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DPH says statutory change not required; moves to fast-track nursing regulation revisions
Summary
The Department of Public Health told the Board of Examiners for Nursing that a planned statutory change is not necessary, allowing the agency to proceed immediately with revisions to the registered nurse curriculum regulation (20-90-52); board members urged clarifying credit-hour language and using NCSBN model rules.
The Department of Public Health told the Board of Examiners for Nursing on Dec. 3 that a planned statutory change is unnecessary and that the agency will proceed now to draft and advance revisions to the registered nurse curriculum regulation.
Attorney Ryan Burns said the department brought additional lawyers into the review and concluded that it can move forward without changing statute, which will "significantly move up our ability to get these regs done," he said. The board discussed regulatory language in 20-90-52 that sets minimum program structure and clinical-contact requirements.
Board members urged technical clarifications. Cindy Arpin, a nurse educator, recommended the regulation specify credit-hour equivalency rather than only refer to contact hours, because clinical contact hours are often calculated differently than classroom credit hours: "When we figure out credit hours in nursing academia, theory is a 1 to 1, but clinical is a 1 to 3," Arpin said, arguing the rule should read as credit hours or specify 'at least 50%'.
Mary Dietman urged the board to consult the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) model rules and research as part of the rewrite, describing the NCSBN resources as evidence-based guidance for program quality indicators.
Counsel and staff said the department will prepare a draft and convene a board regulation-review committee for a "deep dive" before circulating drafts to the full board and other stakeholders. Burns said there is no fixed deadline for submission; timing will depend on when the draft is ready and the regulatory calendar, but moving now will shorten the overall timeline.
The board welcomed Julianne Avellone (spelled in the record as Julianne Avellone), who was introduced as a director-level contact for regulation work. The board set next steps to form a committee and offered members’ participation in revisions.
The board’s next meeting is Dec. 17, 2025.
