22 Tex. Admin. Code § 221.3 - APRN Education Requirements for Licensure
(a) For purposes of this section, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) Advanced Health Assessment Course--a
course that offers content supported by related clinical experience such that
students gain the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive
assessments to acquire data, make diagnoses of health status, and formulate
effective clinical management plans. Content must include assessment of all
human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and
approaches.
(2) Advanced
Pharmacotherapeutics Course--a course that offers content in pharmacokinetics
and pharmacodynamics, pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents,
and the application of drug therapy to the treatment of disease and/or the
promotion of health.
(3) Advanced
Physiology and Pathophysiology Course- a comprehensive, system-focused
pathology course that provides students with the knowledge and skills to
analyze the relationship between normal physiology and pathological phenomena
produced by altered states across the life span.
(4) Role preparation--formal didactic and
clinical experiences/content that prepares nurses to function in an APRN
role.
(5) Clinical major
courses--courses that include didactic content and offer clinical experiences
in a specific population focus area.
(6)
Practicum/Preceptorship/Internship/Residency/Fellowship--a designated portion
of a formal APRN education program that is offered in a health care setting and
affords students the opportunity to integrate theory and role in both the APRN
role and population focus area through direct patient care/client management.
Practicums/Preceptorships/Internships/Residencies/Fellowships are planned and
monitored by either a designated faculty member or qualified
preceptor.
(b) In order
to be eligible to apply for licensure as an APRN, the registered nurse must
have completed a post-basic advanced educational program of study appropriate
for practice in an APRN role and population focus area recognized by the Board.
RN to BSN programs shall not be considered post-basic programs for the purpose
of this rule.
(c) Individuals
prepared in more than one APRN role and/or population focus area (including
blended role or dual specialty programs) shall be considered to have completed
separate APRN education programs of study for each role and/or population focus
area.
(d) Applicants for licensure
in an APRN role and population focus area recognized by the Board must submit
verification of completion of all requirements of an advanced educational
program that meets the following criteria:
(1) Graduation from an APRN graduate or
post-graduate program as evidenced by official documentation received directly
from an APRN education program accredited by a nursing accrediting body that is
recognized by the Board and the U.S. Secretary of Education and/or the Council
for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or its successor organization, as
recognized by the Board. Programs may be approved by the appropriate licensing
body in the state in which the program is located. A state licensing body's
accreditation process must meet or exceed the requirements of accrediting
bodies specified in Board policy.
(2) Programs of study shall be at least one
academic year in length and shall include a formal preceptorship. One academic
year in length shall be evaluated based on the equivalent of a full time
academic load.
(3) Graduates of
APRN education programs who were prepared for two population foci or two
different APRN roles shall demonstrate that they have completed didactic
content and clinical experience in both functional roles and population
foci.
(e) Applicants for
licensure as clinical nurse specialists must submit verification of the
following requirements, in addition to meeting other APRN requirements for
licensure:
(1) completion of a minimum of a
master's degree in the discipline of nursing, and
(2) completion of a minimum of nine semester
credit hours or the equivalent in a specific clinical major. Clinical major
courses must include didactic content and clinical experiences in the clinical
nurse specialist role in a specific population focus area. Courses in advanced
health assessment, advanced physiology and pathophysiology, and advanced
pharmacotherapeutics cannot be counted toward meeting the nine semester credit
hour requirement.
(f)
Applicants for APRN licensure shall provide evidence of completion of an APRN
education program that prepared the graduate to practice in one of the four
APRN roles and at least one of the population foci recognized by the Board. The
curriculum shall include:
(1) Three separate,
dedicated graduate level courses in:
(A)
Advanced health assessment that includes assessment of all human systems,
advanced assessment techniques, concepts and approaches;
(B) Advanced pharmacology that includes
pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad
categories of agents; and
(C)
Advanced physiology and pathophysiology, including general principles that
apply across the lifespan;
(2) Diagnosis and management of diseases and
conditions across practice settings, including diseases representative of all
systems appropriate to the role and population focus area of
licensure;
(3) Preparation that
provides a basic understanding of the principles for decision making in the
identified role;
(4) Preparation in
the core competencies for the identified APRN role;
(5) Role preparation in one identified
population focus area of practice; and
(6) APRN core content including legal,
ethical, and professional responsibilities of the APRN.
(g) The curriculum shall be consistent with
competencies of the specific areas of practice.
(h) Graduates of APRN education programs who
were prepared for two population foci or completed APRN role preparation in
more than one role within the same program shall provide such evidence as is
required for Board staff to verify that the program included sufficient content
and clinical experience to practice the full scope of practice of both
functional roles and population foci.
(i) Each instructional track/major shall have
a minimum of 500 supervised clinical hours as defined by the Board. The
supervised experience shall have been directly related to the role and
population focus area of licensure and include pharmacotherapeutic management
of patients.
(j) Evidence of
recognition of prior learning and advanced placements in the curriculum for
individuals who hold a master's degree in nursing and are seeking preparation
in a different role and/or population focus area through post-graduate
preparation must be provided to the Board for review. Evidence shall be
provided demonstrating that the post-master's nursing student completed the
requirements of the master's APRN program through a formal graduate level
certificate in the desired role and population focus area. Post-master students
must demonstrate they have met the same APRN outcome competencies as master
level students in the full scope of the role and population focus
area.
Notes
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