| 1 | 1 | | 81R11598 CS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Pitts H.B. No. 3230 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the approval of out-of-state nursing education programs |
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| 8 | 8 | | by the Texas Board of Nursing. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 301.157, Occupations Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsection (d-4) and adding Subsection (d-8) to read as |
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| 12 | 12 | | follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (d-4) The board may recognize and accept as approved under |
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| 14 | 14 | | this section a school of nursing or educational program operated in |
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| 15 | 15 | | another state and approved by a state board of nursing or other |
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| 16 | 16 | | regulatory body of another state. The board shall develop policies |
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| 17 | 17 | | to ensure that the other state board's standards are substantially |
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| 18 | 18 | | equivalent to the board's standards. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (d-8) A nursing program is considered to meet standards |
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| 20 | 20 | | substantially equivalent to the board's standards if the program: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) is part of an institution of higher education in |
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| 22 | 22 | | another state that is approved by the regulatory authorities of |
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| 23 | 23 | | that state; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) holds regional accreditation by an accrediting |
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| 25 | 25 | | body recognized by the United States secretary of education and the |
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| 26 | 26 | | Council for Higher Education Accreditation; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) holds specialty accreditation by an accrediting |
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| 28 | 28 | | body recognized by the United States secretary of education and the |
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| 29 | 29 | | Council for Higher Education Accreditation, including the National |
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| 30 | 30 | | League for Nursing Accrediting Commission; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) requires for admission that an applicant be a |
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| 32 | 32 | | licensed practical or vocational nurse, military service corpsman, |
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| 33 | 33 | | paramedic, or the holder of a degree in a clinically oriented health |
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| 34 | 34 | | care field with demonstrated experience providing direct patient |
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| 35 | 35 | | care; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) graduates students who: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (A) achieve program outcomes determined by the |
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| 38 | 38 | | program's faculty, including passing a nursing examination that |
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| 39 | 39 | | tests knowledge essential to beginning practice as a registered |
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| 40 | 40 | | nurse; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (B) pass an examination, developed by the |
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| 42 | 42 | | program's faculty subject matter experts, that measures clinical |
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| 43 | 43 | | competencies essential to beginning practice as a registered nurse |
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| 44 | 44 | | and meets nationally recognized standards; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (C) pass the National Council Licensure |
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| 46 | 46 | | Examination for Registered Nurses at a rate equivalent to the |
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| 47 | 47 | | passage rate for students of board-approved in-state programs. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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