OAR 851-054-0035
Standards for Approval of Oregon Based Programs

The Board of Nursing holds the dean or director of the school of nursing accountable for identification and appointment of qualified nurse administrators, educators and preceptors. The dean or director shall ensure that programs which prepare CNSs in one or more programs/tracks have CNS program administrators with defined position responsibility for budget and resource preparation, curricular design and implementation, and program evaluation.

(1)

CNS Program Administrators:

(a)

Qualifications: A CNS program administrator who has overall responsibility for one or more CNS tracks shall meet the following requirements:

(A)

An active unencumbered Oregon CNS license;

(B)

National certification as a CNS in at least one population focus area or specialty is preferred;

(C)

A doctoral degree in an education or health-related field;

(D)

Educational preparation or experience in teaching and learning principles for adult education, including curriculum development and administration and at least two years (2,080 hours) of CNS practice which meets Oregon’s requirements;

(E)

In a multi-track program, where only one program administrator is appointed by the Dean or Director of the school, there must be evidence of additional program administrators or lead CNS faculty to provide oversight for student supervision who are qualified in that specific program’s population focus and spheres of influence.

(b)

Responsibilities: The principle responsibilities of the CNS program administrator shall be:

(A)

Ensuring appropriate student faculty ratios to meet program goals and objectives;

(B)

Providing leadership and accountability for the administration, planning, implementation and evaluation of the program;

(C)

Preparing and administering the program budget;

(D)

Facilitating faculty recruitment, development, performance review, promotion and retention;

(E)

Confirming that cooperative agreements with clinical practice sites are current.

(c)

CNS program administrator responsibilities may include functioning as program faculty with appropriate workload assignment to fulfill administrative duties and responsibilities.

(2)

CNS Educators:

(a)

Qualifications: The CNS Educator shall meet the following requirements:

(A)

An active unencumbered Oregon CNS license; and

(B)

A minimum of a masters degree in nursing with at least 2,080 hours of prior CNS practice which meets Oregon’s requirements;

(C)

National certification as a CNS in at least one population focus area or specialty is preferred;

(D)

In a doctoral program, a majority (greater than 50%) of CNS educators must be doctorally prepared;

(E)

Current knowledge and competence as a CNS in the population focus area and the spheres of influence consistent with teaching responsibilities;

(F)

Adjunct clinical faculty employed solely to supervise clinical nursing experiences of students shall meet all the faculty requirements;

(G)

Inter-professional educators who teach non-clinical nursing courses shall have advanced preparation appropriate to the area of content.

(b)

Responsibilities: The principle responsibilities of the CNS Educator shall be to:

(A)

Enable each student to meet faculty developed objectives and competencies by:
(i)
Verifying and approving arrangements with a clinical agency for each student’s clinical practicum consistent with their learning objectives;
(ii)
Coordinating preceptor selection and orientation(s); and
(iii)
Providing and verifying direct student supervision;

(B)

Monitor clinical practice experiences, make periodic site visits to the clinical practice location, evaluate students’ performance on a regular basis with input from the student and preceptor;

(C)

Provide direct student supervision of clinical experiences as required for patient safety and student skill attainment;

(D)

Assure appropriate use of preceptors for clinical instruction by verifying that:
(i)
The student to preceptor ratio is appropriate to the accomplishment of learning objectives, to provide for patient safety, and to the complexity of the clinical situation;
(ii)
Oregon licensure is current and appropriate to the health professional’s area of practice;
(iii)
Functions and responsibilities for the preceptor are clearly documented in a written agreement between the agency, the preceptor, and the clinical program;
(iv)
Initial experiences in the clinical practicum and a majority of the clinical experiences shall be under the supervision of clinical preceptors who are state certified CNSs.

(3)

CNS Clinical Preceptors: The CNS clinical preceptor shall meet the following standards:

(a)

Licensure as an independent health care provider qualified by education and clinical competency to provide direct supervision of the clinical practice experience of students in a CNS program;

(b)

Clinical preceptors may be used to enhance, but not replace, faculty-directed clinical learning experiences.

(4)

Program accreditation requirements and Board notification process:

(a)

Currently accredited programs that prepare clinical nurse specialists for state licensure under these rules and requirements shall submit to the Board:

(A)

A copy of their most recent program self-evaluation reports;

(B)

Current accreditation and survey reports from all nursing accrediting agencies; and

(C)

Interim reports submitted to the nursing accreditation agency.

(D)

These documents must be submitted to the Board upon receipt to or release from the accrediting agency or no later than 90 days from enactment of these rules.

(b)

Programs which prepare clinical nurse specialists for state licensure under development or pre-accreditation review shall submit the following for review by the Board:

(A)

Copies of the curricula within 30 days of sending the information to the accrediting agency;

(B)

Copies of self-evaluation reports and any interim reports provided to all national nursing accreditation agencies at the time of notification from the accrediting agency that the program has not been fully accredited;

(C)

Verification of accreditation from all accrediting agencies within 30 days of receipt by the program;

(D)

Annual reports which enable the monitoring of continued compliance with Board requirements.

(5)

Approval of a New Oregon Based Clinical Nurse Specialist Educational Program

(a)

Any university or college wishing to establish a clinical nurse specialist education program must make application to the Board no later than one year before proposed enrollment of students.

(b)

The following information must be included with the initial application along with supporting documentation:

(A)

Purpose for establishing the nursing education program;

(B)

Community needs and studies made as the basis for establishing a nursing education program;

(C)

Type of program including clear identification of proposed licensure role and population foci for graduates including eligibility for national certification as indicated;

(D)

Accreditation status, relationship of educational program to parent institution;

(E)

Financial provision for the educational program;

(F)

Potential student enrollment;

(G)

Provision for qualified faculty;

(H)

Proposed clinical facilities and other physical facilities;

(I)

Proposed time schedule for initiating the program. If initial approval is denied, the applicant may request a hearing before the Board and the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act shall apply.

(6)

Survey of Oregon Based Clinical Nurse Specialist Educational Programs

(a)

Board representatives will conduct in person visits to nursing programs for the following purposes:

(A)

Review of application for initial program approval;

(B)

Initial and continuing full approval of an educational program;

(C)

Receipt by the Board of cause for review including but not limited to:
(i)
Significant curricular change that includes addition of a new state licensure recognized population focus or role;
(ii)
Evidence that graduates fail to meet national certification eligibility criteria, if applicable;
(iii)
Violation of Board standards.

(D)

If approval is denied or withdrawn, the applicant may request a hearing before the Board and the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act shall apply.

(b)

Board representatives will contact nursing programs to schedule site visits:

(A)

Within 60 days of receipt of an application for initial program approval;

(B)

Upon receipt of national accreditation report for existing programs; one year after implementation of new programs; every 3-5 years for continuing approval;

(C)

Within 30 days of receipt of a complaint.

(D)

For purposes of reviewing a major curriculum change.

Source: Rule 851-054-0035 — Standards for Approval of Oregon Based Programs, https://secure.­sos.­state.­or.­us/oard/view.­action?ruleNumber=851-054-0035.

Last Updated

Jun. 8, 2021

Rule 851-054-0035’s source at or​.us