Board of Nursing
Chapter 851
Division 51
STANDARDS FOR APPROVAL OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS PREPARING NURSES FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE
851-051-0020
Oregon-based Educational Programs Requirements for Board Approval
The Board’s curriculum and faculty standards for all Oregon-based advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) programs are as follows:
(1) Educational programs preparing APRNs must be nationally accredited by a nursing program accrediting body approved by the United States Department of Education (USDE). For the purpose of licensure, students who graduate from a program which was accredited at the time of their completion must be considered to have graduated from an accredited program regardless of the current program status. The Board retains the authority to access and review all accreditation documents and the option to participate simultaneously in the accrediting survey.
(2) The curriculum content must contain theory and clinical experience in the APRN role and population focus specified in OAR 851-055-0020 preparing graduates to meet all competencies within the scope including graduate level courses encompassing concepts in:
(a) Advanced health assessment which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts and approaches;
(b) Advanced physiology and pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the lifespan;
(c) Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents;
(d) Health promotion, health maintenance, differential diagnosis and management of diseases across all practice settings appropriate to program focus; and
(e) Basic understanding of the principles of independent decision making in the identified role.
(3) The curriculum content requirements will be applicable for all graduates of the APRN education programs as of:
(a) June 30, 2015 for clinical nurse specialist (CNS) graduates
(b) January 1, 2015 for certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) graduates
(c) January 1, 1996 for nurse practitioner (NP) graduates
(4) All nursing faculty in a program preparing the nurse for licensure as an APRN must have an unencumbered RN license. If the educational institution is a member of the NC-SARA, an unencumbered RN license in the state where clinical practicums will be completed is required.
(5) The Board’s additional requirements for an APRN program are as follows:
(a) The Dean or Director of the Educational Institution Nursing Program who provides one or more APRN programs or tracks must:
(A) Be accountable to the Board of Nursing for identification and appointment of qualified nurse administrators, educators and preceptors.
(B) Ensure each program or track within a program which prepares an APRN has a program administrator or designee with defined position responsibility for curricular design and implementation and program evaluation;
(C) Ensure the program administrator or designee is an Oregon licensed APRN.
(b) Qualifications of the APRN with administrative responsibilities for direct oversight of one or more APRN programs or tracks must include:
(A) An active unencumbered Oregon APRN state license;
(B) National certification in the same APRN role as the program for which they have direct oversight with the exception of a CNS for whom there is no national certification;
(C) An earned doctoral degree and experience related to the scope and content of the APRN program;
(D) Educational preparation and experience in teaching and learning principles for adult education, including curriculum development and administration, and at least five years of APRN clinical experience which meets Oregon’s practice requirements.
(c) Duties of the APRN with administrative responsibilities in (5)(b):
(A) Ensuring the program has course requirements to meet the objectives of the program to prepare APRNs for independent practice including, if applicable, the requirements for prescribing and dispensing medication;
(B) Providing evidence of oversight for student supervision by an APRN qualified in that specific program’s population focus and spheres of impact necessary at this level.
(C) Ensure the following criteria are met by the program:
(i) Adherence to applicable federal and state laws;
(ii) Appropriate informational resources for the attainment of program objectives;
(iii) Assessment of clinical application of didactic content;
(iv) Specific learning assessments used to determine successful completion;
(v) Student faculty ratios sufficient to meet program goals and objectives;
(vi) Providing leadership and accountability for the administration, planning, implementation and evaluation of the program;
(vii) Input to the program budget;
(viii) Facilitating faculty recruitment, development, performance review, promotion and retention;
(ix) Confirming cooperative agreements with clinical practice sites are current.
(x) Provide a process for the evaluation of clinical site preceptors, and;
(xi) At the request of the Board, provide documents evaluating the clinical site preceptors.
(d) Qualifications of APRN faculty must include:
(A) A current active unencumbered Oregon state RN and APRN license and
(B) An earned doctoral degree in nursing; or
(C) A master’s degree with a major in nursing; and
(D) Two years of clinical experience as an APRN with full scope of practice; and
(E) Current knowledge, competence, and state license as an APRN in the population foci consistent with teaching responsibilities; or
(i) National Board Certification and
(ii) A minimum of 400 practice hours in the previous two years in the population foci consistent with teaching responsibilities.
(e) Duties of APRN faculty must include:
(A) Assessment of Academic and Course Progression;
(i) Program faculty or contracted clinical evaluator must assess a student’s individual course progression by remote use technology through videoconferencing or a physical, on-site visit to the Oregon clinical site; and
(ii) Must hold an unencumbered Oregon APRN license relative to the student’s specialty track or within the population experiences congruent to the student’s specialty track.
(B) Addressing clinical competency concerns when a program receives reports from the preceptor or student regarding the student’s inability to obtain course objectives. The program faculty or clinical evaluator must include the following activities:
(i) Perform additional site visits in Oregon; and
(ii) Observe a student’s interaction with an Oregon client; and
(iii) Review evidence of student documentation of client care to determine if the student is meeting the course outcomes; or
(iv) Observe student progress in high fidelity simulation at the program home campus
(f) Non APRN Faculty who teach courses must have:
(A) At least two years of experience in the content area;
(B) Educational preparation congruent with program content;
(C) If applicable or required by the course description, licensure in the appropriate specialty congruent with course content.
(g) Qualifications of the clinical preceptors for APRN programs:
(A) For programs preparing NPs and CNSs, the preceptor must be licensed as an APRN, MD, DO, PA, Clinical PharmD, or other allied health professional as appropriate.
(B) For CRNA programs, the student must be precepted by either another CRNA or an Anesthesiologist.
(C) Clinical qualification and state licensure or certification for the state in which the practicum is located;
(D) A minimum of 2080 hours of licensed practice. For CRNA programs, this qualification applies to the director of the service contracted with the program to provide clinical preceptorship.
(E) For NP and CNS programs, a written agreement must be between the agency, the preceptor and the clinical program. The written agreement must outline learning objectives and preceptor responsibilities to include:
(i) The student to individual preceptor ratio must not be greater than 2:1 at any time;
(ii) The clinical practicum may include interprofessional independent practitioner preceptors;
(F) For CRNA programs, a written agreement must be between the agency and the clinical program rather than an individual preceptor.
(G) Complete program’s preceptor guidelines via manuals, electronic media, workshops or online learning;
(H) Immediately disclose to the educational program if the subject of a Board investigation.
(h) APRN students in their clinical learning experience, must hold a current unencumbered RN license in state(s) that correspond to their practicum placement(s).
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 678.150, ORS 678.285, ORS 678.372 & ORS 678.380
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 678.150, ORS 678.285, ORS 678.372 & ORS 678.380
History:
BN 5-2023, amend filed 09/26/2023, effective 10/01/2023
BN 11-2021, adopt filed 06/24/2021, effective 07/01/2021