program;
(II) A written proposed program plan, developed in accordance with the standards for nursing, has been submitted; and
(III) A site visit has been conducted by the board if deemed necessary by the board.
(C) Following board review of the proposed program, the board may grant or deny provisional approval.
(D) The governing body and administrative head of the proposed program may be present at the meeting to clarify information contained in any of the reports.
(E) If provisional approval is denied, the institution may request a hearing before the Board. The provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act and/or Administrative rules of the board shall apply to all hearings.
(F) Following board provisional approval, progress reports shall be made to the board as requested.
(G) Following graduation of the first class, a self-evaluation report of compliance with the standards for nursing education shall be submitted by the program. A site visit by the board shall occur for consideration of full approval of the program.
(A) The board may grant varying levels of approval after provisional approval:
(I) Full Approval: full approval is granted to a nursing program after the first graduating class has taken the board approved licensing examination and the program has demonstrated compliance with the standards for nursing education.
(II) Conditional Approval: conditional approval may be granted for a limited time to a program that has had provisional or full approval and has now failed to meet the standard for nursing education. The board will determine the length of time and identify the deficiencies that must be corrected.
(b) All nursing education programs shall be reevaluated at least every 8 years, upon request of the nursing education program, or at the discretion of the board, to ensure continuing compliance with the standards for nursing education.
(i) Evaluation of continuing compliance with the standards for nursing education involves the submission of a self-study report by the nursing education program and a site visit by a board representative(s). This process shall include the following:
(A) Prior to a site visit, a program shall submit a narrative self-evaluation report which provides evidence of compliance with the standards for nursing education;
(B) The site visit shall be made by a board representative(s) on dates mutually acceptable to the board and the program;
(C) Announcement of a site visit shall be sent to schools at least three months in advance of the visit;
(D) Programs shall be asked to participate in scheduling site visit activities;
(E) The nursing program’s self-evaluation report of compliance with the standards for nursing education shall be submitted to the board 30 days prior to the scheduled site visit;
(F) If a self-evaluation report prepared for a national nursing education accreditation agency is submitted in lieu of the board’s site report, the program shall submit an addendum to the self-evaluation report which addresses the board’s standards for approval and which provides a guideline as to where the standards are discussed in the self-evaluation report;
(G) A draft of the site visit report shall be made available to the school for review and corrections;
(H) Following the board’s review and decision, written notification regarding approval of the program and, if necessary, the board’s recommendation shall be sent to the administrator of the institution and the administrator of the nursing education program;
(I) The board shall immediately, upon determining that a nursing program is not in compliance with the standards for nursing education programs, provide to the administrator of the nursing education program a written notice of deficiencies which also establishes a reasonable period of time, based upon the number and severity of deficiencies, to correct the deficiencies. No period for correction shall exceed 18 months;
(I) The administrator shall, within 10 days from the date of receipt of the notice of deficiencies, file a plan of correction with the board,
(II) The administrator may, within 10 days from receipt of the notice of deficiencies, submit a written request for a hearing before the board to appeal the board’s determination of deficiencies,
(III) If the board’s determination is not appealed or is upheld upon appeal, the program shall be subject to periodic evaluations by the board during the period of correction to determine if the deficiencies have been corrected,
(IV) Status reports regarding progress in meeting the identified deficiencies shall be submitted to the board at each regularly scheduled board meeting during the time period,
(V) At any time during the time period, the program can request restoration to full approval if the program demonstrates correction of the deficiencies,
(J) Site visits of individual programs may be conducted at shorter intervals upon the board’s discretion;
(K) Site visits may be conducted when the board receives evidence which would indicate that the program is not in compliance with the standards for nursing education. Evidence can include, but is not limited to;
(I) The success rate is 75 percent or less for graduates taking a board approved licensing examination for the first time,
(II) Requirements for approval are changed or added,
(III) The board has cause to suspect a lack of compliance with the rules, or
(IV) The board has cause to suspect program personnel of submitting false or misleading information or engaging in fraudulent practices to obtain or maintain approval,
(L) The nursing education program shall submit an annual report providing documentation of continued compliance with the standards for nursing education, projected program changes, faculty data forms, and current college catalog within sixty (60) days after the end of the program year..
