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Oklahoma Administrative Code (Last Updated: March 11, 2021) |
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TITLE 485. Oklahoma Board of Nursing |
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Chapter 10. Licensure of Practical and Registered Nurses |
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Subchapter 5. Minimum Standards for Approved Nursing Education Programs |
SECTION 485:10-5-8. Experimentation
Latest version.
- A nursing education program which wishes to initiate an experimental program shall apply to the Board in writing for the approval of its plan. Nursing education programs approved to implement innovative approaches shall continue to provide quality nursing education that prepares graduates to practice safely, competently, and ethically within the scope of practice as defined in Oklahoma's statutes.(1) Purposes(A) To foster innovative models of nursing education to address the changing needs in health care.(B) To assure that innovative approaches are conducted in a manner consistent with the Board's role of protecting the public.(C) To assure that innovative approaches conform to the quality outcome standards and core education criteria established by the Board.(2) Eligibility(A) The nursing education program shall hold full Board approval with no warnings with unmet conditions or survey visit recommendations that are unmet.(B) There are no substantiated complaints in the past 2 years.(C) There are no rule violations in the past 2 years.(3) Application. The following information shall be provided to the Board at least 60 days prior to a Board meeting:(A) Identifying information (name of nursing program, address, responsible party and contact information).(B) A brief description of the current program, including accreditation and Board approval status.(C) Identification of the regulation(s) affected by the proposed innovative approach.(D) Length of time for which the innovative approach is requested.(E) Description of the innovative approach, including objective(s).(F) Explanation of how the proposed innovation differs from approaches in the current program.(G) Rationale with available evidence supporting the innovative approach.(H) Identification of resources that support the proposed innovative approach.(I) Expected impact innovative approach will have on the program, including administration, students, faculty, and other program resources.(J) Plan for implementation, including timeline.(K) Plan for evaluation of the proposed innovation, including measurable criteria/outcomes, method of evaluation, and frequency of evaluation.(L) Additional application information as requested by the Board.(4) Standards for approval(A) Eligibility criteria in (2) and application criteria in (3) are met.(B) The innovative approach will not compromise the quality of education or safe practice of students.(C) Resources are sufficient to support the innovative approach.(D) Rationale with available evidence supports the implementation of the innovative approach.(E) Implementation plan is reasonable to achieve the desired outcomes of the innovative approach.(F) Timeline provides for a sufficient period to implement and evaluate the innovative approach.(G) Plan for periodic evaluation is comprehensive and supported by appropriate methodology.(5) Review of application and board action(A) Annually the Board may establish the number of innovative approach applications it will accept, based on available Board resources.(B) The Board shall evaluate all applications to determine if they meet the eligibility criteria in (2) and the standards established in (3).(C) Based on its evaluation, the Board may:(i) Approve the application; or(ii) Approve the application with modifications as agreed between the Board and the nursing education program; or(iii) Defer a decision on the application pending receipt of additional information; or(iv) Deny the application.(6) The Board may rescind the approval or require the program to make modifications if:(A) The Board receives substantiated evidence indicating adverse impact.(B) The nursing education program fails to implement the innovative approach as presented and approved.(C) The nursing education program has a change in its approval status, its ownership status or administrative structure, or its faculty, such as would significantly impact its ability to implement the innovative approach.(7) Periodic Evaluation(A) The education program shall submit progress reports conforming to the evaluation plan annually or as requested by the Board.(B) The final evaluation report shall conform to the evaluation plan, detailing and analyzing the outcomes data.(C) If any report indicates that students were adversely impacted by the innovation, the nursing program shall provide documentation of corrective measures and their effectiveness.(8) Requesting continuation of the innovative approach. If the innovative approach has achieved the desired outcomes and the final evaluation has been submitted, the Board may consider a change in the rules that would provide for implementation of the innovative approach by nursing education programs.