(a) A private postsecondary school of nursing approved by the board pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2786 shall comply with Chapter 8 of Part 59 of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code. The board shall have a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to delineate the powers of the board to review and approve schools of nursing and the powers of the bureau to protect the interest of students attending institutions governed by the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 94800) of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code.

(b) (1) For approved schools of nursing that are actively accredited by an institutional or programmatic accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education, the board shall, without requiring additional documentation or action, do the following, unless unrelated to the scope of accreditation:

Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 2786.2

  • board: means any entity listed in Section 101, the entities referred to in Sections 1000 and 3600, the State Bar, the Department of Real Estate, and any other state agency that issues a license, certificate, or registration authorizing a person to engage in a business or profession. See California Business and Professions Code 31
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15

(A) Perform site inspections jointly with accreditors.

(B) Accept continuing accreditation decisions from accreditors.

(C) Accept faculty hiring decisions made by the approved program director.

(D) Accept the self-study required by programmatic accreditors as a substitute for board self-study or data collection if the following are met:

(i) The program provides a crosswalk connecting the items in the report to the board’s regulatory requirements.

(ii) If the report does not address any of the board’s regulatory requirements, the program provides an addendum to the report to address those requirements.

(E) Accept substantive change requests, as defined under the uniform method developed under subdivision (e) of Section 2786, if approved by the accreditor unless the request is a request to increase enrollment or perform a major curriculum revision.

(F) When considering a request to increase enrollment, the board may consider only the following factors related to the ability to adequately train additional students:

(i) Adequacy of resources, including, but not limited to, faculty, facilities, equipment, and supplies.

(ii) Availability of clinical placements.

(iii) Complaints that have been verified by the board from students, faculty, or other interested parties.

(iv) Licensing examination pass rates, graduation rates, and retention rates.

(v) Any other similar factors specified by the board in regulations. The board shall not consider nursing workforce issues, including those identified under Section 2717, as factors for purposes of this subparagraph.

(2) Upon complaint or other evidence that an approved school of nursing does not meet the board’s standards, the board may withhold approval under this subdivision or perform additional site inspections pursuant to Section 2788.

(3) The board may make or withhold approvals under this subdivision prior to the adoption of implementing regulations.

(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 413, Sec. 12. (AB 2684) Effective January 1, 2023.)

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