Bill > HB1905

This bill, known as the "Tennessee Nursing Education Integrity and Oversight Act," aims to enhance the oversight of nursing education programs, particularly those based outside of Tennessee that place students for clinical experiences within the state. It establishes a two-year moratorium on the approval of new out-of-state nursing programs seeking to operate or place students in Tennessee, though programs already approved before the bill's effective date will retain their status but must comply with new data reporting requirements. During this moratorium, the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement and the Board of Nursing will collaborate to develop stricter standards for out-of-state programs, focusing on verifying preceptor licenses, tracking Tennessee residents enrolled, implementing annual reporting on student placements and outcomes, ensuring adequate faculty supervision, and collecting data on clinical placements to protect patient and preceptor safety. The bill also mandates annual public reports on the activities and findings related to these out-of-state programs. Importantly, this act does not apply to nurse anesthesia educational programs that are accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) and meet specific educational and patient safety requirements.