(a) The board may deny provisional approval when it determines the standards for nursing education have not been met.
(b) The board may deny full approval when it determines that a nursing education program fails substantially to meet the standards for nursing education.
(c) The board may withdraw full or conditional approval when it determines that a nursing education program has not provided sufficient evidence that the standards for nursing education are being met.
(d) If the board determines that an approved nursing education program is not meeting the criteria set forth in the regulations, the governing institution shall be given a reasonable period of time to correct the identified program deficiencies. If the nursing education program fails to correct the identified deficiencies within the time specified, the board may withdraw the approval following a hearing held pursuant to the provisions of the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act and/or the Administrative rules of the board.
(e) After the board has conducted the hearing, the board may take any of the following actions:
(i) Grant provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards;
(ii) Deny provisional approval if the board finds that the proposed program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards;
(iii) Grant conditional approval if the board identifies deficiencies in the evidence presented to the board which indicates the program has failed to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards;
(iv) Grant/Reinstate full approval if the board finds that the program meets the criteria as stated in the established standards;
(v) Withdraw approval if the board finds that the program fails to meet the criteria as stated in the established standards.
(a) A governing institution may appeal the board’s decision to withdraw approval of a nursing education program and may request a hearing to review the board’s decision. The hearing and all actions related to the appeal shall be effected in accordance with due process rights, the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act and/or administrative rules of the board.
(a) Voluntary Closing.
(i) When the governing or parent institution decides to close a nursing education program, it shall notify the board in writing, stating the reason for closure, the plan for discontinuation and the intended date of closing.
(ii) The institution may choose one of the following closing procedures:
(A) Continue the program until the last class enrolled is graduated, or
(B) Assist in the transfer of students to other approved programs.
(C) The program shall continue to meet the Standards for Nursing Education until all of the enrolled are graduated or until the last student is transferred.
(D) The date of closure is the date on the degree, diploma or certificate of the last graduate or the date on which the last student was transferred.
(b) Closing as a result of withdrawal of approval.
(i) When the board withdraws approval of a nursing education program, the governing or parent institution shall comply with the following procedures:
(A) The governing body shall prepare a written plan for termination of the program and shall submit the plan to the board within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice of withdrawal of approval.
(B) The institution shall present a plan for the transfer of students to other approved programs within a timeframe established by the board.
(C) The date on which the last student was transferred will be the date of closure.
(i) The board shall be advised of the arrangements for storage of permanent records.
(a) The organization and administration of the nursing education program shall be consistent with the law governing the practice of nursing.
(i) The governing or parent institution shall be accredited by the appropriate accrediting agency.
(ii) There shall be an organizational chart which demonstrates the relationship of the nursing education program to the administration and to comparable programs within the institution, and which clearly delineates the lines of authority, responsibility and channels of communication.
(iii) There shall be statements of purpose, philosophy and objectives which are consistent with those of the sponsoring institution and nursing standards.
(iv) There shall be an organizational design with clearly defined authority, responsibility, and channels of communication which assure both faculty and student involvement.
(v) There shall be written policies, congruent with the institution, which are periodically reviewed.
(vi) There shall be evidence of financial support and resources to meet the goals of the nursing educational program. Financial resources include adequate educational facilities, equipment, and qualified administrative, instructional, and support personnel.
(A) The administrator of the nursing education program shall be a Registered Nurse, licensed in Wyoming, with the additional education and experience necessary to direct the program preparing graduates for the safe practice of nursing. The administrator is accountable for the administration, planning, implementation and evaluation of the nursing education program.
(1.) Holds a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in Wyoming;
a.) Minimum of a master's degree with a major in nursing;
b.) Preparation in education and administration;
c.) 5 years of clinical experience; and
d.) 3 years of educational experience.
