BON rules regarding licensure renewal require the nurse to answer eligibility questions

Nursing Jurisprudence & Ethics Question: What is the new requirement related to nursing jurisprudence and ethics continuing nursing education (CNE)? Answer: All nurses are required to complete at least two contact hours in nursing jurisprudence and ethics prior to the end of every third licensure renewal cycle. The contact hours must be approved as CNE. The nursing jurisprudence and ethics course must include information about the Texas Nursing Practice Act; the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) rules, including Rule [section]217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice; the Texas BON Position Statements; principles of nursing ethics; and professional boundaries. This requirement cannot be met through an approved national nursing certification. The Board rules in Chapter 216, related to Continuing Competency, were amended to reflect these new requirements and became effective February 23, 2014. Question: When do I need to comply with the new targeted CNE in nursing jurisprudence and ethics? Answer: This requirement is effective for licensure renewal cycles that begin after January 1, 2014. For example, consider a licensure cycle that began December 1, 2012, with a renewal date of November 30, 2014. The start of this licensure cycle is prior to January 1, 2014; therefore, a nursing jurisprudence and ethics course is not required in order to renew the license by the end of November 2014. However, this nurse is required to complete at least two contact hours in nursing jurisprudence and ethics between December 1, 2014 and November 30, 2020; again between December 1, 2020 and November 30, 2026; and continue to comply with the requirement before the end of every third two-year licensing cycle. Another example is a nursing license that expires in January 2015. The new CNE requirement begins with the licensure cycle starting February 1, 2015. Since the requirement must be met before the end of each third licensure cycle, the nurse can choose anytime between February 1, 2015, and January 31, 2021, to meet the requirement and then continue to do so prior to the end of each third two year licensure renewal cycle. A nurse may consider this CNE requirement either as once every third renewal cycle or a once every six year requirement. Be aware that a two year licensure cycle begins on the first day of the month after the nurse's birth month and ends on the last day of the nurse's birth month two years later. When considering how to time the six year time frame, begin with the first licensure cycle that starts on or after January 1, 2014. Keep in mind that it is not six years from when you last took the course and must be within the three licensure cycles to be valid. Question: Is the new nursing jurisprudence and ethics requirement for one course in nursing jurisprudence and ethics or do I have to take two separate courses, one course in nursing jurisprudence and one course in nursing ethics? Answer: You may take a combined nursing jurisprudence and ethics course, or you may take separate courses in nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics. However, you must complete at least a combined total of two contact hours on these topics. Please be aware that the course or courses taken must include information on the Texas Nursing Practice Act; the BON Rules, including Rule [section]217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice; the Texas BON Position Statements; principles of nursing ethics; and professional boundaries [Rule [section]216.3 (g)]. Question: Where do I begin to look for continuing nursing education courses in nursing jurisprudence and ethics? Does anybody offer these in Texas? With my busy schedule, are there any courses offered online? Answer: Board staff recommends an internet search using the search terms "continuing nursing education jurisprudence ethics" for a listing of possible continuing nursing education courses on Texas nursing jurisprudence and ethics courses. Please be sure the course contains information related to the Texas Nursing Practice Act, the Board's rules, including Rule [section]217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice; the Board's position statements; principles of nursing ethics; and professional boundaries. The Board has two courses that meet the new continuing nursing education requirements for nursing jurisprudence and ethics. The first is an all day workshop titled, "Protecting Your Patients and Your Practice" (awards seven contact hours) and the second is the "Online Interactive Course: Nursing Regulations for Safe Practice" (awards two contact hours). To learn more about these two courses and to register online, visit the BON Course Catalog at https://www.bon.texas.gov/ catalog/ Please be aware that the prep course for the nursing jurisprudence exam is not approved for continuing nursing education as it is designed for applicants for licensure who need to take and pass the nursing jurisprudence exam. Question: If I am enrolled in a college credit course that includes nursing jurisprudence and ethics may I use it to fulfill the new requirement? Answer: The course must be part of a curriculum leading to an academic degree in nursing or must relate directly to your area of practice [Rule [section]216.5(1)]. The content must relate to nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics and must include the Texas Nursing Practice Act, BON rules including Rule [section]217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice; the Texas BON Position Statements; principles of nursing ethics; and professional boundaries [Rule [section]216.3 (g)]. Question: I recently obtained a national nursing certification in my area of practice. Will my national nursing certification count towards the new requirement for nursing jurisprudence and ethics? Answer: Certification may not be used to fulfill the CNE requirements [Rule [section]216.3 (g)]. Geriatric CNE Question: What is the new requirement related to geriatric CNE and when do I need to comply? Answer: With this new targeted education requirement, all nurses whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations must complete at least two contact hours related to the older adult or geriatric care every licensure renewal cycle. The content must include information about elder abuse, age related memory changes and disease processes, including chronic conditions, and end of life issues. Other content, such as information related to health maintenance and health promotion of the older adult or geriatric populations may be included. These contact hours are included in the required 20 contact hours per licensure renewal cycle. This new requirement is effective with licensure renewal cycles that start after January 1, 2014. For example, if a nurse's practice includes care of geriatric patients or older adults and if the nurse's license expires in January 2015, this requirement begins with the licensure cycle February 1, 2015 to January 31, 2017, and continues in every licensure cycle thereafter. Another example is, for a licensure cycle that began February 1, 2013, the geriatric requirement does not need to be met until the licensure cycle beginning February 1, 2015 through January 31, 2017. This geriatric requirement must be obtained every licensure cycle thereafter. An advanced practice registered nurse may use continuing medical education to meet this requirement. Question: How do I know if I need to comply with geriatric CNE? Answer: In most practice settings nurses may encounter and provide care for patients who are older adults or geriatric. A specific age range for older adults and geriatric patients has not been identified in association with the required continuing education. A nurse whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations is required to complete either two contact hours or achieve, maintain, or renew an approved national nursing certification in this area. Question: Can you please give some examples of practice settings and who needs to complete the geriatric CNE? First example: An occupational health nurse has employees ranging in age from teenagers to the oldest worker of age 75. Literature sources use various ages to identify the older adult or geriatric populations with age ranges from 50 to 75 years of age; therefore the occupational health nurse would be required to complete the geriatric continuing nursing education each licensure cycle. Second example: A school nurse is often called upon to assist employees, parents and grandparents of school children. Some of the grandparents and possibly some of the school employees might be considered older adult or geriatric, thus the school nurse's nursing practice would include older adults or geriatrics and the school nurse would be required to complete the geriatric continuing education. Third example: A nurse working in a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital may not be required to provide any nursing practice related to older adults or geriatric patients due to other resources available in the hospital. As long as the nurse's practice does not include older adults or geriatrics, the nurse would not be required to complete the geriatric requirement. Fourth example: A registered nurse doing telephonic case management providing patient education and/or counseling and/ or telephonic triage services over the telephone for patients of all ages including older adults and geriatric populations is practicing nursing and is required to complete the continuing education related to the older adult or geriatric population [please see Nursing Practice Act Section 301.002 (2)(A); for LVNs please see the Frequently Asked Question--LVNs Performing Triage/ Telephonic Nursing/Being On-Call]. Question: I recently obtained a national nursing certification in my area of practice. Will my national nursing certification count towards the new requirement for older adult geriatric education? Answer: It depends. If your certification is in geriatric nursing and from an approved national certification accreditation agency recognized by the Board, such as the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), then certification may be used to meet this education requirement [Rule [section]216.3(h)(2)]. An example of an approved certification includes the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Gerontological Nurse certification.

A calculator is provided on the BON website, www.bon.texas.gov, that allows nurses to identify the licensure renewal cycles during which the Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics requirements must be completed. To access the calculator, enter: www.bon.texas.gov/ NJE_Calculator.asp