Board of Nursing
Chapter 851
Division 21
STANDARDS FOR APPROVAL OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN NURSING PREPARING CANDIDATES FOR LICENSURE AS PRACTICAL OR REGISTERED NURSES
851-021-0045
Standards for Approval: Nursing Faculty
(1) Nursing program faculty must include a sufficient number of qualified Nurse Educators and Nurse Educator Associates to meet the identified learning outcomes of the nursing education program.
(2) The Nurse Administrator and each nurse faculty member must hold a current, unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse in Oregon, maintain current knowledge of nursing practice for the registered nurse and the licensed practical nurse, and be academically and experientially qualified for the level of appointment.
(3) Qualifications for practical nurse programs:
(a) The Nurse Administrator must:
(A) Hold at least a master's degree in nursing with documentation of preparation or experience in curriculum and teaching; and,
(B) Have the equivalent of a minimum of four years of full-time nursing experience of which two years must have been in patient care, and two years must have been as a Nurse Educator or in an administrative position in an academic nursing education program.
(b) Each Nurse Educator must:
(A) Hold at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing;
(B) Have the equivalent of a minimum of three years of full-time patient care nursing experience; and,
(C) Document competency in teaching through experience, educational preparation, or continuing education.
(c) Each Nurse Educator Associate must:
(A) Hold at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing; and,
(B) Have the equivalent of a minimum of two years of full-time patient care nursing experience.
(d) If the program in practical nursing is embedded within a registered nurse program, all faculty member appointments shall meet the qualifications required for registered nurse programs.
(4) Qualifications for registered nurse programs:
(a) The Nurse Administrator must:
(A) Hold at least a master’s degree in nursing with documentation of preparation and experience in curriculum and teaching in an academic nursing program. In addition, for baccalaureate degree nursing programs, the Nurse Administrator must hold an earned doctorate degree; and,
(B) Have the equivalent of a minimum of five years of full-time nursing experience to include:
(i) A minimum of two years must be in patient care at the registered nurse level; and,
(ii) A minimum of three of these years must be in a Nurse Educator or administrative position in an academic nursing education program.
(b) Each Nurse Educator must:
(A) Hold at least a master's degree in nursing or a baccalaureate degree in nursing and master's or doctoral degree in a related field with relevant teaching and nursing experience related to the teaching assignment.
(B) Have the equivalent of a minimum of three years of full-time patient care experience at the registered nurse level; and,
(C) Document competency in teaching through experience, educational preparation, or continuing education.
(c) Each Nurse Educator Associate must hold at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing with the equivalent of a minimum of two years of full-time patient care experience at the registered nurse level.
(5) Non-nurse faculty teaching within the nursing curriculum or other required courses with embedded nursing outcomes must be academically and experientially qualified for assigned teaching responsibilities.
(a) A faculty appointment form must be completed by the nurse administrator and approved by the Board representative before such faculty assumes program responsibilities.
(b) No exceptions will be granted for non-nurse faculty members.
(6) Faculty appointments without exception are made by the Nurse Administrator and do not require Board approval or notification. However, the Board maintains the authority to conduct audits of a program’s faculty education and experience at any time to confirm compliance with OAR 851-021.
(7) Approval for Appointment by Exception is required for nursing faculty teaching in a nursing program as indicated:
(a) Any exceptions to the minimum qualifications for nursing program faculty appointments as indicated in subsections (3) and (4) of this rule must be submitted in writing to the Board representative including the rationale for the request and description of recruitment efforts;
(b) The exception request must be approved by the Board representative before the faculty member assumes the program assignment; and
(c) The fully qualified nurse educator providing oversight for the faculty appointed by exception is identified; and
(d) The current number of faculty appointments by exception in a program must be considered during the approval process by the Board representative.
(8) The Board representative may grant exceptions to nursing faculty appointments for any of the following circumstances:
(a) The education and experience qualifications are deemed equivalent to the requirements; or,
(b) The appointed individual is pursuing the needed qualifications. Reports on progress toward meeting the minimum qualifications must be provided as requested by the Board representative; or,
(c) The individual without full qualification is appointed for one year. The exception may be extended annually for a maximum of two times, with documentation of either continued and unsuccessful recruitment for a qualified replacement, or a plan to establish eligibility under exception (b) above.
(9) Nursing program faculty may include full-time and part-time faculty members. Any individual responsible for evaluating student ability to meet outcomes in the classroom or any part of the nursing practice experiences is included in the faculty. Nurse faculty members must have the authority and responsibility to:
(a) Design, review, and implement the curriculum.
(b) Determine student admission, progression, and graduation eligibility.
(c) Define expected outcomes for each course and the program overall.
(d) Provide timely feedback to students on progression within a course and the program overall.
(e) Provide opportunity for students to evaluate teaching effectiveness, courses, and the program overall.
(f) Collaborate through defined channels with other nursing programs and nursing practice experience partners to develop appropriate and equitable access to nursing practice experiences.
(g) Provide clear guidance to nursing practice experience partners, Clinical Nurses, and Clinical Preceptors on learning outcomes, expected competencies, and learning level of students assigned to nursing practice experiences.
(h) Provide faculty member and Clinical Preceptor orientation.
(i) Provide mechanisms for student input into and/or participation in decisions related to the nursing program.
(j) Implement a plan for on-going course-specific and comprehensive program evaluation.
