| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a study of nursing educational programs that require a |
|
|
single clinical competency assessment. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 301, Occupations Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 301.1571 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 301.1571. STUDY OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS REQUIRING |
|
|
SINGLE CLINICAL COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT. (a) The board shall study |
|
|
whether graduates of a nursing educational program that requires |
|
|
students to pass only a single clinical competency assessment are |
|
|
able after graduation to practice in a clinical setting at a level |
|
|
substantially equivalent to the graduates of a nursing educational |
|
|
program that requires students to complete a required number of |
|
|
supervised clinical learning experiences involving multiple, |
|
|
ongoing assessments and feedback. |
|
|
(b) In conducting the study, the board may consider a |
|
|
nursing educational program that requires students to pass only a |
|
|
single clinical competency assessment only if the program: |
|
|
(1) has been requiring only a single clinical |
|
|
competency assessment for at least 10 years; |
|
|
(2) has students who reside in this state; |
|
|
(3) has graduates who have been considered by the |
|
|
board to be eligible to apply for a registered nurse license as a |
|
|
result of graduating from the program on or before January 1, 2007; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(4) conducts the single clinical competency |
|
|
assessment at a facility located in this state under the |
|
|
supervision of a registered nurse who holds a master's or doctoral |
|
|
degree in nursing and who has at least five years of experience on |
|
|
the faculty of a nursing program approved to operate in this state. |
|
|
(c) If a nursing educational program that requires students |
|
|
to pass only a single clinical competency assessment has students |
|
|
who are already licensed registered nurses, the study may consider |
|
|
only students who are not already licensed registered nurses. |
|
|
(d) The board shall begin the study, including the research |
|
|
design and the compilation of results, not later than January 1, |
|
|
2010, and shall conclude the study not later than June 30, 2012, |
|
|
except that the board may extend the study until June 30, 2014, if |
|
|
additional time is needed to complete the study or compile the |
|
|
results. |
|
|
(e) If the study finds that graduates of a nursing |
|
|
educational program that requires students to pass only a single |
|
|
clinical competency assessment are not able after graduation to |
|
|
practice in a clinical setting at a level substantially equivalent |
|
|
to the graduates of a nursing educational program that requires |
|
|
students to complete a required number of supervised clinical |
|
|
learning experiences, the board shall allow a program participating |
|
|
in the study to modify its program, not later than December 31, |
|
|
2017, to meet any standards required for graduates of the program to |
|
|
be eligible to apply to the board for a license. The board may not |
|
|
disqualify graduates of a program that is modifying its program |
|
|
under this subsection from receiving a license under this chapter |
|
|
before December 31, 2017. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |