For practical nurse refresher course programs, the course content must consist of a minimum of sixty hours of theory content and one hundred twenty hours of clinical practice.

(1) The theory course content must include, but not be limited to, a minimum of sixty hours in current basic concepts of:

(a) Nursing process and patient centered care;

(b) Cultural competence across the life span;

(c) Pharmacology, medication calculation, administration, safety, and the mitigation and reporting of medication errors;

(d) Review of the concepts in the areas of:

(i) Current practical nursing practice, including legal expectations as identified in chapters 18.79 and 18.130 RCW, and nursing scope of practice, including the commission approved scope of practice decision tree;

(ii) Therapeutic and basic communications and observational practices needed for identification, reporting, and recording patient needs; and

(iii) Basic physical, biological, and social sciences necessary for practice.

(e) Review and updating of practical nursing knowledge and skills to include, but not be limited to, concepts of delegation, leadership, fundamentals, medical, surgical, geriatric, and mental health nursing.

(2) The clinical course content shall include a minimum of one hundred twenty hours of clinical practice in the area(s) listed in subsection (1)(e) of this section.

(a) Sixty hours of clinical practice may be obtained through lab simulation if the program has adequate lab space and equipment to accommodate student learning and is approved by the commission.

(b) Exceptions shall be justified to and approved by the commission.