Section R4-19-216. Approval of a Refresher Program

A.      An applicant for approval of a refresher program for nurses whose licenses have been inactive or expired for five or more years, nurses under Board order to enroll in a refresher pro- gram, or nurses who have not met the requirements of R4-19- 312 shall submit one electronic and one paper copy of a com- pleted application that provides all of the following informa- tion and documentation:

1.        Applicant's name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, web site address, if applicable, and fax number;

2.        Proposed starting date for the program;

3.        Name and qualifications of all instructors that meet the requirements of subsection (C);

4.        Statement describing the facilities, staff, and resources that the applicant will use to conduct the refresher pro- gram;

5.        A program and participant evaluation plan that includes student evaluation of the course, instructor, and clinical experience;

6.        Evidence of a curriculum that meets the requirements of subsection (B);

B.       A refresher program shall provide:

1.        A minimum of 40 hours of didactic instruction for a licensed practical nurse program and 80 hours of didactic instruction for a registered nurse program. Didactic instruction shall include, at a minimum:

a.         Nursing process and patient centered care;

b.        Pharmacology, medication calculation, and medica- tion administration;

c.         Communication;

d.        Critical thinking, clinical decision making and evi- dence-based practice;

e.         Delegation, management, and leadership;

f.         Working with interdisciplinary teams;

g.        Meeting psychosocial and physiological needs of adult clients with medical-surgical conditions;

h.        Ethics;

i.         Documentation including electronic health records;

j.         Informatics;

k.        Quality Improvement; and

l.         At the program’s discretion, additional content hours in other populations of care for students who will be engaged in clinical experiences with these popula- tions.

2.        A clinical experience of a type and duration to meet course objectives for each student which consists of a minimum of 112 hours for a practical nurse program and 160 hours for a registered nurse program. Relative to the clinical portion of the program, the program shall:

a.         Ensure that each qualified student has a verified clinical placement within 12 months of course enrollment;

b.        Provide program policies for clinical placement in advance of enrollment that specify both the obliga- tions of the school and the student regarding place- ment;

c.         Validate that a student has the necessary theoretical knowledge to function safely in the specific clinical setting before starting a clinical experience;

d.        Ensure that clinical placements provide an opportu- nity to demonstrate safe and competent application of program didactic content through either direct or indirect client care; and

e.         Include, at its discretion, up to 32 hours of scheduled clinical time in laboratory experiences including simulation.

3.        Curriculum and other materials to students and prospec- tive students that, include:

a.         An overall program description including goals;

b.        Objectives, content, and hours allotted for each area of instruction;

c.         Implemented course policies that include but are not limited to admission requirements, passing criteria, cause for dismissal, clinical requirements, grievance process and student responsibilities; and

d.        Program costs and length of the program.

C.      Refresher program personnel qualifications and responsibili- ties:

1.        An administrator of a refresher program shall:

a.         Hold a graduate degree in nursing or a bachelor of science in nursing degree and a graduate degree in either education or a health-related field, and

b.        Be responsible for administering and evaluating the program.

2.        A faculty member of a refresher program shall:

a.         Hold a minimum of a bachelor of science in nursing degree,

b.        Be responsible for implementing the curriculum and supervising clinical experiences either directly or indirectly through the use of clinical preceptors.

3.        Licensure requirements for program administrator and faculty:

a.         If the program is located in Arizona, the administra- tor and faculty members shall hold a current Arizona RN license in good standing or a multi-state privi- lege under A.R.S., Title 32, Chapter 15;

b.        If the program is located in another state, the admin- istrator and didactic faculty members shall either hold a current RN license in good standing in the state of the program location or meet the require- ments of subsection (a).

4.        If preceptors are used for clinical experiences, the pro- gram shall adhere to the preceptorship requirements of R4-19-206(E).

5.        Other licensed health care professionals may participate in course instruction consistent with their licensure and

scope of practice and under the direction of the program administrator or faculty.

D.      Program types; bonding

1.        A refresher program may be offered by:

a.         A private educational institution that is accredited by the private post-secondary board,

b.        A public post-secondary educational institution,

c.         A licensed health care institution, or

d.        A private individual, partnership or corporation.

2.        If the refresher program is offered by a private individual, partnership or corporation, the program shall:

a.        

	i.	Bond or insurance distributions are limited to
		students or former students with a valid claim
		for instructional or program deficiencies;
	ii.	The amount of the bond or insurance coverage

  

 

Submit proof of insurance covering any potential or future claims for damages resulting from any aspect of the program or provide evidence of a surety bond from a surety company with a rating of “A” or better by either Best’s Credit Ratings, Moody’s Investor Service, or Standard and Poor’s rating service in the amount of a minimum of $15,000. The program shall ensure that:

is sufficient to reimburse the full amount of col- lected tuition and fees for all students during all enrollment periods of the program; and

iii.   The bond  or insurance is maintained for an additional 24 months after program closure.

b.        For programs offering on-ground instruction, pro- vide a fire inspection report of the classroom and building by the Arizona State Fire Marshal or an entity approved by the Arizona State Fire Marshal for each program location.

c.         Subsection (D) is effective immediately for new pro- grams and within one year of the effective date for approved programs.

E.       The Board shall approve a refresher program that meets the requirements of this Section, if approval is in the best interest of the public, for a maximum term of five years. An applicant who is denied refresher program approval may request a hear- ing by filing a written request with the Board within 30 days of service of the Board's order denying the application for approval. Hearings shall be conducted in accordance with

A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, Article 10 and 4 A.A.C. 19, Article 6.

F.       The refresher program  sponsor  shall apply  for renewal  of approval in accordance with subsection (A) not later than 90 days before expiration of the current approval. The sponsor of a refresher program that is denied renewal of approval may request a hearing by filing a written request with the Board within 30 days of service of the Board's order denying the application for renewal of approval. Hearings shall be con- ducted in accordance with A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, and 4

A.A.C. 19, Article 6.

G.      The sponsor of an approved refresher program shall provide written notification to the Board within 15 days of a partici- pant's completion of the program of the following:

1.        Name of the participant and whether the participant suc- cessfully completed or failed the program,

2.        Participant's license, and

3.        Date of participant's completion of the program.

H.      The Board may accept a refresher program from another U.S. jurisdiction for an individual applicant on a case-by-case basis if the applicant provides verifiable evidence that the refresher program substantially meets the requirements of this Section.

The acceptance of the program for an individual applicant does not confer approval status upon the program.

I.        Within 30 days, a refresher program shall report to the Board changes in:

1.        Name, address, electronic address, web site address or phone number of the program;

2.        Clinical or didactic hours of the program;

3.        Program delivery method; or

4.        Ownership including adding or deleting an owner.

J.        The Board may take action against the approval of a refresher program under A.R.S § 32-1606(C) and the provisions of this Article. The administrator of a refresher program whose approval is disciplined or subject to a notice of deficiency may request a hearing by filing a written request with the Board within 30 days of service of the Board's order denying the application for renewal of approval. Hearings shall be con- ducted in accordance with A.R.S. Title 41, Chapter 6, and 4

A.A.C. 19, Article 6.

Historical Note

New Section R4-19-216 renumbered from R4-19-214 and amended by final rulemaking at 19 A.A.R. 1419, effective July 6, 2013 (Supp. 13-2).