Texas Administrative Code › Title 22 - EXAMINING BOARDS › Part 11 - TEXAS BOARD OF NURSING › Chapter 217 - LICENSURE, PEER ASSISTANCE, AND PRACTICE › Section 217.1 - Definitions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter,
				  shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise:
(1) Academic course--A
				specific set of learning experiences offered in an accredited school, college
				or university. Academic credit will convert on the following basis: One
				academic quarter hour = 10 contact hours; one academic semester hour = 15
				contact hours.
(2) Advanced practice
				nurse (APN)--A registered nurse, currently licensed in the State of Texas, who
				has been approved by the board to practice as an advanced practice nurse based
				on completing an advanced educational program of study acceptable to the board.
				The term includes a nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, nurse anesthetist, and a
				clinical nurse specialist.
(3)
				Applicant--An individual who has met the eligibility requirements and applied
				to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses
				(NCLEX-PN) or completed an accredited nursing program and has applied to take
				the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), or
				an individual who has applied for Temporary Licensure/Endorsement into
				Texas.
(4) Approved--Recognized as
				having met established standards and predetermined criteria of the
				credentialing agencies recognized by the board. Applies to providers and
				programs.
(5) Approved/Accredited
				nursing program--A school, department, or division of nursing
				approved/accredited by a nursing board or other licensing authority which has
				jurisdiction over approval/accreditation of nursing programs.
(6) Board--The Texas Board of
				Nursing.
(7) Credential Evaluation
				Services (CES)--Documentation that verifies the educational credentials and
				licensure of graduates of foreign nursing schools.
(8) Declaratory order--An order issued by the
				Board pursuant to Texas Occupations Code §
									301.257,
				determining the eligibility of an individual for initial licensure as a
				licensed vocational or registered nurse and setting forth both the basis for
				potential ineligibility and the Board's determination of the disclosed
				eligibility issues.
(9) Delinquent
				license--A license lapsed due to failure to renew the certificate of
				re-registration.
(10) Direct
				supervision--Requires a nurse to be immediately available to coordinate,
				direct, and observe at firsthand another individual for whom the nurse is
				responsible.
(11) Eligibility
				order--An order, issued by the Board pursuant to Texas Occupations Code
				§§
									301.256,
				301.257
				and
				301.259
				determining the eligibility of an individual for licensure.
(12) Endorsement--The process of issuing a
				permanent license without further examination to a nurse from another
				jurisdiction or licensing authority after determination is made that the
				applicant meets the same standards as those required of Texas nurses.
(13) First level, general nurse--Refers to
				the International Council of Nurses (ICN) classification of nurses. A
				first-level nurse is called a registered or professional nurse in most
				countries. A general nurse has studied theory and had clinical practice in a
				variety of nursing areas.
(14)
				Graduate of a foreign nursing school--An individual who graduated from a
				post-secondary nursing education program that prepares nurse generalists or
				enrolled nurses for licensure and is approved/accredited by a governmental
				authority.
(15) Graduate nurse
				(GN)--Graduates of approved professional nursing programs who are issued a
				permit to practice for a specific time period until they successfully meet all
				licensure requirements.
(16)
				Graduate vocational nurse (GVN)--Graduates of approved vocational nursing
				programs who are issued a permit to practice for a specific time period until
				they successfully meet all licensure requirements.
(17) Impaired practice--Practice in which the
				nurse's ability to perform the essential functions of a nurse is impaired by
				chemical dependency on drugs and/or alcohol or by mental illness.
(18) Indirect supervision--Requires a nurse
				to be readily available if needed for consultation to coordinate, direct, and
				observe another individual for whom the nurse is responsible.
(19) Jurisdiction--A state or territory of
				the United States using the National Council Licensure Examination for
				Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and the National Council Licensure Examination for
				Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) as the licensing examination.
(20) Licensed Vocational Nurse--See
				Vocational Nurse.
(21) Licensing
				authority--A legislated or governmentally appointed agency which approves,
				accredits or otherwise regulates legally defined behaviors of institutions or
				individuals.
(22) National Council
				Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN)--The test used by the
				board to measure minimal competence for licensure as a vocational nurse.
(23) National Council Licensure
				Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)--The test used by the board to
				measure minimal competence for licensure as a registered professional nurse.
(24) Nurse--a person required to
				be licensed under Texas Occupations Code chapter 301 to engage in professional
				or vocational nursing.
(25)
				Nursing curriculum--The equivalent of all nursing courses in the program of
				study within an approved/accredited nursing program.
(26) Nursing program--The equivalent of all
				non-nursing and nursing courses in the program of study within an
				approved/accredited program.
(27)
				Peer assistance program--An approved program designed for nurses whose nursing
				practice is or may be impaired by chemical dependency on drugs and/or alcohol
				or certain mental illnesses and which meets the minimum criteria established by
				the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the additional criteria
				established by the Board.
(28)
				Practitioner--As related to radiology practice, a doctor of medicine,
				osteopathy, podiatry, dentistry, or chiropractic who is licensed under the laws
				of Texas and who prescribes radiologic procedures for other persons (See 25 TAC
				§143.2).
(29) Professional
				boundaries--The appropriate limits which should be established by the nurse in
				the nurse/client relationship due to the nurse's power and the patient's
				vulnerability. Refers to the provision of nursing services within the limits of
				the nurse/client relationship which promote the client's dignity, independence
				and best interests and refrain from inappropriate involvement in the client's
				personal relationships and/or the obtainment of the nurse's personal gain at
				the client's expense.
(30)
				Professional nursing education program (general)--Post-secondary general
				nursing program of at least two academic years in length that provides both
				theory and clinical instruction in:
(A)medical-surgical nursing;
(B)maternal/child nursing;
(C)pediatric nursing; and
(D)mental health nursing.