OAR 851-054-0040
Eligibility for Initial State Licensure
(1)
An applicant for licensure as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) shall:(a)
Hold or obtain an active unencumbered registered nurse license in Oregon;(b)
Hold a graduate degree in nursing, or a post-masters certificate with evidence of CNS theory and clinical concentration. The program shall meet the following educational standards:(A)
The program shall be at least one academic year in length;(B)
There shall be faculty and/or clinical instructors who are academically and experientially qualified in nursing, and who maintain expertise within the CNS scope of practice;(C)
Accreditation of the graduate nursing degree by a national nursing organization recognized by the US Department of Education or documentation of a Board approved or directed credentials evaluation for graduates of programs outside of the U.S. which demonstrates education equivalency to a graduate degree in nursing accredited by the national nursing organization recognized by the US Department of Education.(D)
Applicants who graduate or obtain a post-masters CNS certificate on or after January 1, 2007 shall have completed 500 hours of clinical practice within the program.(c)
Meet the practice requirement through verification of:(A)
Graduation from a CNS educational program which meets the requirements of OAR 851-054-0030 (Standards for Clinical Nurse Specialist Programs) within the past one year; or(B)
Practice of at least 192 hours in the two years following graduation from a CNS program; or(C)
Practice within the CNS scope of practice for at least 960 hours within the five years preceding the application. Verification of practice hours is subject to random audit.(2)
If an applicant does not meet the practice requirement in 851-054-0040 (Eligibility for Initial State Licensure)(1)(c), the applicant shall:(a)
Obtain a limited license as a registered nurse in the State of Oregon; or hold an active Oregon registered nurse license;(b)
Submit for Board approval, a detailed plan for precepted practice that includes: a plan for demonstrating core, population, and specialty competencies that support the CNS role; names and qualifications of all CNS preceptor(s) at least one of whom must be an Oregon state certified CNS skilled in the population focus or specialty care; and a description of the nature of the proposed unpaid, voluntary, precepted clinical experience.(A)
If the applicant has practiced at least 960 hours within the six years prior to the date of application, the practice plan shall provide for 250 hours of preceptorship. Documented practice hours within the CNS scope for the past two years may be recognized and may reduce the required hours, except that, in no case shall the precepted practice be less than 120 hours.(B)
If the applicant has practiced at least 960 hours within the CNS scope for the ten years prior to the date of application, the practice plan shall provide for 400 hours.(C)
If the applicant has not practiced at least 960 hours within the CNS scope for the last ten years, the re-entry requirement shall be met through:(i)
Successful completion of a CNS post masters certificate program which meets the requirements of OAR 851-054-0030 (Standards for Clinical Nurse Specialist Programs), or;(ii)
A comprehensive series of CNS courses within a US Department of Education recognized nationally accredited CNS program in the population or specialty sought.(iii)
The plan of study shall be submitted in advance for Board approval before enrollment. The plan of study shall cover the entire scope of the population or specialty area under which the applicant was previously state certified, and must include both clinical and didactic hours. The program of study shall include advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology, physical assessment, and theory and clinical experience in the CNS population focus for which renewal is being made, preparing the applicant to meet all core competencies within the CNS scope including the three CNS spheres of influence in order to meet the requirements of OAR 851- 054-0030.(iv)
The institution shall provide documentation which demonstrates previous credits, courses, or competency testing applied to meet final completion. Proof of completion of this plan of study shall be provided to the Board in the form of official transcripts documenting completion of all required coursework.(c)
Obtain a limited Oregon CNS state license for precepted practice. The limited license shall be issued only upon receipt of a completed CNS application, application for limited licensure, Board approval of the plan for supervised practice, and payment of all applicable fees. The limited license is valid only for precepted practice that has been approved in advance by the Board, and will be valid for one year from the date of issue. One extension of the limited license may be granted upon approval and payment of fee, provided there is a current valid application for Oregon licensure on file and no disciplinary action has been taken against the applicant. This extension will be valid for one year from date of approval.(d)
Successfully complete the precepted hours of practice supervised by the CNS preceptor. Successful completion shall be verified by a final evaluation submitted by the supervising CNS to the Board to verify that the applicant is competent to practice in the CNS scope at a safe and acceptable level, and that the number of required hours of precepted practice was completed.(e)
Submit evidence of continuing education related to the CNS role to total 20 contact hours for each year out of practice with no less than 50% obtained from accredited providers of continuing nursing education (CNE), continuing medical education (CME), or continuing pharmacology education (CPE). Continuing education taken concurrent with the reentry plan may be applied towards the total continuing education requirement, provided all hours are complete by the end of the preceptorship.(3)
The applicant shall submit all fees required by the Board with the application. The fees are not refundable. An application that remains incomplete after one year shall be considered void.(4)
Clinical nurse specialists seeking prescriptive authority will need to meet all additional requirements in Division 56. These requirements may be obtained as part of a re-entry program plan approved by the Board.(5)
Grounds for denial of graduate clinical nurse specialist applicants for initial Oregon licensure include failure of CNS program to:(A)
Maintain accreditation status through a US Department of Education recognized national nursing accrediting body;(B)
Submit curricula, self-evaluation reports, interim reports or notice of accreditation reports as required by the Board until such reports are received and reviewed by the Board;(6)
Students who graduate from a program that was accredited at the time of their completion shall be considered to have graduated from an accredited program regardless of the current program status for the purpose of licensure.
Source:
Rule 851-054-0040 — Eligibility for Initial State Licensure, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=851-054-0040.