Washington Administrative Code

An advanced registered nurse practitioner pain management specialist, functioning as a consultant for the prescribing of chronic opioid therapy, shall meet the following qualifications:(1) Credentialed in pain management by a Washington state nursing care quality assurance commis…

The advanced registered nurse practitioner shall assess and document the appropriateness of continued use of the current treatment plan if the patient's response to, or compliance with, the current treatment plan is unsatisfactory. The advanced registered nurse practitioner shall…

(1) When a patient receiving chronic opioid pain medication(s) changes to a new advanced registered nurse practitioner, the advanced registered nurse practitioner shall query the prescription monitoring program (PMP). It is normally appropriate for the new advanced registered nur…

(1) Patients twenty-five years of age or under. In the treatment of pain for patients twenty-five years of age or under, the advanced registered nurse practitioner shall treat pain in a manner equal to that of an adult but must account for the weight of the patient and adjust the…

(1) When providing episodic care for a patient who the advanced registered nurse practitioner knows is being treated with opioids for chronic pain, such as for emergency or urgent care, the advanced registered nurse practitioner shall review the prescription monitoring program (P…

(1) The advanced registered nurse practitioner shall not knowingly prescribe opioids in combination with the following Schedule II-IV medications without documentation in the patient record of clinical judgment and discussion of risks with the patient:(a) Benzodiazepines;(b) Barb…

(1) Where practicable, the advanced registered nurse practitioner providing acute nonoperative pain or acute perioperative pain treatment to a patient known to be receiving medication assisted treatment (MAT) shall prescribe opioids for pain relief either in consultation with the…

(1) The advanced registered nurse practitioner shall confirm or provide a current prescription for naloxone when fifty milligrams MED or above, or when prescribed to a high-risk patient.(2) The advanced registered nurse practitioner should counsel and provide an option for a curr…

(1) The advanced registered nurse practitioner shall register to access the prescription monitoring program (PMP) or demonstrate proof of having registered to access the PMP if they prescribe opioids in Washington state.(2) The advanced registered nurse practitioner is permitted …

The commission believes that quality nursing education provides the foundation for safe and effective nursing practice. Nursing education shall be accessible and promote student and faculty diversity. While the commission has established minimum standards for approved nursing edu…

The commission approves nursing education programs to:(1) Assure preparation for the safe and effective practice of nursing by setting minimum standards for nursing education programs preparing persons for licensure as registered nurses, practical nurses, advanced registered nurs…

(1) New nursing education programs must submit a commission approved application for approval to operate a new undergraduate, post-licensure, or graduate nursing education program in Washington state.(2) Graduate programs changing from a master's degree in nursing to a doctoral o…

(1)(a) A nursing education program must be located in a postsecondary educational institution with approval from either the Washington state student achievement council or state board of technical and community colleges to grant the appropriate degree or certificate; and(b) A nur…

(1) The nursing education program shall meet minimum standards established by the commission as detailed in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.(2) The nursing education program shall implement a written, comprehensive, systematic plan for ongoing evaluation that is based on prog…

(1) Within two business days, nursing education programs shall report to the commission, on forms provided by the commission, events involving a student or faculty member that the program has reason to believe resulted in patient harm, an unreasonable risk of patient harm, or div…

(1) The purpose and expected outcomes of the nursing education program shall be stated clearly and must be available to the public in written form.(2) The purpose and expected outcomes shall be consistent with nursing practice as outlined in chapters 18.79 RCW and 246-840 WAC.(3)…

(1) The nursing education program must be an integral part of the accredited parent institution.(2) The relationship of the nursing education program to the parent institution and other units within the parent institution must be clearly delineated and included in an organization…

(1) The nursing education program administrator must be a professionally and academically qualified registered nurse with an active, unencumbered Washington nursing license.(2) The nurse administrator of a practical or associate degree nursing education program must have a minimu…

(1) A nursing education program shall have the fiscal, human, physical, technological, clinical and learning resources adequate to support program processes and outcomes.(2) Classrooms, laboratories, and conference rooms must be available and adequate in size, number, and type ac…

(1) The nursing education program shall hold students accountable for professional behavior as identified in chapters 18.79, 18.130 RCW, and 246-840 WAC, including, academic honesty and integrity.(2) Written policies and procedures for students must be available and communicated …

The nursing education program shall provide the student in a prelicensure registered nursing program with written information on the legal role of the nursing technician as defined in WAC 246-840-010 and 246-840-840. The information must be provided prior to the time of completio…

(1) The nursing education program shall ensure nursing students in RN to BSN and graduate nursing education programs are licensed as a registered nurse in each state or United States territory where practice or clinical experiences occur.(2) The nursing education program shall pr…

(1) Each nursing education program shall have a sufficient number of professionally and academically qualified faculty with adequate diversity of expertise in nursing to meet the nursing education program purpose, outcomes, and identified quality improvement processes.(2) The nur…

In a nursing education program preparing practical nurses only, nursing faculty teaching nursing must have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing from a nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing education accrediting body approved by the Unite…

In a nursing education program preparing registered nurses for licensure or for RN to BSN degree, nursing faculty teaching nursing shall:(1) Have a minimum of a graduate degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and from a nursing education program that is accred…

