Elmira College. Nurse Education Program. Student Handbook

Transcription

1 Rev 8/14 1 Elmira College Nurse Education Program Student Handbook

2 2 The Nurse Education Program (NEP) is guided by the overall policies of Elmira College. Policies specific to the Nurse Education Program supplement general college policies and are consistent with those of the College. Table of Contents Page Quick Communication Resources.. 3 Welcome from the Dean of Health Sciences.. 4 History of Nurse Education at Elmira.. 5 Full time Faculty and Staff.. 6 Philosophy of the Nurse Education Program.. 7 Program Purposes and Outcomes.. 9 Conceptual Framework Paradigm. 10 Definition of Terms. 13 Academic Affairs Academic Advising. 16 Accessibility Services (Accommodations).. 16 Admission into the Nurse Education Program 17 APA Style.. 17 Career Related Field Experience (FEX 4510) 17 College Support Services.. 18 Course Web 18 Credit by Examination 18 Diversity.. 18 Grade System Delineation.. 19 Integrity 19 Licensure. 19 Part-time Students 19 Prices and Fees (additional) 20 Progression 20 Steps in Progression 20 Successful Completion of Required Nursing Courses.. 21 Transfer students Full or Part-time.. 22 Clinical Practice Policies General Policies. 22 Clinical Calculation Exam. 22 Clinical Placements. 23 Confidentiality 23 CPR Certification.. 23 Documentation of Health Status 23 Emergency and Health Care.. 24 Expectations in Clinical Agencies. 25 Professional Liability Insurance.. 25

3 3 Standard Precautions. 26 Standard Uniform. 26 Transportation to/from Affiliating Agencies.. 26 Unsafe Clinical Practice. 27 Academic Policies General Policies.. 27 Attendance. 28 Student Conduct. 28 Program Questions or Concerns Questions or Concerns.. 28 Appeals. 29 Communication.. 29 National Student Nurses Association Membership 29 Honors and Awards Dr. Kathleen Sward Excellence in Nursing Prize.. 29 Esther Booth Alden Home Bureau Award 30 The Excellence in Nursing Senior Year Award.. 30 Professional Nurses of the Twin Tiers Leadership Award. 30 Rho Gamma Chapter of STTI. 30 Rho Gamma Scholarship Award. 30 Other Awards and Scholarships. 30 Nursing Club Nursing Club Constitution.. 31 Nursing Club Officers ( ) 32 Quick Communication Resources Questions related to clinical GO TO your clinical instructor and then the course coordinator Questions related to course GO TO your course coordinator Health/Clinical requirements What do I need? GO TO Marybeth Gillis What have we received GO TO Elaine Kerrick or Marybeth Gillis Questions related to Rho Gamma GO TO Marybeth Gillis, Rho Gamma Counselor Questions related to Nursing Club GO TO Missy Volino, faculty advisor

4 4 Welcome! On behalf of the faculty and staff of the Nurse Education Program (NEP), I welcome returning and new students to this academic year. This is a time of enormous change in health care that will present exciting opportunities and unforeseen challenges for the nursing profession. The faculty and staff of the Nurse Education Program strive to assist and support you as you work to achieve your professional goals and help to shape the future health and wellness of people in this nation. The Nurse Education Program adheres to the policies of Elmira College specified in the Elmira College Student Handbook and Elmira College Bulletin. The policies and procedures particular to the Nurse Education Program provided in this handbook are consistent with policies found in the Elmira College Student Handbook and the Elmira College Bulletin. As Dean of Health Sciences and Director of the Nurse Education Program I look forward to getting to know you and working with each of you throughout your time at Elmira College. Best wishes for the coming year. Dr. Kathleen Lucke Dean of Health Sciences

5 5 History of Nurse Education at Elmira The Nurse Education program was first offered at Elmira College in The last class graduated from this 5-year program in Until 1958, the College offered the first two years of a nursing major with students then transferring to hospital-based schools such as Columbia Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing and Yale-New Haven Hospital School of Nursing. The College has also had an ongoing relationship with diploma nursing education offering foundation courses in the arts and sciences for Arnot Ogden Medical Center School of Nursing and two other diploma programs that are no longer in existence. In 1974 a Bachelor of Science Degree (BS), designed for Registered Nurses (RNs) only was instituted at Elmira College. This program represented a new kind of educational offering for nurses in the United States, one that was tailored to the needs and special abilities of RNs. At that time there were less than six educational institutions in New York State that offered a degree program of this type. In 1988 the program underwent a major change when an educational program for students without any prior nursing education was established. The existing RN to BS program was integrated into the curriculum as an advanced placement track. This advanced placement option for RNs continues to offer a flexible approach to baccalaureate education that builds on previously learned knowledge and skills necessary to prepare beginning practitioners of nursing. Students may enroll full or part-time in either track. Today the Nurse Education Program, part of Health Sciences, reflects the liberal arts and community orientation of the College. Required courses include those that promote personal and professional growth for the student and those that represent a response to societal demands for high quality care and an increased emphasis on preventive and primary health care services. The main focus of the program is to assist the student to develop nursing knowledge and skills necessary to provide health care in a dynamic and ever changing health care system. The program is firmly grounded in concepts from scientific and humanistic fields. Experiences are designed to prepare graduates to care for individuals and groups in a variety of health care settings. The Program provides the necessary foundation for graduate study in nursing.

