Law Summary
Proposals to Modify Clinical Experience Requirements
- Nursing Deans and Technical Committee proposed reducing OR experience to 2 major and 2 minor scrubs.
- Suggested reducing DR experience to 2 handled, 2 assisted, 2 observed, and 2 cord dressings.
Board of Nursing’s Position on Adequate Clinical Exposure
- The Board emphasized that more than 2 exposures are necessary for students to fully develop competencies.
- Proper planning and qualified clinical instructors are crucial for meaningful learning and skill development.
Identified Challenges in Nursing Education Quality
- Inspections revealed issues including:
- Inadequate and sometimes unqualified Deans and faculty amid increasing enrollment.
- Poorly equipped schools and health facilities.
- Insufficient clinical resources especially for OR and DR experiences.
- These challenges cast doubt on some schools’ ability to provide quality competency-based education.
Survey and Data Supporting Retention of Higher Requirements
- A survey of 250 nurse instructors and administrators showed 74% favored retaining the original OR-DR experience requirements.
- Licensure exam data from 10% sample (over 10,700 examinees) revealed mean average competencies needed:
- OR Major: 9.5
- OR Minor: 15.5
- DR Handled: 7.9
- DR Assisted: 8.06
- DR Observed: 7.62
- Cord Dressing: 9.65
Conditional Reduction of Requirements with Supplemental Measures
- The Board agreed that reduction might be acceptable if supplemented by a required case study to demonstrate integration of knowledge and skills.
Finalized Updated Clinical Requirements for Licensure Examination Admission
- Operating Room Scrubs/Cases:
- Major: 5
- Minor: 5
- Delivery Room Scrubs/Cases:
- Handled: 5
- Assisted: 5
- Cord Dressing: 5
- Additional Requirement:
- Family Case Study: 1
Certification and Documentation Procedures
- Deans and clinical instructors must certify completion of required scrubs/cases.
- Certification must include patient names, Case numbers, dates of operation or delivery, and attending doctors.
- Original records submitted to the Board of Nursing; duplicates filed with the nursing school for verification.
Implementation and Dissemination
- Resolution to take effect starting June 1990 nurse licensure examination.
- Copies of the Resolution will be distributed to all Deans of Colleges of Nursing for dissemination and compliance.