La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § XLVII-3515

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section XLVII-3515 - Faculty and Faculty Organization of Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Education Degree Programs

A. Faculty Body. There shall be qualified faculty adequate in numbers to provide a safe, effective faculty/student/client ratio as defined in (§3533, §3543, §3545) and to implement the undergraduate and/or graduate nurse education degree program in nursing in relation to its stated mission, goals, and expected program outcomes.

B. Qualifications

1. The chief nurse administrator and each nurse faculty member shall hold an active license to practice as a registered nurse in Louisiana and shall be appointed in compliance with state and federal laws.

2. The chief nurse administrator of a baccalaureate program shall hold a minimum of a graduate degree in nursing, an earned doctorate, and shall have a minimum of three years experience in the areas of nursing education and three years in clinical practice.

3. The chief nurse administrator of an associate degree or diploma program shall hold a minimum of a graduate degree in nursing and shall have a minimum of three years experience in the areas of nursing education and three years in clinical practice.

4. The nurse faculty shall hold a graduate degree in nursing as follows.

a. The APRN faculty member shall hold a minimum of a graduate degree in nursing. APRN nursing faculty teaching advanced practice role and population content must be licensed in advanced practice in that advanced practice or related role and population.

b. Other credentialed providers may be utilized to provide content relevant to the advanced practice role and population in support courses.

c. The educational component of the APRN program shall be coordinated by a lead faculty member who is educated and nationally certified in the same role and population area and licensed as an APRN in the state of Louisiana.

5. Nurse faculty shall have a minimum of two years of nursing practice as a registered nurse in a clinical setting prior to their appointment.

6. Nurse faculty shall be sufficient in number to accomplish the mission, goals and program outcomes.

7. Undergraduate nurse faculty shall maintain current knowledge and skills in areas of responsibility and provide documentation of same.

a. - b. Repealed.

8. APRN faculty must demonstrate competence in clinical practice and teaching, which includes continued national certification or continuing education requirements.

9. Exceptions to the academic qualifications for undergraduate nurse faculty shall be justified and approved under board established guidelines. Exceptions, if granted by the board shall be:

a. baccalaureate in nursing-prepared individuals who are not enrolled in a graduate program in nursing are limited to a maximum two calendar years after which they must be enrolled in a graduate nursing program; and

b. baccalaureate in nursing-prepared individuals who are enrolled in a graduate program in nursing at the master's and/or doctoral level shall be initially approved for two years in accordance with current board guidelines. Exceptions may be granted to each individual for a maximum of four years.

C. A faculty turn-over rate that exceeds 25 percent of the full-time nurse faculty employed (not FTE) at any given time by each undergraduate and/or graduate nursing education degree program(s) shall be reported to the board in writing within five business days and justified in the annual school report.

D. Nurse faculty shall function under the same policies established for other faculty in the parent institution.

E. Policies for nurse faculty shall include but not be limited to:

1. qualifications for the position; and

2. contract or letter of appointment to delineate terms of appointment, functions and responsibilities of the position.

3. Repealed.

F. A written plan for performance evaluation of faculty shall be established and utilized on a continuing basis.

G. A nurse faculty organization shall be established consistent with the parent institution and shall have clearly delineated bylaws/governance documents.

H. Faculty workloads shall allow time for class and laboratory preparation, teaching, program revision, improvement in teaching methods, guidance of students, participation in faculty organizations and committees, research and scholarly endeavors, attendance at professional meetings and participation in continuing education programs.

I. Nurse faculty shall select, teach, guide and evaluate all learning experiences in the classroom, labs, simulation, and clinical facilities.

J. Nurse faculty shall be within the clinical facility during the learning experiences of students unless the students are observing only or engaged in a community-based or a preceptorship experience (refer to §3543 and §3545).

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § XLVII-3515

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Board of Nursing, LR 3:186 (April 1977), amended LR 10:1025 (December 1984), LR 12:678 (October 1986), amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Nursing, LR 19:1147 (September 1993), repromulgated LR 24:1293 (July 1998), amended LR 26:2789 (December 2000), repromulgated LR 27:851 (June 2001), amended LR 33:1123 (June 2007), LR 36:1245 (June 2010), Amended LR 42880 (6/1/2016), Amended LR 49874 (5/1/2023).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:918.