Ala. Admin. Code r. 610-X-3-.01

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 610-X-3-.01 - Definitions

(1) Approved Program: A nursing education program that meets all of the standards as specified in these rules.

(2) Articulation: A planned process between two or more educational programs or systems to assist students to make a smooth transition from one program to another without duplication in learning or coursework.

(3) Clinical and Theoretical Competence: The possession of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to meet current standards of nursing practice and education as specified in Chapter 610-X-6, Standards of Nursing Practice, Chapter 610-X-3, Nursing Education Programs, Chapter 610-X-4, Licensure, Chapter 610-X-5, Advanced Practice Nursing Collaborative Practice, and Chapter 610-X-9, Advanced Practice Nursing.

(4) Clinical Learning Experience: Organized plan of learning experiences, under the oversight of an experienced clinical supervisor, that provides student opportunities to integrate knowledge into assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and clinical reasoning of nursing care appropriate to the scope of practice for the level and type of program.

(5) Pre-clinical Learning Experience: An organized plan occurring prior to the learning experience, with information to span the lifespan for varied clinical settings, to ensure a safe transition to nursing practice in complex environments with pre- and post-clinical conferences.

(6) Simulation: A technique that amplifies "real-life" learning in an interactive manner with guided experiences that replicate significant aspects of reality of acute, chronic, and community health settings across the life-span.

(7) Prelicensure Clinical Supervisor: A licensed registered nurse, acting in a supervisory capacity of clinical learning experiences, who is accessible to assign or prescribe a course of action, give procedural guidance, direction, and evaluation for a nursing student(s). This term may include assigned clinical faculty or adjunct faculty.

(8) Preceptor (RN program or LPN program): a licensed nurse whose licensure is appropriate to the scope of practice with at least one year of experience, who is employed in a clinical setting and serves as a role model, resource person, and clinical educator to enhance the learning experiences of a student nurse.

(9) Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Coordinator, or Preceptor (Advanced Practice Program): an advanced practice registered nurse, a physician, or other appropriately licensed, population-focused clinician who provides guidance, serves as a role model, resource, and clinical educator to enhance the learning experiences of an advanced practice nursing student.

(10) Curriculum: An organized plan of study in nursing that includes both theoretical and clinical learning experiences essential for preparing students to be eligible upon graduation to apply for licensure as a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or certification and approval of an advanced practice nurse.

(11) Curriculum Outcomes: A common set of competencies expected of a program's graduates upon completion of an organized plan of study. Outcomes are clear, measurable demonstrations of student learning.

(12) Deficiency(ies): Failure of a nursing education program to meet one or more of the standards as stated in Chapter 610-X-3, Nursing Education Programs.

(13) Distance Education: A formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction in a course/program occurs when instructors and students are not physically in the same location. The educational process may use various methodologies consistent with this chapter for communication, instruction, and evaluation.

(14) Nursing Faculty: Registered professional nurse, with at least one graduate degree in nursing or a health-related field, appointed by the governing institution and who are employed full-time or part-time and are responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and updating nursing program curricula.

(a) Nursing faculty for advanced practice nursing courses must meet national accreditation, certification, and educational standards for the specific program of study. This requirement does not apply to non-nursing faculty teaching non-nursing courses in an advanced practice curriculum.

(15) Licensed Hospital: A facility described in Code of Ala. 1975, Section 22-21-20(1), other than a health maintenance organization, which has an organized medical staff or which employs the services of a medical director who is a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama. The term hospital shall not include the private offices of physicians or dentists, whether in individual, group, professional corporation, or professional association practice.

(16) Nursing Program Administrator: Registered professional nurse with a master's or higher degree in nursing who has primary accountability and responsibility for administration of the nursing program.

(17) Survey: A comprehensive, Board-authorized on-site evaluation or review of a written report, and/or documents, for a proposed or existing program in prelicensure or advanced practice education that serves to assess the program's compliance with the Board's education standards.

(18) Systematic Plan of Evaluation: A comprehensive written document that reflects ongoing evaluation of all program components that includes, but is not limited to, collection of objective data, evaluation of outcomes, and results in improvements based on evaluative data.

(19) Unencumbered License: an active license that has no current stipulations, conditions, or limitations.

(20) Governing Institution Administrator: Person with overall administrative authority for the instructional sites where the nursing program is located.

(21) Prelicensure Program Pass Rate: The percentage of those graduates of a prelicensure program taking the national licensure examination during a calendar year who achieve a passing score on the national licensure examination during the calendar year.

(22) External Exam: A standardized means of testing readiness to practice nursing, usually administered following completion of a program of study in nursing education.

(23) Notice of Deficiency: An official notice by the Board which identifies areas of deficiency and provides the expected date of correction. The notice may require follow-up site visits and submission of additional documents, evaluations, and reports.

(24) Notice of Correction: An official notice by the Board notifying a nursing education program of the correction of previous areas of deficiency and current approval status of the nursing program.

(25) Prelicensure program: a nursing education program that prepares graduates for licensure as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse pursuant to Section 34-21-20, et. seq. of the Code of Ala. 1975.

(26) Advanced practice program: a nursing education program that prepares graduates for approval to practice as an advanced practice nurse pursuant to Section 34-21-80, et. seq. of the Code of Ala. 1975.

(27) Dual Role: preparation for two distinct patient population foci within a single advanced practice nursing education program of study.

(28) Patient Population Focus/Foci: one of six areas of concentration [Family/Individual Across the Lifespan, Adult-Gerontology (Acute or Primary), Neonatal, Pediatrics (Acute or Primary), Women's Health/Gender-Related, and Psych/Mental Health] within advanced practice nursing education programs.

(29) Debriefing: an activity that follows a simulation experience, is led by a facilitator, encourages participant's reflective thinking, and provides feedback regarding the participant's performance.

(30) Student Nurse Apprentice Program: A board approved nursing program that establishes a student nurse apprenticeship program within their curriculum plan which allows nursing students engaged in a registered apprenticeship, pursuant to the Alabama Industry Recognized and Registered Apprenticeship Program Act and Chapter 610-X-15.

(31) Clinical Resource LPN (CRLPN): is an LPN with an unencumbered Alabama nursing license who has at least two years of experience within the past five years in a skilled care long-term care setting and who provides supervision, demonstration, and collaborative evaluation of practical nursing student performance with skilled care long-term care patients in a licensed health care facility.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 610-X-3-.01

New: Filed September 25, 2006; effective October 30, 2006. Amended: Filed September 21, 2007; effective October 26, 2007.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXV, Issue No. 02, November 30, 2016, eff. 1/5/2017.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXVI, Issue No. 10, July 31, 2018, eff. 9/3/2018.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XXXIX, Issue No. 02, November 30, 2020, eff. 1/14/2021.

Amended by Alabama Administrative Monthly Volume XL, Issue No. 08, May 31, 2022, eff. 7/15/2022.

Author: Alabama Board of Nursing

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-21-2(2).