Virginia Law

A. The program coordinator or primary instructor shall:

1. Hold a current, unrestricted Virginia license or multistate licensure privilege as a registered nurse; and

2. Have two years of experience as a registered nurse and at least one year of direct client care or supervisory experience in the provision of long-term care services. Experiences may include employment in a nurse aide education program or employment in, or supervision of nursing students in, a nursing facility or unit, geriatrics department, chronic care hospital, home care, or other long-term care setting.

B. Program coordinator.

1. The program coordinator shall assume the administrative responsibility and accountability for the nurse aide education program and shall:

a. Ensure that the provisions of subsection F of this section are maintained;

b. Maintain records as required by subsection A of 18VAC90-26-50; and

c. Perform other activities necessary to comply with subsection B of 18VAC90-26-20.

2. The primary instructor may be the program coordinator, except in a nursing facility-based program.

3. The director of nursing services in a nursing facility-based program may serve as the program coordinator but shall not engage in the actual classroom, skills laboratory, or clinical teaching.

C. Primary instructor.

1.

The primary instructor is responsible for the majority of instruction and evaluation of students and shall not assume other duties while instructing or supervising students. A program may request an exception to the restriction on assumption of other duties. The executive director of the board shall be authorized to make the decision on requests for exception or may refer to an informal fact-finding committee for consideration as needed.

2. The primary instructor shall:

a. Participate in the planning of each learning experience;

b. Ensure that course objectives are met; and

c. Ensure that

students do not perform services for which they have not received instruction and been found proficient.

D. Other instructional personnel.

1. Other instructional personnel from the health professions with at least one year of experience in their field may supplement the primary instructor in the classroom setting.

2. Other instructional personnel who assist the primary instructor in clinical instruction shall be registered nurses or licensed practical nurses.

a. A registered nurse shall:

(1) Hold a current, unrestricted Virginia license or multistate licensure privilege as a registered nurse; and

(2) Have had at least one year of direct client care experience as a nurse.

b. A licensed practical nurse shall:

(1) Hold a current, unrestricted Virginia license or multistate licensure privilege as a practical nurse; and

(2) Have had at least one year of direct client care experience as a licensed practical nurse.

3. Other instructional personnel shall provide instruction under the supervision of the primary instructor.

E. Prior to being assigned to teach in a nurse aide education program, all instructional personnel shall demonstrate competence to teach adults or high school students by one of the following:

1. Satisfactory completion of at least 12 hours of coursework that includes:

a. Basic principles of adult learning;

b. Teaching methods and tools for adult learners;

c. Evaluation strategies and measurement tools for assessing student learning outcomes;

d. Review of current regulations for nurse aide education programs;

e. Review of the board-approved nurse aide curriculum content; and

f. Review of the skills evaluated on the board-approved nurse aide certification examination; or

2. Have:

a. Experience in teaching the curriculum content and skills evaluated on the board-approved nurse aide certification examination to adults or high school students; and

b. Knowledge of current regulations for nurse aides and nurse aide education programs.

F. In order to remain qualified to teach the nurse aide curriculum, instructional personnel shall complete a refresher course every three years that includes a review of regulations for nurse aides and nurse aide education programs and the skills evaluated on the board-approved nurse aide certification examination.

G. When students are giving direct care to clients in clinical areas, instructional personnel must be on site solely to supervise the students. The ratio of students to each instructor shall not exceed 10 students to one instructor in all clinical areas, including the skills laboratory.