(a) All registered professional nurse education programs must be reviewed by the Board and approved by the Department before the successful completion of such a program may be applied toward meeting the requirements for registered professional nurse licensure under this Act. Any program changing the level of educational preparation or the relationship with or to the parent institution or establishing an extension of an existing program must request a review by the Board and approval by the Department. The Board shall review and make a recommendation for the approval or disapproval of a program by the Department based on the following criteria:
         (1) a feasibility study that describes the need for
    
the program and the facilities used, the potential of the program to recruit faculty and students, financial support for the program, and other criteria, as established by rule;
        (2) program curriculum that meets all State
    
requirements;
        (2.5) measurement of program effectiveness based on a
    
passage rate of all graduates over the 3 most recent calendar years without reference to first-time test takers;
        (3) the administration of the program by a Nurse
    
Administrator and the involvement of a Nurse Administrator in the development of the program;
        (4) the occurrence of a site visit prior to
    
approval; and
        (5) beginning December 31, 2022, obtaining and
    
maintaining programmatic accreditation by a national accrediting body for nursing education recognized by the United States Department of Education and approved by the Department.
    The Department and Board of Nursing shall be notified within 30 days if the program loses its accreditation. The Department may adopt rules regarding a warning process and reaccreditation.
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Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 225 ILCS 65/60-5


     (b) In order to obtain initial Department approval and to maintain Department approval, a registered professional nursing program must meet all of the following requirements:
         (1) The institution responsible for conducting the
    
program and the Nurse Administrator must ensure that individual faculty members are academically and professionally competent.
        (2) The program curriculum must contain all
    
applicable requirements established by rule, including both theory and clinical components.
        (3) The passage rates of the program’s graduating
    
classes on the State-approved licensure exam must be deemed satisfactory by the Department.
    (c) Program site visits to an institution conducting or hosting a professional nursing program may be made at the discretion of the Nursing Coordinator or upon recommendation of the Board. Full routine site visits may be conducted by the Department for periodic evaluation. Such visits shall be used to determine compliance with this Act. Full routine site visits must be announced and may be waived at the discretion of the Department if the program maintains accreditation with an accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education and approved by the Department.
     (d) Any institution conducting a registered professional nursing program that wishes to discontinue the program must do each of the following:
         (1) Notify the Department, in writing, of its intent
    
to discontinue the program.
        (2) Continue to meet the requirements of this Act
    
and the rules adopted thereunder until the official date of termination of the program.
        (3) Notify the Department of the date on which the
    
last student shall graduate from the program and the program shall terminate.
        (4) Assist remaining students in the continuation of
    
their education in the event of program termination prior to the graduation of the program’s final student.
        (5) Upon the closure of the program, notify the
    
Department, in writing, of the location of student and graduate records’ storage.
    (e) Out-of-State registered professional nursing education programs planning to offer clinical practice experiences in this State must meet the requirements set forth in this Section and must meet the clinical and faculty requirements for institutions outside of this State, as established by rule. The institution responsible for conducting an out-of-State registered professional nursing education program and the administrator of the program shall be responsible for ensuring that the individual faculty and preceptors overseeing the clinical experience are academically and professionally competent.
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