Chapter N 1

N 1.07   Accreditation.

N 1.08   Standards.

N 1.09   Annual pass rates.

N 1.10   Continuation of board approval.

N 1.11   Closure of a school of nursing.

N 1.12   Nursing refresher course approval.

Ch. N 1 Note Note: Chapter N 1 as it existed on January 31, 1983 was repealed and a new chapter N 1 was created effective January 1, 1983. Chapter N 1 as it existed on July 31, 2014 was repealed and a new chapter N 1 was created effective August 1, 2014.

N 1.01 N 1.01 Authority and intent.

N 1.01(1) (1) The rules in this chapter are adopted pursuant to authority of ss. 15.08 (5) (b) and 441.01 (3), Stats.

N 1.01(2) (2) The intent of the board of nursing in adopting rules in this chapter is to clarify requirements and develop efficient timelines for the nursing school approval process and to reduce duplication that exists between the board and nursing accreditation processes for nursing schools.

N 1.01 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1983, No. 325, eff. 2-1-83; am. (2), Register, August, 1989, No. 404, eff. 9-1-89; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, August, 1989, No. 404; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, October, 2000, No. 538; CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14.

N 1.02 N 1.02 Definitions. In this chapter:

N 1.02(1) (1) “Annual NCLEX pass rate” means the pass rates for those who took the NCLEX or advanced practice certification examination between January 1 and December 31.

N 1.02(2) (2) “Board” means board of nursing.

N 1.02(3) (3) “Certificate of completion” means a student has completed the portion of the program equivalent to a diploma in practical nursing or professional nursing.

N 1.02(4) (4) “Class” means a graduating class for each 12-month period.

N 1.02(5) (5) “Institution” means the college, university or governing body which has the authority to conduct a school of nursing.

N 1.02(5g) (5g) “Institutional accreditation” means that the institution conforms to the standards of education prescribed by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the U.S. department of education.

N 1.02(5r) (5r) “NCLEX” means national council licensure examination.

N 1.02(6) (6) “Nursing accreditation” means the school of nursing conforms to the standards of a board recognized nursing accreditation agency.

N 1.02(8) (8) “Out-of-state school” means a school operating in Wisconsin with a physical location outside of Wisconsin.

N 1.02(10) (10) “School of nursing” means a school for professional nurses or practical nurses.

N 1.02(11) (11) “School of practical nursing” means a school preparing students for practical nurse licensure.

N 1.02(12) (12) “School of professional nursing” means a school preparing nursing students at the associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree level. This includes schools granting any of the following:

N 1.02(12)(a) (a) Certificate of completion for practical nurse licensure or professional nurse licensure.

N 1.02(12)(b) (b) Postlicensure bachelor’s degree.

N 1.02(13) (13) “Simulation” means planned clinical experiences to develop clinical judgment and assess learning utilizing patient simulators in an environment and under conditions that provide a realistic clinical scenario.

N 1.02 History History: Cr. Register, January, 1983, No. 325, eff. 2-1-83; r. and recr. (1), r. (5) and (7), renum. (2) to (4), (8), (10) and (11) to be (3) to (5), (7), (13) and (14), cr. (2), (8), (10) to (12) and (15), am. (6) and (9) (intro.), Register, July, 1989, No. 403, eff. 8-1-89; CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; renumbering (7) and (9) to (5r) and (5g) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register July 2014 No. 703; CR 17-095: cr. (13) Register August 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18; CR 17-096: am. (1), (5g), r. and recr. (12) Register August 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18.

N 1.03 N 1.03 Authorization to plan a school of nursing.

N 1.03(1) (1) An institution planning to establish and conduct a school of nursing for professional or practical nursing shall file with the board an application including all of the following:

N 1.03(1)(a) (a) Name and address of the controlling institution and evidence of the accreditation status of the controlling institution.

N 1.03(1)(b) (b) Statement of intent to establish a school of nursing, including the academic and licensure levels of all programs to be offered and the primary method of instruction.

N 1.03(1)(c) (c) Evidence of the availability of sufficient clinical facilities and resources. No contracts with clinical facilities may be signed until after the institution receives authorization to plan from the board.

N 1.03(1)(d) (d) Plans to recruit and employ a qualified educational administrator and qualified faculty.

N 1.03(1)(f) (f) A proposed timeline for planning and implementing the program and intended date of entry for the first class.

N 1.03(2) (2) The board shall make a decision on the application within two months of the receipt of the completed application and notify the controlling institution of the action taken.

N 1.03 History History: CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; CR 17-096: am. (1) (c) Register august 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18.

N 1.04 N 1.04 Authorization to admit students.

N 1.04(1) (1) The school of nursing shall file with the board an application including all of the following:

N 1.04(1)(a) (a) Verification of employment of an educational administrator meeting the qualifications in s. N 1.08 (2) (a).

N 1.04(1)(b) (b) Evidence of employment of sufficient number of faculty meeting the qualifications in s. N 1.08 (3) to teach the courses offered for the first six months.

N 1.04(1)(c) (c) The school of nursing’s philosophy and objectives.

N 1.04(1)(d) (d) An overview of curriculum including all of the following:

N 1.04(1)(d)1. 1. Content.

N 1.04(1)(d)2. 2. Course sequence.

N 1.04(1)(d)3. 3. Course descriptions.

N 1.04(1)(d)5. 5. Course syllabi for the first year and plan for subsequent years.

N 1.04(1)(dm) (dm) Documentation of a school evaluation plan.

N 1.04(1)(e) (e) Verification of the establishment of student policies for admission, progression, retention, and graduation.

