(225 ILCS 65/55-5)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

Sec. 55-5. LPN education program requirements.

(a) All Illinois practical 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 practical 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;

(3) the administration of the program by a Nurse Administrator and the involvement of a Nurse Administrator in the development of the program; and

(4) the occurrence of a site visit prior to approval.

(b) In order to obtain initial Department approval and to maintain Department approval, a practical nursing program must meet all of the following requirements:

(1) The program must continually be administered by a Nurse Administrator.

(2) The institution responsible for conducting the program and the Nurse Administrator must ensure that individual faculty members are academically and professionally competent.

(3) The program curriculum must contain all applicable requirements established by rule, including both theory and clinical components.

(4) 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 practical nursing program may be made at the discretion of the Nursing Coordinator or upon recommendation of the Board.

(d) Any institution conducting a practical 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.

(Source: P.A. 95-639, eff. 10-5-07.)