Amended in Assembly April 29, 2014

Amended in Assembly April 7, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2183

Introduced by Assembly Member Bocanegra

February 20, 2014

An act to amend begin delete Section end delete begin insert Sections end insert 2736 begin insert and 2786.6 end insert of the Business and Professions Code, relating to nursing.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2183, as amended, Bocanegra. Nursing.

Under the Nursing Practice Act, the Board of Registered Nursing licenses and regulates registered nurses. Existing law requires an applicant for licensure as a registered nurse to comply with certain requirements, including successful completion of the courses of instruction prescribed by the board in a program in this state accredited by the board for training registered nurses, or successful completion of courses of instruction in a school of nursing outside of this state, if, in the opinion of the board, the courses of instruction are equivalent to the minimum requirements of the board for licensure in this state. Existing law authorizes the board to issue a license without examination by endorsement to any applicant who is licensed or registered as a nurse in any other state, district, or territory of the United States or Canada, if specified requirements are met, including the requirement that the applicant have successfully completed an equivalent course of instruction as an applicant in this state.

This bill would require the Board of Registered Nursing to adopt specific criteria for determining the equivalency of course begin delete of end delete instruction when assessing the qualifications of an out-of-state applicant who is filing for licensure by endorsement. In adopting that criteria, the bill would require the board to place an emphasis on licensed clinical experience.

begin insert

Existing law requires the Board of Registered Nursing to approve or disapprove schools of nursing, as prescribed. Existing law requires the board to determine the required subjects of instruction to be completed in an approved school of nursing. Existing law requires the board to prescribe, by regulation, the education for which credit is to be given to an applicant for licensure and the amount of credit to be given to each type of education.

end insert begin insert

This bill would require the Board of Registered Nursing to include in those regulations clinical or theoretical knowledge acquired through any prior professional experience, such as through the military or while licensed in any other health care field. The bill would make other conforming changes to related provisions.

end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 2736 of the Business and Professions
Code is amended to read:

2736.  

(a) An applicant for licensure as a registered nurse shall
comply with each of the following:

(1) Have completed such general preliminary education
requirements as shall be determined by the board.

(2) Have successfully completed the courses of instruction
prescribed by the board for licensure, in a program in this state
accredited by the board for training registered nurses, or have
successfully completed courses of instruction in a school of nursing
outside of this state which, in the opinion of the board at the time
the application is filed with the board, are equivalent to the
minimum requirements of the board for licensure established for
an accredited program in this state. The board shall adopt specific
criteria for determining the equivalency of course instruction when
assessing the qualifications of an applicant who is already licensed
or registered as a nurse outside of this state and who is filing for
licensure by endorsement pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section
2732.1. In adopting that criteria, the board shall place primary
emphasis on applicants who possess licensed clinical experience.

(3) Not be subject to denial of licensure under Section 480.

(b) An applicant who has received his or her training from a
school of nursing in a country outside the United States and who
has complied with the provisions of subdivision (a), or has
completed training equivalent to that required by subdivision (a),
shall qualify for licensure by successfully passing the examination
prescribed by the board.

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 2786.6 of the end insert begin insert Business and Professions Code end insert
begin insert is amended to read: end insert

2786.6.  

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert The board shall deny the application for approval
made by, and shall revoke the approval given to, any school of
nursing begin delete which: end delete begin insert that does either of the following: end insert

begin delete

(a) 

end delete

begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert Does not give to student applicants credit, in the field of
nursing, for previous education and the opportunity to obtain credit
for begin delete other acquired end delete begin insert any clinical or theoretical end insert knowledge begin insert acquired
through any prior professional experience end insert by the use of challenge
examinations or other methods of begin delete evaluation; or, end delete begin insert evaluation. end insert

begin delete

(b) 

end delete

begin insert (2) end insert begin insert   end insert Is operated by a community college and discriminates
against an applicant for admission to a school solely on the grounds
that the applicant is seeking to fulfill the units of nursing required
by Section 2736.6.

begin delete

The

end delete

begin insert (b) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert board shall prescribe, by regulation, the education
for which credit is to be given and the amount of credit begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert
is to be given for each type of education begin insert , including end insert begin insert clinical or
theoretical knowledge acquired through any prior professional
experience. In developing those regulations, the board shall also
consider any relevant military education or experience, as well as
any education or experience obtained while licensed in any other
health care field. The board shall not delegate the authority to
prescribe those regulations to any approved school of nursing end insert .
begin delete The end delete

begin insert (2) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert The end insert word “credit,” as used in begin delete the preceding sentence end delete
begin insert paragraph (1) end insert , is limited to credit for licensure only. The board is
not authorized to prescribe the credit begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert an approved school
of nursing shall give toward an academic certificate or degree.