(II) In baccalaureate nursing programs:
(1.) Holds a current license to practice as a registered professional nurse in Wyoming;
a.) A doctoral degree in nursing or related field;
b.) Preparation in education and administration;
c.) 5 years of clinical experience; and
d.) 3 years of education experience
(viii) The administrator of the nursing program shall not be assigned curriculum instructional duties that would impair program administration.
(ix) The administrative head shall have the authority to administer the program in accordance with the policies of the governing body and in relation to:
(A) Development and maintenance of an environment conducive to the teaching/ learning process;
(B) Liaison and maintenance of the relationship with the administration of the institution as well as with the other programs within the institution;
(C) Leadership within the faculty for the development and implementation of the curriculum;
(D) Preparation and administration of the program budget;
(E) Faculty recruitment, development, performance review, promotion and retention;
(F) Liaison with and maintenance of the relationship with the board; and
(G) Support for an ongoing relationship with the community to establish affiliate agencies and to ensure responsiveness to community needs.
(i) There shall be sufficient faculty with graduate preparation and nursing expertise to meet the objectives and purposes of the nursing education program.
(A) Be currently licensed as a registered nurse in Wyoming.
(B) Have a minimum of a master’s degree with a major in nursing.
(C) Have 3 years of clinical experience relevant to areas of responsibility; and
(D) Successful completion of at least ten clock hours of educational preparation in principles and methods of teaching, learning, and evaluation of performance outcomes.
(I) The preparation must be acquired through planned faculty in-service learning activities, continuing education offerings, or college courses.
(II) The preparation must be obtained within two years of initial faculty appointment to an approved program.
(E) Faculty members hired without a master’s degree will have 5 years from date of hire to obtain a master’s degree.
(F) The program administrator will immediately notify the board in writing of the hire of the non-master’s prepared faculty member along with a plan for compliance with the requirements.
(iii) Faculty-student ratio shall be at a maximum ratio of 1:8 for clinical experiences. Factors that shall be considered in setting this ratio are clinical site, level of student, number of beds, type of clinical experience, the agency’s contractual experience, program and curricular objectives, and the faculty’s teaching experience.
(A) Developing, implementing, evaluating, and updating the purpose, philosophy, objectives, and organizational framework of the nursing program;
(B) Developing, implementing and evaluating the curriculum;
(C) Developing, evaluating, and revising student admission, progression, retention, and graduation policies within the policies of the institution;
(D) Participating in academic advising and guidance of students;
(E) Providing theoretical instruction and clinical or practicum experiences;
(F) Monitoring the instruction provided by preceptors;
(G) Evaluating student achievement of curricular objectives related to nursing knowledge and practice;
(H) Providing for student and peer evaluation of teaching effectiveness; and
(I) Participating in activities which facilitate maintaining the faculty member’s own nursing competence and professional expertise in the area of teaching responsibility and maintaining clinical competence through clinical experience, workshops, and in-service training.
(v) Faculty policies and procedures shall be available in writing and shall include qualifications, rights and responsibilities of faculty members, the criteria for evaluation of performance, and promotion and tenure policies.
(vi) Faculty who teach non-clinical nursing courses, e.g., issues and trends, pharmacology, nutrition, research, management, and statistics, shall have preparation appropriate to these areas of content.
(vii) Faculty teaching general education courses shall have appropriate academic and professional preparation and experience in the assigned areas of teaching.
(viii) Clinical preceptors 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 all basic areas for that course or specific learning experience. Clinical preceptors shall be licensed at or above the level for which the student is preparing.
(A) There shall be written guidelines for the employment of preceptors that include the following.
(I) Criteria for selecting preceptors shall be in writing.
(II) The functions and responsibilities of the preceptor shall be clearly delineated in a written agreement between the clinical agency, the preceptor and the nursing education program.
(III) The faculty member shall retain responsibility for the student’s learning experiences and meet periodically with the clinical preceptor and student for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating learning experiences.
(i) The nursing program shall admit students to the program based upon the number of faculty, available educational facilities and resources, and the availability of clinical learning experiences for the student.
(ii) Students shall be admitted without discrimination as to age, race, religion, sex, national origin, or marital status, using an objective process applied uniformly.
