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Public Act 103-0533 Public Act 0533 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
Public Act 103-0533 | HB2509 Enrolled | LRB103 04652 AMQ 49660 b |
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| AN ACT concerning regulation.
| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| represented in the General Assembly:
| Section 5. The Nurse Practice Act is amended by changing | Sections 60-5 and 60-10 as follows: | (225 ILCS 65/60-5) | (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
| Sec. 60-5. RN education program requirements; out-of-State | programs. | (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. | (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.
| (Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18 .) | (225 ILCS 65/60-10) | (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)
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| Sec. 60-10. RN licensure by examination. | (a) Each applicant who successfully meets the requirements | of this Section is eligible for licensure as a registered | professional nurse. | (b) An applicant for licensure by examination to practice | as a registered professional nurse is eligible for licensure | when the following requirements are met: | (1) the applicant has submitted a completed written | application, on forms provided by the Department, and | fees, as established by the Department; | (2) the applicant has graduated from a professional | nursing education program approved by the Department or | has been granted a certificate of completion of | pre-licensure requirements from another United States | jurisdiction; | (3) the applicant has successfully completed a | licensure examination approved by the Department; | (4) (blank); | (5) the applicant has submitted to the criminal | history records check required under Section 50-35 of this | Act; | (6) the applicant has submitted, either to the | Department or its designated testing service, a fee | covering the cost of providing the examination; failure to | appear for the examination on the scheduled date at the | time and place specified after the applicant's application |
| for examination has been received and acknowledged by the | Department or the designated testing service shall result | in the forfeiture of the examination fee; and | (7) the applicant has met all other requirements | established by the Department by rule.
| An applicant for licensure by examination may take the | Department-approved examination in another jurisdiction. | (b-3) An applicant who graduates from a professional
| nursing program in this State on or after the effective date of
| this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly and does not | take the licensure examination within 180 days after his or | her
degree is conferred by the institution of higher education | or fails the licensure examination for a second time shall be | required to demonstrate proof of completion of a National | Council Licensure Examination preparatory class or a | comparable test preparatory program before taking a subsequent | licensure examination or the graduate may return to the | institution of higher education from which he or she graduated | which shall provide remedial educational resources to the | graduate at no cost to the graduate. Such an applicant must | contact the
institution of higher education from which he or | she graduated prior to retesting. | (b-4) All professional nursing programs in probationary | status on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the | 103rd General Assembly and subject to a program revision plan | shall be deemed in good standing for a period of 3 years |
| beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the | 103rd General Assembly. Prior to September 1, 2026, no | professional nursing program shall be placed on probationary | status for failing to reach a passage rate of less than 75%. | (b-5) If an applicant for licensure by examination | neglects, fails, or refuses to take an examination or fails to | pass an examination for a license within 3 years of the date of | initial application, the application shall be denied. When an | applicant's application is denied due to the failure to pass | the examination within the 3-year period, that applicant must | undertake an additional course of education as defined by rule | prior to submitting a new application for licensure. Any new | application must be accompanied by the required fee, evidence | of meeting the requirements in force at the time of the new | application, and evidence of completion of the additional | course of education prescribed by rule. | (c) An applicant for licensure by examination shall have | one year after the date of notification of the successful | completion of the examination to apply to the Department for a | license. If an applicant fails to apply within one year, the | applicant shall be required to retake and pass the examination | unless licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States. | (d) An applicant for licensure by examination who passes | the Department-approved licensure examination for professional | nursing may obtain employment as a license-pending registered | nurse and practice under the direction of a registered |
| professional nurse or an advanced practice registered nurse | until such time as he or she receives his or her license to | practice or until the license is denied. In no instance shall | any such applicant practice or be employed in any management | capacity. An individual may be employed as a license-pending | registered nurse if all of the following criteria are met: | (1) He or she has completed and passed the | Department-approved licensure exam and presents to the | employer the official written notification indicating | successful passage of the licensure examination. | (2) He or she has completed and submitted to the | Department an application for licensure under this Section | as a registered professional nurse. | (3) He or she has submitted the required licensure | fee. | (4) He or she has met all other requirements | established by rule, including having submitted to a | criminal history records check. | (e) The privilege to practice as a license-pending | registered nurse shall terminate with the occurrence of any of | the following: | (1) Three months have passed since the official date | of passing the licensure exam as inscribed on the formal | written notification indicating passage of the exam. The | 3-month license pending period may be extended if more | time is needed by the Department to process the licensure |
| application. | (2) Receipt of the registered professional nurse | license from the Department. | (3) Notification from the Department that the | application for licensure has been refused. | (4) A request by the Department that the individual | terminate practicing as a license-pending registered nurse | until an official decision is made by the Department to | grant or deny a registered professional nurse license. | (f) (Blank). | (g) (Blank). | (h) (Blank). | (i) (Blank). | (j) (Blank). | (k) All applicants for registered professional nurse | licensure have 3 years after the date of application to | complete the application process. If the process has not been | completed within 3 years after the date of application, the | application shall be denied, the fee forfeited, and the | applicant must reapply and meet the requirements in effect at | the time of reapplication. | (l) All applicants for registered nurse licensure by | examination who are graduates of practical nursing educational | programs in a country other than the United States and its | territories shall have their nursing education credentials | evaluated by a Department-approved nursing credentialing |
| evaluation service. No such applicant may be issued a license | under this Act unless the applicant's program is deemed by the | nursing credentialing evaluation service to be equivalent to a | professional nursing education program approved by the | Department. An applicant who has graduated from a nursing | educational program outside of the United States or its | territories and whose first language is not English shall | submit evidence of English proficiency, as defined by rule. | (m) (Blank).
| (Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18 .)
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Effective Date: 1/1/2024
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