Sec.20-90-47. Program approval

Board approval, with the consent of the commissioner, shall be administered as follows:

(a) Initial approval:

(1) To be granted initial approval, the parent institution shall provide to the board:

(A) written notice of intent to establish a program;

(B) a feasibility study for the planned program, which shall include discussion of at least the following:

(i) applicant pool;

(ii) graduate employment opportunities;

(iii) educational and clinical facilities to be utilized;

(iv) potential overlapping with other programs in the use of clinical facilities and the impact on both the proposed and existing programs;

(C) a timeline for employment of administration and nursing faculty. Initial hiring of the faculty shall be completed at least two (2) months prior to the proposed starting date. The administrator shall be actively employed at least six (6) months prior to the proposed starting date. The timeline shall also identify projected future staffing needs;

(D) a comprehensive plan for the development and implementation of the education program, including philosophy and educational outcomes, curricula, course outlines with plans for student evaluation, resource needs, timelines, and a systematic self-evaluation;

(E) any other information that the board may reasonably request.

(2) Proposed programs significantly different from current approved programs shall provide detailed information relative to activities which provide the student with opportunities to attain defined competencies and demonstrate in ongoing evaluations that students are meeting defined educational outcomes on schedule.

(3) The board shall:

(A) upon receipt of all documents provided by the program, conduct a scheduled onsite visit to review the program;

(B) upon determination that the documents and results of the onsite review were acceptable, extend initial approval to the program, with the consent of the commissioner.

(4) Pending satisfactory board review of the program's educational standards, such initial approval shall remain in effect until the results of the first licensing examination for program graduates are available. At that time the board will review the results and recommend either full approval, conditional approval, or program removal.

(b) Full approval:

(1) Full approval is granted by the board with the consent of the commissioner after the initial period of approval based on evidence that the program is meeting its educational outcomes as demonstrated by an acceptable level of graduates' performance, as defined in subdivision (2) of this subsection.

(2) An acceptable level of a program's graduates' performance shall be defined as:

(A) demonstrated mastery of nursing principles as evidenced by an average passing rate of at least 80% of students taking the licensing examination prescribed pursuant to Section 20-92 of the Connecticut General Statutes, upon their first attempt after graduation, as reported from May 1 to April 30; and

(B) demonstrated mastery of nursing practice as evidenced by an evaluation of graduates' achievement of the educational outcomes required by Section 20-90-53 or 20-90-56, as applicable, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, in a manner approved by the board.

(c) Conditional approval:

(1) Conditional approval may be granted for one year to a program previously having initial or full approval if:

(A) the graduates of the program fail to achieve the standards prescribed in subsection (B) of this section; or

(B) the program has initiated a major curriculum change pursuant to subsection (D) of this section; or

(C) conditions previously identified in violation of these regulations or the board's recommendations continue to be unresolved and pose a risk to public health or safety, as determined by the board.

(2) Special progress reports or onsite visits, or both, shall be required for programs with conditional approval, at the discretion of the board.

(3) The outcome of the board's subsequent review of special progress reports or onsite visits or both may be:

(A) return of the program to full approval; or

(B) placement of the program on an additional one year of conditional approval; or

(C) recommendation of program removal from the list of approved nursing education programs.

(d) Major curriculum changes:

(1) When a program proposes major curriculum changes, the administrator shall present a comprehensive plan to the board for approval with the consent of the commissioner prior to implementation. Plans shall include:

(A) rationale for the change;

(B) comparison of current versus proposed curriculum;

(C) explanation of the effects of the change on:

(i) currently enrolled students;

(ii) functions and role of graduates of the proposed program;

(D) timetable for implementation of the change; and

(E) plan for evaluation of the change.

(2) The previously approved curriculum must remain in effect until the proposed program is approved by the board.

(e) Periodically, the board shall review each nursing education program and shall conduct onsite visits to a program when it deems necessary.

(f) When a change of administration within a nursing education program is made, notice of the appointment of the new administrator shall be submitted to the board, accompanied by a summary of qualifications of the appointee. The board shall verify that the appointee meets the qualifications of Section 20-90-51(b) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(g) Program removal. The board, after a hearing, may remove a program from the list of approved programs, and the program must suspend the enrollment of students, when:

(1) The program has been on conditional approval for at least two years and has failed to correct the identified deficiencies which caused them to be placed on conditional approval;

(2) The board provides written notice of such hearing to the administrator of the program setting forth the particular reasons for the proposed action and fixing a date, not less than thirty days from the date of such written notice, at which time representatives of the program shall have an opportunity for a prompt and fair hearing;

(3) Upon completion of the hearing the board shall make a recommendation to the commissioner regarding what action should be taken regarding the program; and

(4) The commissioner approves the recommended action.

(h) Program closure. When a decision is made to close a nursing education program, the program shall notify the board and submit a written plan and timetable for termination. All requirements and standards for students shall be maintained until the last student is transferred or graduated from the program. The parent institution shall develop and implement a policy providing for the safe storage of vital program records, including transcripts of all graduates and of students who fail to graduate. The program shall notify the board of the person, by title, name and address, responsible for providing transcripts and references for students.

(Effective January 6, 1992; Amended May 4, 2004)