(iii) The program shall establish written policies for admission, readmission, transfer, advanced placement, promotion, graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal.
(A) The policies shall be consistent with those for students in the parent institution and acceptable educational standards.
(B) The policies shall be provided to program applicants.
(iv) A program shall establish written policies for student rights, responsibilities, grievances, health, safety, and welfare.
(v) Students shall be provided the opportunity to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities for safe nursing practice. The use of reasonable accommodations may be used to facilitate the student’s ability to meet educational objectives.
(vi) The program or parent institution shall assure that students, at stated intervals, are informed of their progress and remaining obligations in the completion of the program.
(vii) The program or parent institution shall permanently maintain accurate records of scholastic achievement on each student.
(viii) There must be written evidence that, before students are evaluated, the faculty shall have determined the evaluation components as follows for each nursing ability specified:
(A) The nursing actions a student may perform to demonstrate each nursing ability;
(B) The evaluation situation or stimulus to be presented to students (the situation or stimulus must elicit or at least permit a demonstration of each identified nursing ability that can be observed or otherwise measured for quality);
(C) The criteria for judging a student’s performance of each nursing ability (these criteria must be measurable, be appropriate to the nursing ability, address the safety of the patient, and ascertain the accuracy of student performance); and
(D) The basis for deciding whether the student possesses each nursing ability.
(i) The curriculum of the nursing education program shall enable the student to develop the nursing knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for the level of nursing practice.
(A) The curriculum shall include:
(I) Content regarding legal and ethical issues, history and trends in nursing, and professional responsibilities;
(II) Experiences which promote the development of leadership and management skills and professional socialization consistent with the level of licensure.
(III) Learning experiences and methods of instruction consistent with the written curriculum plan; and
(IV) Content including, but not limited to:
(1.) The biological, physical, social and behavioral sciences to provide a foundation for safe nursing practice;
(2.) The nursing process; and
(3.) Didactic content and clinical experience in the promotion, prevention, restoration, and maintenance of health in clients across the life span in a variety of clinical settings.
(ii) The curriculum shall:
(A) Be planned, implemented and evaluated by the faculty with provisions for student input. Faculty shall have the responsibility and authority over the nursing program curriculum;
(B) Reflect the organizing framework and objectives of the nursing education program;
(C) Be organized logically and sequenced appropriately;
(D) Distinguish between program levels;
(E) Identify levels of progression for the objectives within/between the courses;
(F) Ensure adequate clinical experience to prepare the student for the safe practice of nursing.
(G) Give evidence of preparation for the practice of nursing as defined by the Wyoming Nursing Practice Act; and
(H) Facilitate articulation among nursing programs.
(I) Contain general education courses which are shared with students in other departments of the governing body and are an integral part of the curriculum.
(e) Resources.
(i) The parent institution shall provide financial and administrative support and resources to the nursing program, including but not limited to:
(A) Physical facilities for the nursing program;
(B) Access to library and instructional materials; and
(C) Secretarial, clerical and other support personnel services.
(f) Clinical Facilities:
Criterion:
(i) A written contract or agreement shall be executed by the governing body conducting the program and the cooperating clinical facility or agency; the contract shall be signed by the responsible individual(s) of each party, and shall set forth the responsibilities of each party.
(g) Program Evaluation.
(i) The nursing program shall have a written plan for the systematic evaluation of the total program and its outcomes. The plan shall include the methodology, frequency of evaluation, assignment of responsibility, and evaluative criteria. The following areas shall be evaluated:
(A) Organization and administration of the program;
(B) Philosophy and objectives;
(C) Curriculum;
(D) Educational facilities, resources, and services;
(E) Clinical resources;
(F) Students’ achievement;
(G) Graduates’ performance on the licensing examination;
(H) Graduates' nursing competence;
(I) Performance of the faculty;
(J) Protection of patient safety; and
(K) The methods and instruments used for evaluation purposes.
(ii) There shall be evidence that the evaluation plan is being implemented and that faculty review evaluative data and take corrective action as needed.