(k) Maintain documentation of professional development activities that demonstrate links between periodic evaluation of competency, professional goals, planned professional development activities, and completion of these activities.
(10) Faculty Operations must show the following:
(a) A standard format for faculty meeting minutes to capture meaningful discussions, decision-making, and follow-up; and,
(b) A timetable for regular review of nursing program policy, including student, program, and course outcomes with overall curriculum evaluation and faculty input.
(11) The Nurse Administrator and each nurse faculty member must demonstrate professional competence and continued development in nursing practice pertinent to assigned teaching responsibilities and, nursing education practices.
(a) The Nurse Administrator and each faculty member must periodically review assigned teaching responsibilities, evaluating and revising professional development plans as indicated.
(b) The educational institution and Nurse Administrator shall support faculty in developing and maintaining competence in assigned teaching responsibilities and nursing practice.
(c) Links between evaluation of competency, professional goals, planned professional development activities and completion of these activities must be evident in documented performance review process.
(12) Faculty providing oversight in nursing practice experience settings outside of Oregon must meet nurse practice act requirements in the state in which the nursing practice experience is occurring.
(13) Faculty Member-to-Student Ratio in Faculty-led nursing practice experience:
(a) Faculty-led nursing practice experience must include nursing practice experiences that lead to achievement of course outcomes.
(b) The number of faculty members appointed for oversight of direct care must be one faculty member to every eight students having experience in one or more patient care units at any given time. Nursing faculty may determine that student and patient safety and learning effectiveness are improved with a lower faculty to student ratio.
(c) Nursing program policy must include factors to be considered in determining the faculty member-to-student ratio in each nursing practice experience setting, such as:
(A) Outcomes to be achieved;
(B) Preparation and expertise of faculty member;
(C) Level of students;
(D) Type of environment;
(E) Number, type and condition of patients;
(F) Number, type, and location of nursing practice experience sites; and,
(G) Adequacy of the ratio for nurse faculty to:
(i) Assess students’ capability to function safely within the nursing practice experience;
(ii) Select and guide student experience; and,
(iii) Evaluate student performance.
(d) Faculty must remain in the same facility as the student group throughout the nursing practice experience shift and must maintain a meaningful presence in the facilitation of learning and evaluation as defined in program policy.
(e) When students are assigned to community-based practice sites, the faculty member assigned to the student group is not required to be consistently on-site, but must provide meaningful presence and appropriate, in-person participation with the student and agency staff as described in program policy.
(f) A faculty member must be readily available to the agency staff while students are involved in the nursing practice experience.
(14) Faculty Member-to-Student Ratio in Dedicated Education Units (DEU):
(a) The faculty member-to-student ratios may be modified in the DEU with the use of DEU-specific Clinical Preceptors.
(b) Clinical Preceptors may be used within a DEU as described by the following guidelines:
(A) Faculty must orient and provide on-going guidance for Clinical Preceptors in practice sites related to the program goals, teaching strategies, learning outcomes, and expected competencies of the students;
(B) Clinical Preceptors must be selected according to written criteria developed by faculty and agreed to by a responsible person in the practice site;
(C) Faculty are not required to remain in the same facility as the student group throughout the nursing practice experience shift but must maintain a meaningful presence with nursing practice experience Preceptors and students at the practice site, as defined in program policy;
(D) The faculty member must confer with each Clinical Preceptor and student (individually or in groups) regularly during the nursing practice experience as defined in program policy; and,
(E) Each Clinical Preceptor in the DEU may have oversight of no more than two students at one time.
(15) Faculty Member-to-Student Ratio in the Final Clinical Practicum Experience:
(a) The program must establish reasonable faculty-to-student ratios to:
(A) Allow for appropriate supervision and evaluation of the learning experience; and,
(B) Support student achievements of course outcomes.
(b) Each Clinical Preceptor may have oversight of one student at a time during the provision of patient care.
(c) The faculty member assigned to the student group is not required to be consistently on-site, but must provide meaningful presence and appropriate, in-person participation in the student-preceptor-faculty triad as described in program policy.
(d) A faculty member must be readily available to the Clinical Preceptor and student while students are involved in the learning experience.
(e) Nursing practice experience evaluation of student achievement of course outcomes remain the responsibility of the assigned faculty member with consideration of input from the Clinical Preceptor and Clinical Nurses.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 678.150, ORS 678.340 & ORS 678.360
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 678.150 & ORS 678.360
History:
BN 12-2022, amend filed 07/28/2022, effective 08/01/2022
BN 2-2021, minor correction filed 01/06/2021, effective 01/06/2021
BN 7-2020, amend filed 12/11/2020, effective 01/01/2021
BN 17-2010, f. & cert. ef. 11-29-10
BN 3-2008, f. & cert. ef. 6-24-08
BN 7-2001, f. & cert. ef. 7-9-01
BN 1-2001, f. & cert. ef. 2-21-01
NB 4-1996, f. & cert. ef. 9-3-96
NB 1-1990, f. & cert. ef. 4-2-90, Renumbered from 851-020-0061
NER 4-1985, f. & cert. ef. 7-10-85
NER 2-1985, f. & cert. ef. 4-5-85
NER 3-1984, f. & cert. ef. 10-4-84
NER 37-1977, f. & cert. ef. 7-18-77
NER 30-1976, f. & cert. ef. 1-27-76