Senate Bill sb1496c1
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1496
By the Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care; and
Senator Campbell
317-1860-02
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to nursing training programs;
3 amending s. 464.019, F.S.; revising provisions
4 governing approval of training programs by the
5 Board of Nursing; providing for the adoption of
6 rules; exempting certain programs from board
7 oversight; providing for the review of certain
8 substandard programs; providing an effective
9 date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Section 464.019, Florida Statutes, is
14 amended to read:
15 464.019 Approval of nursing programs.--
16 (1) An institution desiring to conduct an approved
17 program for the education of professional or practical nurses
18 shall apply to the department and submit such evidence as may
19 be required to show that it complies with the provisions of
20 this part and with the rules of the board. The board shall
21 adopt rules regarding educational objectives, faculty
22 qualifications, required curriculum guidelines, administrative
23 procedures, and clinical training for initial program
24 approval. A program may not be fully approved or exempted from
25 these requirements prior to the graduation of its first class.
26 The board must be notified of any substantial changes to an
27 approved program, but may not review or disapprove such
28 changes unless the program has fallen below the pass rate for
29 students established in this section. The board may not adopt
30 a rule that would prohibit any qualified institution from
31 placing a student in a facility for clinical experience,
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1496
317-1860-02
1 regardless of whether more than one nursing program is using
2 the same facility for clinical experience. The application
3 shall include a program review fee, as set by the board, not
4 to exceed $1,000.
5 (2) The board and the Florida Board of Education shall
6 jointly adopt rules, in accordance with s. 120.54(2)(d),
7 regarding educational objectives, faculty qualifications,
8 curriculum guidelines, administrative procedures, and clinical
9 training as are necessary to ensure that approved programs
10 graduate nurses capable of competent practice under this part.
11 The rules must consider student attrition rate standards and
12 retention of qualified faculty and shall establish thresholds
13 to serve as indicators of successful program performance.
14 (3) The department shall survey each institution
15 applying for approval and submit its findings to the board.
16 If the board is satisfied that the program meets the
17 requirements of this part and rules pursuant thereto, it shall
18 certify the program for approval and the department shall
19 approve the program.
20 (4) Any fully approved nursing program that maintains
21 accreditation through an accrediting body recognized by the
22 United States Department of Education, or any nursing program
23 located within a regionally accredited institution of higher
24 education, is exempt from review by the board if it maintains
25 a student pass rate on the National Clinical Licensure Exam of
26 not less than 10 percentage points below the national average
27 pass rate, as reported annually by the National Council of
28 State Boards of Nursing.
29 (5) If an institution's rate drops below the standard
30 established in subsection (4) for 3 consecutive years, the
31 program must be reviewed by the board. The board may take
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1496
317-1860-02
1 necessary action to assist the program to return to
2 compliance. (4) If the board, through an investigation by the
3 department, finds that an approved program no longer meets the
4 required standards, it may place the program on probationary
5 status until such time as the standards are restored. If a
6 program fails to correct these conditions within a specified
7 period of time, the board may rescind the approval. Any
8 program having its approval rescinded shall have the right to
9 reapply.
10 (6)(5) Provisional approval of new programs may be
11 granted pending the licensure results of the first graduating
12 class.
13 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
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15 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
16 Senate Bill 1496
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18 The Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1496 prohibits the
Board of Nursing from adopting a rule that would prohibit any
19 qualified institution from placing a student in a facility for
clinical experience, regardless of whether more than one
20 nursing program is using the same facility for clinical
experience. It revises the requirements for accredited nursing
21 programs to remain exempt from the Board of Nursing's review
if they maintain a student pass rate on the national nursing
22 licensure examination of not less than 10 percentage points,
rather than 7 percentage points, below the national average
23 pass rate on the nursing licensure examination. It deletes a
requirement for an annual report of nursing education program
24 performance to be prepared for the Florida Board of Education.
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