N 1.04(1)(em) (em) Documentation of a plan for student or prospective student access to student policies.

N 1.04(1)(f) (f) Verification of the students’ ability to acquire clinical skills by providing all of the following:

N 1.04(1)(f)1. 1. Written agreements from clinical facilities securing clinical opportunities and documentation of the facility, type, size, number of beds, and type of patients. All written agreements shall be signed and dated after the date on which the school of nursing was granted authorization to plan by the board.

N 1.04(1)(f)2. 2. Documentation of simulation equipment and experiences.

N 1.04(1)(f)3. 3. Documentation that clinical experiences are representative of all areas of nursing practice covered by the school of nursing’s curriculum.

N 1.04(1)(g) (g) An updated timeline for implementing the program and intended date for entry of the first class.

N 1.04(2) (2) The board shall make a decision on the application within 2 months of the receipt of the completed application.

N 1.04(2g) (2g) A school of nursing which has received authorization to admit students shall provide the board on the first day of March, June, September, and December until the school of nursing receives approval, evidence of employment of sufficient number of faculty meeting s. N 1.08 (3) standards to teach the courses offered four months from the date the report is due.

N 1.04(2r) (2r) The board may review the school of nursing to determine whether s. N 1.08 standards are being met by requiring any of the following:

N 1.04(2r)(a) (a) A site survey.

N 1.04(2r)(b) (b) A self-assessment.

N 1.04(2r)(c) (c) A plan for improvement and any progress reports.

N 1.04(3) (3) Withdrawal of authorization may occur for failure to meet the standards in s. N 1.08.

N 1.04 History History: CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; correction in (1) (d) (intro.) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2014 No. 703; CR 17-096: am. (1) (a), (b), r. (1) (d) 4., cr. (1) (dm), (em), am. (1) (f) 1., cr. (1) (f) 3., (2g), (2r) Register August 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18; correction in (2g) made under. s. 35.17, Stats., Register August 2018 No. 752.

N 1.05 N 1.05 Approval of school of nursing.

N 1.05(1) (1) A school of nursing may apply for approval of the school of nursing upon graduation of the first class, but may not apply later than graduation of the third class. The school of nursing shall submit all of the following:

N 1.05(1)(a) (a) A self-evaluation report setting forth evidence of compliance with the standards in s. N 1.08.

N 1.05(1)(b) (b) The school of nursing’s ongoing systematic evaluation plan. The systematic evaluation plan shall include an evaluation of the annual pass rate of any graduates who took the NCLEX or an advanced practice certification examination.

N 1.05(2) (2) The board may conduct a site survey of the school of nursing. A determination to conduct a site survey shall occur within 2 months of receipt of completed application for approval.

N 1.05(3) (3) The board shall make a decision on the application within two months of the completed site survey or receipt of the completed application, whichever is later. The board shall approve the school based on verification that the school of nursing is in compliance with nursing education standards in s. N 1.08.

N 1.05(4) (4) The board may grant conditional approval. The notice of conditional approval shall contain a short statement in plain language of the basis, specifying the standard upon which the conditional approval is based. A school of nursing that receives a conditional approval may not admit new students to the school of nursing until the school of nursing receives full approval. The school of nursing may apply for full approval in three months from the date the school of nursing receives conditional approval.

N 1.05(5) (5) If the board denies the school of nursing approval, the notice of denial shall contain a short statement in plain language of the basis for denial, specifying the standard upon which the denial is based. The controlling institution shall do all of the following:

N 1.05(5)(a) (a) Implement the time frame established by the board for transfer of enrolled students to an approved school of nursing and report to the board the date of transfer for each student by name.

N 1.05(5)(b) (b) Arrange for the secure storage and access to academic records and transcripts for the next 50 years. Provide the board with the name and address of the educational institution or other organization that will be responsible for secure storage and access to academic records and transcripts for 50 years.

N 1.05(5)(c) (c) Close the school of nursing when the last student has transferred.

N 1.05(5)(d) (d) Submit progress reports during the closure process upon request of the board.

N 1.05(6) (6) A school of nursing denied approval or given a conditional approval may request a hearing within 30 calendar days after the mailing of a notice. The school of nursing may be granted a stay of the school closure during the appeal process.

N 1.05 History History: CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; correction in (1) (intro.) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2014 No. 703; CR 17-096: am. (1) (intro.), (b), (5) (c) Register August 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18.

N 1.06 N 1.06 Approval of out of state school of nursing.

N 1.06(1) (1) Approval. An out-of-state school of nursing shall be approved if all of the following requirements are met:

N 1.06(1)(a) (a) The school is approved by the board of the state the school is located.

N 1.06(1)(b) (b) The school is accredited by a nursing accreditation body recognized by the Wisconsin board.

N 1.06(2) (2) Continued approval. An out-of-state school shall maintain approval as long as school of nursing meets the requirements in sub. (1).

N 1.06 History History: CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register July 2014 No. 703.

N 1.07 N 1.07 Accreditation.

N 1.07(1) (1) A school of nursing shall receive nursing accreditation by a board recognized nursing accreditation agency within three years of school approval.

N 1.07(2) (2) Schools of professional nursing that grant a certificate of completion shall hold accreditation at the level of the complete degree at which a diploma is conferred.

N 1.07(3) (3) Failure to maintain nursing accreditation shall result in withdrawal of school approval.

N 1.07 History History: CR 14-004: cr. Register July 2014 No. 703, eff. 8-1-14; CR 17-096: am. (1) Register August 2018 No. 752, eff. 9-1-18.