W. Va. Code R. § 10-1-3

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section 10-1-3 - Accreditation

3.1. The board shall issue a certificate of accreditation to each accredited program. The sponsoring agency shall display the certificate of accreditation at the program site.

3.2. Goals of Accreditation.

3.2.1. The primary goal of accreditation is to graduate safe, competent practitioners of practical nursing with a skill mix adequate to meet employer demands.

3.2.2. Contributing Goals:

3.2.2.a. Administration, faculty and the professional community understand and support the philosophy, goals and objectives of practical nursing;

3.2.2.b. Faculty maintain current curricular concepts;

3.2.2.c. Faculty and clinical facilities staff partner to develop client care experiences which enhance student competence in the clinical area;

3.2.2.d. Faculty utilize varied and effective mechanisms for evaluating student knowledge base in practical nursing;

3.2.2.e. Administration and faculty maintain a positive learning environment for students;

3.2.2.f. Graduates successfully complete the licensure examination at a rate at least equal to the national passing standard; and

3.2.2.g. Health care agencies hire program graduates.

3.3. Minimum requirements for accreditation.

The sponsoring agency shall:

3.3.1. Maintain a practical nursing program advisory committee as required in section 5 of this rule;

3.3.2. Provide classroom and clinical facilities as required by section 6 of this rule;

3.3.3. Employ qualified faculty as required by section 7 of this rule;

3.3.4. Provide a program of instruction as required by section 8 of this rule;

3.3.5. Select students and develop student policies as required by section 9 of this rule; and

3.3.6. Maintain records, reports and bulletins as required by section 10 of this rule.

3.4. Accreditation.

3.4.1. All programs shall have tentative, provisional or full state accreditation by the board for graduates of the program to be eligible to take the licensure examination for practical nurses.

3.4.2. A new program for which the sponsoring agency requires time to demonstrate its eligibility for accreditation is known as a "State Tentatively Accredited Program." Tentative state accreditation is valid for operation of the program until after the first meeting of the board following receipt of the licensure examination results for graduates of the first class.

3.4.3. A program which meets the requirements set forth in this rule, and demonstrates the ability to provide an adequate educational program which reflects current educational trends and current concepts in the delivery of health services, is known as a "State Accredited Program."

3.5. All programs are urged to seek accreditation through appropriate national organizations authorized to grant accreditation.

3.6. Accreditation site visits.

3.6.1. A representative of the board shall visit each program once every 3 years to evaluate compliance with minimum requirements for maintaining an accredited program in practical nursing. A representative of the board may make additional visits based on needs of the program as determined by the board, the sponsoring agency or faculty of the program. Additional visits may be announced or unannounced. Following a visit, the board representative shall send a report to the nurse coordinator and agency administrator stating the findings and recommendations. The board representative shall provide copies of visitation reports to the Board to be utilized in determining accreditation status.

3.6.2. A representative of the board shall contact the coordinator of a program that has a failure rate on the licensure examination which exceeds the national failure rate. The board representative may ask that the coordinator develop and present to the board a plan for corrective action. The board may accept the plan devised by the coordinator or offer alternative suggestions for corrective action.

3.7. A program which fails to maintain the minimum requirements and which the board has duly notified, is known as a "State Provisionally Accredited Program". The program shall meet the board recommendations within a time specified by the board but not greater than 3 years from the date of the notice. Representatives of the sponsoring agency of a program being considered for placement on Provisional State Accreditation may request a hearing before the board on behalf of the program to present information not in evidence in materials provided to the board or to present specific plans for accomplishing recommendations of the board.

3.7.1. A program which has been placed on Provisional Accreditation Status shall inform all incoming students in writing of the current accreditation status.

3.7.2. A program placed on Provisional Accreditation Status will be required to submit at least quarterly an interim report outlining the changes made to meet the standard(s) on which they were cited.

3.7.3. The board shall have the authority to limit student admissions to any program which is placed on Provisional Accreditation Status.

3.8. A representative of the board shall make site visits to a Provisionally Accredited Program as necessary and/or as requested by the program, and at the end of the period specified in subdivision 3.7 of this rule, to determine if the sponsoring agency and faculty have corrected deficiencies. The board shall review findings resulting from the site visits. The board shall withdraw state accreditation if the criteria for Full State Accreditation is not met.

3.8.1. The sponsoring agency of a program that has had its accreditation withdrawn shall follow established procedures for closing the program.

3.8.2. The sponsoring agency of a program that has had its accreditation withdrawn and desires to reopen a program is required to follow the established procedure for opening a new program.

3.9. When a sponsoring agency transfers a program to a new sponsoring agency, the new sponsoring agency shall notify the board, in writing, of its intent to sponsor the program and seek board approval prior to assuming responsibility for the program.

3.10. The sponsoring agency of a program of practical nursing scheduled to close shall inform the Board, in writing, of:

3.10.1. The proposed closing date;

3.10.2. Plans for students currently enrolled in the program to complete the program; and

3.10.3. Provisions for permanent storage of student records.

3.11. Reopening a program.

3.11.1. The sponsoring agency of a previously accredited program may reopen the program within 1 year of the date of graduation of the last class. The sponsoring agency shall notify the board, in writing, no less than 8 weeks prior to the proposed reopening date. The Executive Secretary or a member of the board shall visit the program prior to the opening date.

3.11.2. The sponsoring agency of a previously accredited program which has been closed for more than 1 year from the date of graduation of the last class shall reapply to the board as a new program.

W. Va. Code R. § 10-1-3