OAR 851-021-0050: Curriculum

(1) The mission, goals, and expected program outcomes must be consistent with relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines for the preparation of nursing professionals. (2) Curriculum must: (a) Prepare the student to achieve the nursing competencies necessary at the level of licensure for safe practice based on current standards of care; (b) Reflect the identified mission, goals, and learning outcomes of the nursing education program; (c) Identify learning outcomes at the course and program level that show alignment and progression throughout the program; (d) Include learning activities that support student achievement of identified outcomes; (e) Include a clinical component sufficient to allow the student to form necessary links of theoretical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and demonstrate safe nursing practice; and (f) Include within PN and RN programs: (A) The one-hour pain management education program described in ORS 413.572 or an equivalent pain management education program; and (B) A minimum of two hours of education related to cultural competency. (3) The clinical component can occur in any setting where students may impact a health outcome. Over the course of the program, clinical must: (a) Occur in a variety of settings; (b) Be sufficient in experience to allow for students to meet course and program outcomes; (c) Integrate client safety principles; (d) Include the implementation of evidence-based practices; (e) Focus on the provision of client-centered, culturally competent care; (f) Include collaboration and communication with professional teams; and (g) Promote clinical judgment. (4) Programs may use simulation as part of the clinical component. When utilized, the nursing program must: (a) Ensure simulation learning has adequate fiscal, human, technologic, and physical space resources to support the learning environment; (b) Follow national simulation standards; (c) Designate a simulation coordinator who is academically and experientially qualified. This individual must demonstrate continued expertise and competence in the use of simulation while managing the program; (d) Have a written plan for orienting faculty to simulation; (e) Ensure faculty involved in simulations have initial training in the use of simulation. Initial simulation training must include: (A) Introduction to simulation-based learning experiences; (B) Foundations of scenario design and curriculum integration; (C) Introduction to pre-brief and debrief; (D) Debriefing for clinical judgment; and (E) Introduction to assessment and evaluation of simulation -based education. (f) Have written procedures for the method of debriefing each simulated activity; (g) Provide a mechanism for students to evaluate the simulation experience on an ongoing basis; and (h) Ensure that no more than 50% of traditional clinical hours across the program are replaced with simulation. (5) Practical Nurse Programs: (a) PN program curricula must meet all educational institution requirements for, and culminate in the award of, a certificate or diploma. (b) Must deliver curriculum consistent with the practice of practical nursing as described in OAR 851-045-0050 in a supervised practice that occurs at the direction and under the supervision of the RN or healthcare provider with the authority to make changes to the plan of care. (c) The PN program curricula must include content related to the following concepts: (A) Creating and maintaining a safe environment of care; (B) Demonstrating professional, legal, and ethical behavior in nursing practice; (C) Collecting data and performing focused nursing assessments of the health status of a client; (D) Participating in the planning of the nursing care needs of a client; (E) Participating in the development and modification of the nursing care plan; (F) Providing safe, evidence-based, clinically competent, culturally sensitive, and client-centered care for the promotion, restoration and maintenance of wellness in a variety of care settings or for palliation across the lifespan; (G) Functioning as a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team; (H) Using technology to facilitate communication, manage information, and document care; (I) Providing cost-effective nursing care and participating in quality improvement strategies; (J) Participating in health teaching and counseling to promote, attain, and maintain the optimum health level of a client; (K) Assisting in the evaluation of a client’s response to nursing interventions and the identification of that client’s needs; and (L) Assigning and providing oversight to assistive personnel and other PNs. (6) Registered Nurse Programs: (a) RN program curricula must meet all institutional requirements for, and culminate in the award of, an associate, baccalaureate, or masters degree. (b) Must deliver curriculum consistent with the practice of registered nursing as described in OAR 851-045-0060. (c) RN programs that wish to offer a practice nursing exit-option must follow the process outlined in OAR 851-021-0025(4). (d) The RN program curricula must include content related to the following concepts: (A) Creating and maintaining safe and effective environment of nursing care; (B) Demonstrating professional, legal and ethical behavior in nursing practice; (C) Using clinical judgment in nursing practice to assess the health status of clients to identify health care problems; (D) Prescribing nursing interventions and assessing responses to those interventions in order to direct, manage, delegate, and supervise nursing care for clients; (E) Establishing outcomes to meet identified health care needs and providing safe, clinically competent, culturally sensitive, client-centered and evidence-based care to promote, restore and maintain wellness in a variety of care settings or for palliation across the lifespan; (F) Providing culturally sensitive and evidence-based teaching, counseling, and advocacy for clients; (G) Participating within and providing leadership for an interdisciplinary team; (H) Assigning and supervising other members of the healthcare team; (I) Applying leadership skills to identify the need for and to promote change; (J) Using communication and information technology effectively and appropriately to collaborate with other health professionals in the management of health care; (K) Applying and integrating principles of community health and community-based care into practice; (L) Integrating concepts of resource utilization, quality improvement and systems to enhance care delivery; and (M) Delegating nursing interventions that may be performed by others as defined in OAR Chapter 851 Division 6. (e) Baccalaureate and entry level masters programs must also include outcomes related to: (A) Applying epidemiological, social, and environmental data and principles to identify and implement health promotion goals and strategies for communities and populations; (B) Leading and effecting change through participation in teams and beginning application of management knowledge; (C) Identifying and implementing measures to improve access to healthcare for individuals and underserved groups; (D) Using the principles and practice of research to validate and improve nursing care for clients; and (E) Using teaching-learning principles to develop outcomes and provide formative and summative feedback to others. (7) Advanced Practice Nurse Programs: (a) APRN program curricula must meet all educational institution requirements for, and culminate in the award of, a graduate degree or post-graduate certificate. (b) Must prepare students for the role of CRNA, CNS, or NP inclusive of the role of certified nurse midwife (CNM). (c) Must deliver curriculum consistent with the advanced practice nursing role and population foci as described in OAR Chapter 851 Division 55. (d) The APRN program curricula must include content related to the following: (A) Advanced health assessment which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts and approaches across the lifespan; (B) Advanced physiology and pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the lifespan; (C) Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents; (D) Health promotion, health maintenance, differential diagnosis and management of diseases across all practice settings appropriate to program focus; and (E) Basic understanding of the principles of independent decision making in the identified role.