Section R4-19-214. Pilot Programs for Innovative Approaches in Nursing Education

A.      Under A.R.S. § 32-1606(A)(9) a nursing education program, refresher program or a certified nursing assistant program may implement a pilot program for an innovative approach by com- plying with the provisions of this Section. Education programs approved to implement innovative approaches shall comply with all other applicable provisions of A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 15 and A.A.C. Title 4, Chapter 19.

B.       A program applying for a pilot program shall:

1.        Hold full approval;

2.        Have no substantiated complaints, discipline or deficien- cies in the past two years; and

3.        Have been compliant with all Board regulations during the past two years.

C.      The following written information shall be provided to the Board at least 90 days prior to a Board meeting:

1.        Identifying  information  including  name  of  program, address, responsible party and contact information;

2.        A brief description of  the  current program,  including accreditation and Board approval status;

3.        Identification of the regulation or regulations that the pro- posed innovative approach would violate;

4.        Length  of time for  which  the innovative approach  is requested;

5.        Description of the innovative approach, including objec- tives;

6.        Brief explanation of the rationale for the innovative approach at this time;

7.        Explanation of how the proposed innovation differs from approaches in the current program;

8.        Available evidence supporting the innovative approach;

9.        Identification of resources that support the proposed innovative approach;

10.     Expected impact the innovative approach will have on the program, including administration, students, faculty, and other program resources;

11.     Plan for implementation, including timeline;

12.     Plan for evaluation of the proposed innovation, including measurable outcomes, method of evaluation, and fre- quency of evaluation; and

13.     Additional application information as requested by the Board.

D.      The Board shall approve an application for innovation that meets the following criteria:

1.        Eligibility criteria in subsection (B) and application crite- ria in subsection (C) are met;

2.        The innovative approach will not compromise the quality of education or safe practice of students;

3.        Resources are sufficient to support the innovative approach;

4.        Rationale with available evidence supports the imple- mentation of the innovative approach;

5.        Implementation plan is reasonable to achieve the desired outcomes of the innovative approach;

6.        Timeline provides for a sufficient period to implement and evaluate the innovative approach; and

7.        Plan for periodic evaluation is comprehensive and sup- ported by appropriate methodology.

E.       The Board may:

1.        Deny the application or request additional information if the program does not meet the criteria in subsections (B) and (C); or

2.        Rescind the approval of the innovation or require the pro- gram to make modifications if:

a.         The Board receives substantiated evidence indicat- ing adverse impact,

b.        The program fails to implement or evaluate the inno- vative approach as presented and approved, or

c.         The program fails to maintain eligibility criteria in subsection (B).

F.       An education program that is granted approval for an innova- tion shall maintain eligibility criteria in subsection (B) and submit:

1.        Progress reports conforming to the evaluation plan annu- ally or as requested by the Board; and

2.        A final evaluation report that conforms to the evaluation plan, detailing and analyzing the outcomes data.

G.      If the innovative approach has achieved the desired outcomes and the final evaluation has been submitted, the program may request that the innovative approach be continued.

H.      The Board may grant the request to continue approval if the innovative approach has achieved desired outcomes and has not compromised public protection.

Historical Note

Adopted effective July 19, 1995 (Supp. 95-3). Amended by final rulemaking at 7 A.A.R. 5349, effective Novem- ber 8, 2001 (Supp. 01-4). Amended by final rulemaking

at 11 A.A.R. 451, effective March 7, 2005 (05-1). R4-19- 214 renumbered to R4-19-216; New Section R4-19-214 made by final rulemaking at 19 A.A.R. 1419, effective July 6, 2013 (Supp. 13-2).