(a) “Acute care” means restorative care provided by the nurse practitioner to patients with rapidly changing, unstable, chronic, complex acute, and critical conditions in a variety of clinical practice settings.

(b) “Advanced health assessment” means the knowledge of advanced processes of collecting and interpreting information regarding a patient’s health care status. Advanced health assessment provides the basis for differential diagnoses and treatment plans.

(c) “Advanced pathophysiology” means the advanced knowledge and management of physiological disruptions that accompany a wide range of alterations in health.

(d) “Advanced pharmacology” means the integration of the advanced knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics content across the lifespan and prepares the certified nurse practitioner to initiate appropriate pharmacotherapeutics safely and effectively in the management of acute and chronic health conditions.

(e) “California based nurse practitioner education program” means a board approved academic program, physically located in California that offers a graduate degree in nursing or graduate level certificate in nursing to qualified students and is accredited by a nursing organization recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council of Higher Education Accreditation.

(f) “Category” means the population focused area of practice in which the certified nurse practitioner provides patient care.

(g) “Clinically competent” means the individual possesses and exercises the degree of learning, skill, care, and experience ordinarily possessed and exercised by a certified nurse practitioner providing healthcare in the same nurse practitioner category. The clinical experience must be such that the nurse received intensive experience in performing the diagnostic and treatment procedures essential to the provision of primary care.

(h) “Clinical field related to nursing” means a specialized field of clinical practice in one of the following categories of nurse practitioners as recognized by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties NONPF), which are: Family/Individual across the lifespan; Adult-gerontology, primary care; Adult-gerontology, acute care; Neonatal; Pediatrics, primary care; Pediatrics, acute care; Women’s health/gender-related; and Psychiatric-Mental Health across the lifespan.

(i) “Clinical practice experience” means supervised direct patient care in the clinical setting that provides for the acquisition and application of advanced practice nursing knowledge, skills, and competencies.

(j) “Direct supervision of students” means a clinical preceptor or a faculty member is physically present at the practice site. The clinical preceptor or faculty member retains the responsibility for patient care while overseeing the student.

(k) “Group setting” means one of the settings or organizations set forth in Section 2837.103(a)(2) of the code in which one or more physicians and surgeons practice with a nurse practitioner without standardized procedures.

(l) “Lead nurse practitioner faculty educator” means the nurse practitioner faculty member of the nurse practitioner education program who has administrative responsibility for developing and implementing the curriculum in the nurse practitioner category.

(m) “Major curriculum change” means a substantive change in a nurse practitioner education program curriculum, structure, content, method of delivery, or clinical hours.

(n) “National Certification” means the certified nurse practitioner has passed an examination provided by a national certification organization accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the American Board of Nursing Specialties, as approved by the board.

(o) “Nurse practitioner” means an advanced practice registered nurse who meets board education and certification requirements and possesses additional advanced practice educational preparation and skills in physical diagnosis, psycho-social assessment, and management of health-illness needs in primary care, and/or acute care.

(p) “Nurse practitioner curriculum” means a curriculum that consists of the graduate core; advanced practice registered nursing core, and nurse practitioner role and population-focused courses.

(q) “Nurse practitioner education program director” means the individual responsible for administration, implementation, and evaluation of the nurse practitioner education program and the achievement of the program outcomes in collaboration with program faculty.

(r) “Non-California based nurse practitioner education program” means an academic program accredited by a nursing organization recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council of Higher Education Accreditation that offers a graduate degree in nursing or graduate level certificate in nursing to qualified students and does not have a physical location in California. Preparation at the graduate level must be comprehensive and focus on the clinical practice of providing direct care to individuals.

(s) “Primary care” means comprehensive and continuous care provided to patients, families, and the community. Primary care focuses on basic preventative care, health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, patient education, and the diagnoses and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of practice settings.