§ 1484. Standards of Education.

The program of study preparing a nurse practitioner shall meet the following criteria:

(a) Purpose, Philosophy and Objectives

(1) have as its primary purpose the preparation of registered nurses who can provide primary health care;

(2) have a clearly defined philosophy available in written form;

(3) have objectives which reflect the philosophy, stated in behavioral terms, describing the theoretical knowledge and clinical competencies of the graduate.

(b) Administration

(1) Be conducted in conjunction with one of the following:

(A) An institution of higher education that offers a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing, medicine, or public health.

(B) A general acute care hospital licensed pursuant to Chapter 2 (Section 1250) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code, which has an organized outpatient department.

(2) Have admission requirements and policies for withdrawal, dismissal and readmission clearly stated and available to the student in written form.

(3) Have written policies for clearly informing applicants of the academic status of the program.

(4) Provide the graduate with official evidence indicating that he/she has demonstrated clinical competence in delivering primary health care and has achieved all other objectives of the program.

(5) Maintain systematic, retrievable records of the program including philosophy, objectives, administration, faculty, curriculum, students and graduates. In case of program discontinuance, the board shall be notified of the method provided for record retrieval.

(6) Provide for program evaluation by faculty and students during and following the program and make results available for public review.

(c) Faculty. There shall be an adequate number of qualified faculty to develop and implement the program and to achieve the stated objectives.

(1) Each faculty person shall demonstrate current competence in the area in which he/she teaches.

(2) The director or co-director of the program shall:

(A) be a registered nurse;

(B) hold a Master's or higher degree in nursing or a related health field from an accredited college or university;

(C) have had one academic year's experience, within the last five (5) years, as an instructor in a school of professional nursing, or in a program preparing nurse practitioners.

(3) Faculty in the theoretical portion of the program must include instructors who hold a Master's or higher degree in the area in which he or she teaches.

(4) A clinical instructor shall hold active licensure to practice his/her respective profession and demonstrate current clinical competence.

(5) A clinical instructor shall participate in teaching, supervising and evaluating students, and shall be appropriately matched with the content and skills being taught to the students.

(d) Curriculum

(1) The program shall include all theoretical and clinical instruction necessary to enable the graduate to provide primary health care for persons for whom he/she will provide care.

(2) The program shall provide evaluation of previous education and/or experience in primary health care for the purpose of granting credit for meeting program requirements.

(3) Training for practice in an area of specialization shall be broad enough, not only to detect and control presenting symptoms, but to minimize the potential for disease progression.

(4) Curriculum, course content, and plans for clinical experience shall be developed through collaboration of the total faculty.

(5) Curriculum, course content, methods of instruction and clinical experience shall be consistent with the philosophy and objectives of the program.

(6) Outlines and descriptions of all learning experiences shall be available, in writing, prior to enrollment of students in the program.

(7) The program may be full-time or part-time and shall be comprised of not less than thirty (30) semester units, (forty-five (45) quarter units), which shall include theory and supervised clinical practice.

(8) The course of instruction shall be calculated according to the following formula:

(A) One (1) hour of instruction in theory each week throughout a semester or quarter equals one (1) unit.

(B) Three (3) hours of clinical practice each week throughout a semester or quarter equals one (1) unit.

(C) One (1) semester equals 16-18 weeks and one (1) quarter equals 10-12 weeks.

(9) Supervised clinical practice shall consist of two phases:

(A) Concurrent with theory, there shall be provided for the student, demonstration of and supervised practice of correlated skills in the clinical setting with patients.

(B) Following acquisition of basic theoretical knowledge prescribed by the curriculum the student shall receive supervised experience and instruction in an appropriate clinical setting.

(C) At least 12 semester units or 18 quarter units of the program shall be in clinical practice.

(10) The duration of clinical experience and the setting shall be such that the student will receive intensive experience in performing the diagnostic and treatment procedures essential to the practice for which the student is being prepared.

(11) The program shall have the responsibility for arranging for clinical instruction and supervision for the student.

(12) The curriculum shall include, but is not limited to:

(A) Normal growth and development

(B) Pathophysiology

(C) Interviewing and communication skills

(D) Eliciting, recording and maintaining a developmental health history

(E) Comprehensive physical examination

(F) Psycho-social assessment

(G) Interpretation of laboratory findings

(H) Evaluation of assessment date to define health and developmental problems

(I) Pharmacology

(J) Nutrition

(K) Disease management

(L) Principles of health maintenance

(M) Assessment of community resources

(N) Initiating and providing emergency treatments

(O) Nurse practitioner role development

(P) Legal implications of advanced practice

(Q) Health care delivery systems

(13) The course of instruction of a program conducted in a non-academic setting shall be equivalent to that conducted in an academic setting.

Note

Note: Authority cited: Section 2715, Business and Professions Code. Reference: Section 2836, Business and Professions Code.