| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to clinical practice hours available for professional |
|
|
nursing educational programs at certain hospitals. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 105, Health and Safety Code, is amended |
|
|
by adding Section 105.0021 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 105.0021. CLINICAL PRACTICE HOURS DATABASE; REPORTING |
|
|
REQUIREMENTS. (a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Hospital" has the meaning assigned by Section |
|
|
108.002. |
|
|
(2) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning |
|
|
assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
|
|
(3) "Reporting year" means a period beginning August 1 |
|
|
and ending on the succeeding July 31. |
|
|
(b) The council shall establish and maintain a database of |
|
|
clinical practice hours, disaggregated by hospital location, that |
|
|
are available at hospitals for professional nursing educational |
|
|
programs regulated by the Texas Board of Nursing that are offered at |
|
|
institutions of higher education in this state. The council shall |
|
|
administer the database through the nursing resource section of the |
|
|
health professions resource center created under Section 105.002. |
|
|
(c) Not later than August 1 of each year, each hospital |
|
|
shall report to the nursing resource section: |
|
|
(1) the projected number of clinical practice hours |
|
|
that will be available to professional nursing educational programs |
|
|
at institutions of higher education in this state at the hospital |
|
|
during the reporting year that begins on that August 1; |
|
|
(2) the actual number of clinical practice hours that |
|
|
were available to professional nursing educational programs at the |
|
|
hospital during the preceding reporting year; and |
|
|
(3) the actual number of clinical practice hours used |
|
|
by professional nursing educational programs at the hospital, by |
|
|
institution of higher education, during the preceding reporting |
|
|
year. |
|
|
(d) The nursing resource section may collect the data |
|
|
required under Subsection (c) in the same manner and at the same |
|
|
time other state-mandated data is collected. |
|
|
(e) The council may exempt from the reporting requirement in |
|
|
Subsection (c) a hospital that is unable to provide clinical |
|
|
practice hours to professional nursing educational programs. |
|
|
(f) The nursing resource section, using the most efficient |
|
|
means available, shall report to professional nursing educational |
|
|
programs the following information disaggregated by hospital |
|
|
location: |
|
|
(1) the actual number of clinical practice hours |
|
|
available during the preceding reporting year; |
|
|
(2) the actual number of unused clinical practice |
|
|
hours during the preceding reporting year; |
|
|
(3) the projected number of clinical practice hours |
|
|
available for the following reporting year; |
|
|
(4) the written comments submitted by each hospital |
|
|
under Subsection (g); and |
|
|
(5) a comparison of the variation between projected |
|
|
and available clinical practice hours for the preceding reporting |
|
|
year and any issues impacting the numbers of hours. |
|
|
(g) When submitting clinical practice hours data to the |
|
|
nursing resource section, a hospital may include in the hospital's |
|
|
report concise written comments in the form prescribed by the |
|
|
section regarding any issue impacting the number of hours reported. |
|
|
(h) Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the |
|
|
council shall submit a report to the legislature that: |
|
|
(1) lists the number of unused clinical practice hours |
|
|
for reporting hospitals; |
|
|
(2) identifies specific professional nursing |
|
|
educational programs at institutions of higher education that could |
|
|
be targeted for growth based on geographical proximity to |
|
|
facilities with unused clinical practice hours; |
|
|
(3) includes a summary of the written comments |
|
|
submitted by a hospital under Subsection (g); and |
|
|
(4) provides an analysis of the variation between |
|
|
projected and available clinical practice hours in preceding |
|
|
reporting years and any issues impacting the numbers of hours. |
|
|
(i) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
|
|
Services Commission may adopt rules as necessary to administer this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 105.0021, Health and |
|
|
Safety Code, as added by this Act: |
|
|
(1) a hospital shall submit the initial report |
|
|
required under Subsection (c), Section 105.0021, Health and Safety |
|
|
Code, as added by this Act, not later than August 1, 2010; |
|
|
(2) the nursing resource section of the health |
|
|
professions resource center shall report: |
|
|
(A) the information required under Subdivisions |
|
|
(1) through (4), Subsection (f), Section 105.0021, Health and |
|
|
Safety Code, as added by this Act, not later than November 1, 2010; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(B) the information required under Subdivision |
|
|
(5), Subsection (f), Section 105.0021, Health and Safety Code, as |
|
|
added by this Act, not later than November 1, 2011; and |
|
|
(3) the statewide health coordinating council shall |
|
|
submit the initial report required under Subdivision (4), |
|
|
Subsection (h), Section 105.0021, Health and Safety Code, as added |
|
|
by this Act, not later than January 1, 2013. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |