Texas Administrative Code › Title 22 - EXAMINING BOARDS › Part 11 - TEXAS BOARD OF NURSING › Chapter 215 - PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION › Section 215.3 - Program Development, Expansion, and Closure

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) New Programs.
(1) New professional nursing education
				programs must be approved by the Board in order to operate in the State of
				Texas. The Board has established guidelines for the initial approval of
				professional nursing education programs.
(2) Proposal to establish a new professional
				nursing education program.
(A) The proposal
				to establish a new professional nursing education program may be submitted by:
(i) a college, university, or career school
				or college accredited by an agency recognized by the THECB or holding a
				certificate of authority from the THECB under provisions leading to
				accreditation of the institution; or
(ii) a single-purpose school, such as a
				hospital, proposing a new diploma program.
(B) The new professional nursing education
				program must be approved/licensed or deemed exempt by the appropriate Texas
				agency, the THECB, or the TWC, as applicable, before approval can be granted by
				the Board for the program to be implemented. The proposal to establish a new
				professional nursing education program may be submitted to the Board at the
				same time that an application is submitted to the THECB or the TWC, but the
				proposal cannot be approved by the Board until such time as the proposed
				program is approved by the THECB or the TWC. If the governing entity has
				nursing programs in other jurisdictions, the submitted program proposal must
				include evidence that the nursing programs' NCLEX-RN® pass rates are at
				least 80% for the current examination year, as that term is defined in §
											215.2(20) of this
				title (relating to Definitions), and that the nursing programs hold full
				approval from the state boards of nursing in the other states and are in good
				standing. Evidence of poor performance by a governing entity's nursing program
				in another jurisdiction is sufficient grounds for denial of a proposal.
				Additionally, a proposal will be denied by the Board in accordance with
				governing statutory requirements.
(C) The process to establish a new
				professional nursing education program shall be initiated by a letter of intent
				from the governing entity to the Board office. A program proposal must be ready
				for the Board's consideration of approval within one (1) year from the date of
				receipt of the initial proposal draft in the Board's office. If the proposal is
				not ready for the Board's consideration within this time period, the proposal
				will be considered withdrawn or will be presented to the Board at its next
				regularly scheduled meeting, with a Staff recommendation of
				denial/disapproval.
(D) The
				individual writing the proposal for a new professional nursing education
				program shall be the proposed director and shall meet the qualifications for
				the program director as specified in §
											215.6(f)
				of this title (relating to Administration and Organization).
(E) At least one (1) potential faculty member
				shall be identified before the curriculum development to assist in planning the
				program of study.
(F) The proposal
				shall include information outlined in Board Education Guideline 3.1.1 available
				at
https://www.bon.texas.gov
.
(G) A proposal for a new diploma nursing
				education program must include a written plan addressing the legislative
				mandate that all nursing diploma programs in Texas must have a process in place
				to ensure that their graduates are entitled to receive a degree from a public
				or private institution of higher education accredited by an agency recognized
				by the THECB or the TWC, as applicable, and, at a minimum, entitle a graduate
				of the diploma program to receive an associate degree in nursing.
(H) After the proposal is submitted and
				determined to be complete, a preliminary survey visit may be conducted by Board
				Staff.
(I) The proposal shall be
				considered by the Board following a public hearing at a regularly scheduled
				meeting of the Board. The Board may approve the proposal and grant initial
				approval to the new program, may defer action on the proposal, or may deny
				further consideration of the proposal. In order to ensure success of newly
				approved programs, the Board may, in its discretion, impose any restrictions or
				conditions it deems appropriate and necessary.
(i) In addition to imposing restrictions and
				conditions, the Board may also require specific monitoring of newly approved
				programs that may be high-risk.
(ii) A program may be considered high-risk if
				it meets one or more of the following criteria, including, but not limited to:
				unfamiliarity of the governing entity with nursing education; inexperience of
				the potential dean or director in directing a nursing program; potential for
				director or faculty turnover; multiple admission cycles per year; lack of rigor
				in admission criteria; use of a national curriculum; or potential for a high
				attrition rate among students. If the director has no experience in the
				director role, an appropriate mentor will be required to assist the director
				during the first year of operation.
(iii) Board monitoring of a high-risk program
				may include the review and analysis of program reports; extended communication
				with program deans and directors; and additional survey visits. A monitoring
				plan may require the submission of quarterly reports of students' performance
				in courses and clinical learning experiences; remediation strategies and
				attrition rates; and reports from an assigned mentor to the program director.
				Additional survey visits by a Board representative may be conducted at
				appropriate intervals to evaluate the status of the program. The Board may
				alter a monitoring plan as necessary to address the specific needs of a
				particular program.
(J)
				The program shall not enroll students until the Board approves the proposal and
				grants initial approval.
(K) Prior
				to presentation of the proposal to the Board, evidence of approval from the
				appropriate regulatory agencies shall be provided.
(L) When the proposal is submitted, an
				initial approval fee shall be assessed per §
											223.1 of this
				title (relating to Fees).
(M) A
				proposal without action for one (1) calendar year shall be considered withdrawn
				and a new proposal application and fee, as set forth in §
											223.1 of this
				title (relating to Fees) will be required to begin the new proposal process
				again.
(N) If the Board denies a
				proposal, the educational unit in nursing within the structure of a school,
				including a college, university, or career school or college, or a hospital
				must wait a minimum of twelve (12) calendar months from the date of the denial
				before submitting a new proposal to establish a professional nursing education
				program.
(3) Survey
				visits shall be conducted, as necessary, by staff until full approval status is
				granted.