In a nursing education program preparing students for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners, nursing faculty teaching nursing must meet the following qualifications:(1) An active, unencumbered Washington state ARNP license;(2) A minimum of a graduate degree in nurs…

For graduate nursing programs preparing nurses in advanced degrees, nursing faculty teaching nursing must meet the following qualifications:(1) A graduate degree in nursing from an accredited college or university and nursing education program that is accredited by a nursing educ…

The commission may grant exceptions to faculty degree requirements in prelicensure registered nurse nursing education programs under the following conditions:(1) For faculty teaching in the classroom or laboratory, the nursing program shall provide documentation to the commission…

(1) All nursing programs preparing students for licensure shall provide faculty planned clinical or direct patient care experiences based on program outcomes and goals.(a) The number of clinical or direct patient care experience hours must be:(i) At least three hundred hours for …

(1) Practical and prelicensure registered nursing education programs shall have a maximum faculty to student ratio of one faculty member to ten students in clinical settings involving direct patient care, and one faculty member to fifteen students at one time in practice settings…

(1) Nursing preceptors, interdisciplinary preceptors, and proctors may be used to enhance clinical or practice learning experiences after a student has received instruction and orientation from program faculty who confirm the student is adequately prepared for the clinical or pra…

(1) An LPN, RN, or RN to BSN nursing education program may use simulation as a substitute for traditional clinical experiences in WAC 246-840-531 at a 1:1 ratio, where one hour of simulation counts for one hour of required clinical experience, not to exceed 50 percent of its clin…

(1) This section applies to LPN, RN, or RN to BSN nursing education programs providing simulation-based learning experiences as a substitute for clinical and direct patient care experience hours required in WAC 246-840-531 at a 1:2 ratio, where one hour of simulation counts for t…

(1) Nursing education programs in collaboration with a health care facility may use dedicated education units as identified in WAC 246-840-010 to provide clinical education and practice experiences for nursing students.(2) A nursing education program using a dedicated education u…

(1) The curriculum of the nursing education program must enable the student to develop the nursing knowledge, skills, and professional identity necessary for the level, scope, and standards of competent nursing practice expected at the level of educational preparation.(2) The cur…

The practical nurse nursing education program of study must include both didactic and clinical learning experiences and must be:(1) Effective September 1, 2017, designed to include prerequisite classes in the physical, biological, social and behavior sciences that are transferabl…

(1) The program of study for a registered nursing education program must include both didactic and clinical learning experiences and must be:(a) Effective September 1, 2017, designed so that all prerequisite nonnursing course credits and nursing credits are transferable to the ba…

Registered nurse to bachelor's or master's in nursing education programs must:(1) Develop curriculum to ensure the courses or content completed at the diploma or associate degree levels of nursing are not duplicated;(2) Design curriculum to ensure student sufficient exposure to c…

(1) Nursing education programs preparing students for licensure as advanced registered nurse practitioners shall include content culminating in a graduate degree with a concentration in advanced nursing practice as defined in RCW 18.79.059, WAC 246-840-010(2), and 246-840-300.(2)…

(1) Graduate nursing education programs shall meet the standards established by the national nursing or nursing-related education accrediting body.(2) The curriculum of graduate nursing education program shall be congruent with national standards for graduate level nursing educat…

Nursing education programs offering distance-learning courses shall:(1) Ensure distance-learning courses meet established quality and security standards for online and distance learning education;(2) Develop written policies and procedures ensuring quality assurance controls, sec…

(1) An approved nursing education program shall obtain commission approval prior to advertising or admitting students in an extended or satellite nursing education campus.(2) An approved nursing education program wishing to initiate an extended or satellite nursing program off th…

(1) A commission approved nursing education program may apply on the forms provided by the commission to offer a nursing education program for internationally educated nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure.(2) All nursing education programs for internation…

For internationally educated practical nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure, the nursing education program shall offer the following:(1) A minimum of sixty hours of core theory content and one hundred twenty hours of simulated competency-based practice ex…

For internationally educated registered nurses who do not meet educational requirements for licensure, the nursing education program must offer the following:(1) A minimum of eighty hours core theory content and one hundred sixty hours of simulated competency-based practice in me…

(1) A nursing education program may apply to implement an innovative program approach or project by complying with the provisions of this section.(2) Nursing education programs approved to implement innovative approaches or programs shall continue to provide quality nursing educa…

(1) Nursing education programs meeting the requirements of WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556 may be approved by the commission for a maximum of ten years.(2) To ensure continuing compliance with nursing education standards, nursing education programs may be required to particip…

(1) The commission may accept accreditation by a commission-recognized national nursing education accreditation body approved by the United States Department of Education as evidence of compliance with the standards of nursing education programs.(a) The nursing education program …

(1) When a matter directly concerning a nursing education program is being considered by the commission, any commission member associated with the program shall not participate in the deliberation or decision-making action of the commission.(2) The commission shall evaluate each …

(1) The commission may deny full approval to new or existing nursing education programs if it determines a nursing education program fails substantially to meet the standards for nursing education as contained in WAC 246-840-511 through 246-840-556.(2) The commission may issue a …