Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING › Chapter 246-840 - Practical and registered nursing › NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS › Section 246-840-541 - Curriculum for prelicensure registered nursing education programs

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) The program of
				  study for a registered nursing education program must include both didactic and
				  clinical learning experiences and must be:
(a) Effective September 1, 2017, designed so
				  that all prerequisite nonnursing course credits and nursing credits are
				  transferable to the bachelor's in nursing programs as identified in the
				  statewide associate in nursing direct transfer agreement between community
				  colleges, colleges, and universities, or the statewide associate of applied
				  science transfer degree;
(b)
				  Designed to include instruction in the physical, biological, social and
				  behavioral sciences. Content is required from the areas of anatomy and
				  physiology (equivalent to two quarter credit terms with laboratory), chemistry,
				  microbiology, pharmacology, nutrition, communication, and
				  computations;
(c) Designed to
				  include theory and clinical experiences in the areas of medical surgical
				  nursing and mental health nursing across the life span, teaching students to
				  use a systematic approach to clinical decision making and preparing students to
				  safely practice professional nursing through the promotion, prevention,
				  rehabilitation, maintenance, restoration of health, and palliative and end of
				  life care for individuals of all ages across the life span;
(d) Designed to include nursing history,
				  health care trends, legal and ethical issues such as professional values,
				  substance abuse and the disciplinary process, scope of practice and commission
				  approved scope of practice decision tree, and licensure and professional
				  responsibility pertaining to the registered nurse role. Content may be
				  integrated, combined, or presented as separate courses;
(e) Designed to include opportunities for the
				  student to learn assessment and analysis of client and family needs, planning,
				  implementation, evaluation, and delegation of nursing care for diverse
				  individuals and groups;
(f)
				  Planned, implemented, and evaluated by faculty;
(g) Based on the philosophy, mission,
				  objectives and outcomes of the program;
(h) Organized logically with scope and
				  sequence of courses demonstrating student learning progression;
(i) Based on sound educational principles and
				  standards of educational practice;
(j) Designed so articulation or dual
				  enrollment agreements between associate and bachelor's degree nursing programs
				  or associate and master's degree nursing programs exists to facilitate higher
				  levels of nursing education in a timely manner;
(k) Designed to prepare graduates for
				  licensure and to practice as registered nurses as identified in WAC
				  246-840-700
				  and
				  246-840-705;
				  and
(1) Designed to prepare graduates to
				  practice as associate degree or bachelor degree nurses as identified by
				  professional nursing organizations.
(2) Baccalaureate and entry-level master's
				  degree programs shall also include:
(a)
				  Theory and clinical experiences in community and public health
				  nursing;
(b) The study of research
				  principles and application of statistics to health care practice and
				  intervention; and
(c) The study and
				  practice of leadership, interdisciplinary team coordination, quality assurance
				  and improvement, care coordination and case management.
(3) Registered nursing curricula shall
				  include:
(a) Comprehensive content on: Client
				  needs; safe practice; effective care environment; discharge planning; health
				  promotion, prevention and maintenance; psychosocial integrity and physiological
				  integrity.
(b) Clinical experiences
				  in the care of persons at each stage of the human life cycle, with
				  opportunities for the student to learn and have direct involvement in and
				  responsibility and accountability for the provision of basic nursing care and
				  comfort for clients with acute and chronic illnesses, pharmacological and
				  parenteral therapies, and pain management.
(c) Opportunities for management of care,
				  delegation, supervision, working within a health care team, and
				  interdisciplinary care coordination.