6 6 FULL TIME FACULTY AND STAFF Dean of Health Sciences and Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Associate Professor Assistant Professor Instructor Assistant Professor Graduate Assistant Assistant to the Dean of Health Sciences Kathleen Lucke, PhD, RN Room 202, Ext Marybeth Gillis, MS, RN Room 304, Ext Susan Gustafson, MSN, RN Room 201, Ext Denise Talenti, DNP, RN, CNM Room 207, Ext Milissa Volino, PhD, RN Room 303, Ext Thola Wolanski MSN, RN Room 307, Ext Deborah Woglom MS, RN Bonnie Woodruff MSN, RN Room 202, Ext 1887 Emily Kawasaki Room 202, Ext Elaine Kerrick Room 202, Ext Telephone: (607) Fax number: (607) Additional contact information for professors or clinical instructors is in course syllabi. The Nurse Education Program office (Carnegie, Room 202) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am 5:00 pm during the academic year. Summer hours are 8:00 am 4:30 pm.

7 7 PHILOSOPHY OF THE NURSE EDUCATION PROGRAM The Nurse Education Program at Elmira College is an integral part of an independent, coeducational institution committed to the mission of offering students a professional and liberal education to enable them to become more productive and responsible in contemporary society. The following statement of philosophy expresses the beliefs of the Nurse Education faculty about human beings, society, health, nursing and education. These beliefs serve as the foundation for the program curriculum. The Nurse Education faculty shares the belief that each human being is simultaneously a complete system and a part of other systems and that each is unique and responsible. In the presence of physical, psychological, spiritual and social stimuli, human beings respond internally and externally and choose courses of action. Interactions and choices to achieve dynamic equilibrium are based upon individual perceptions of self and environment. The faculty recognizes different societal and cultural experiences, as well as individual perceptions and patterns of behavior, is brought to health care situations by each individual. Understanding and acceptance of the uniqueness and worth of every human being is acknowledged as the necessary foundation for a nurse/client relationship that fosters a maximum level of achievement on the health-illness continuum. Society, a composite of diverse cultures, sets general boundaries of acceptable social behaviors. Value systems reflect individual cultural backgrounds and are continually challenged by changes in society. These challenges create strain for human beings, which require identification and refocusing. The faculty believes that health is a dynamic state that involves constant change and exists on a continuum from optimal well being to death. The health of a system is the ability to respond to strains that interfere with optimal functioning and takes place within the framework of the transition process. Nursing is an active process that focuses on assisting individuals, families, groups, communities and populations in promoting, restoring and maintaining health. The professional nurse maximizes the comfort and dignity of the client at all points on the health-illness continuum through the use of the nursing process. These activities require skills in the identification and the use of information, in the communication of ideas and in cooperation, coordination and collaboration with other individuals and groups. As leaders, nurses must be accountable for themselves, to the profession and to society in initiating changes necessary to assist people toward wellness. Professional nurses recognize the relationship between their profession and the overall health care delivery system. This system requires knowledgeable, informed nurses who can work independently and interdependently, applying scientific and theoretical advances to nursing care and extending care into the community. The professional nurse serves as a client advocate within the system, to promote and protect the rights, health and safety of patients, while encouraging and promoting active and responsible self-care.

8 8 The faculty believes that the education of the professional nurse begins at the baccalaureate level. The process of professional nurse education leads to accountability for professional, ethical and legal standards of nursing practice. The faculty believes that learning is best achieved when concepts are presented from simple to complex, building on existing knowledge. Learning is a collaborative process between the faculty and the student and requires active participation by the learner. Therefore, a learning environment is created in which the student is provided the resources and guidance necessary for critical thinking and reasoning in the development of ethical behavior and cognitive, affective, psychomotor skills. The faculty believes further that nursing must be seen as an integral part of human culture and civilization. Therefore, throughout the curriculum the student is encouraged to search for solutions to professional problems within the discipline and to utilize broader perspectives arising from an understanding of the interactions among many areas of knowledge. To this end, the curriculum of the Elmira College Nurse Education Program incorporates a variety of theories from the humanities and the natural and social sciences as well as nursing theories, scholarly inquiry and translational sciences. It is the belief of the faculty that this broad education enhances professional ability and enables achievement of excellence in nursing practice as well as establishes a commitment to continuing growth of the individual as a person and a health care professional. Through liberal arts and nursing courses, a new awareness of self is fostered both as an individual within society who is influenced by the environment and as a therapeutic professional who influences clients and health care systems. This philosophy is consistent with that of the total College. It provides a learning environment in which the goal is to educate the whole person by integrating the theoretical and pragmatic aspects of life. The individual student is the ultimate concern. The Nurse Education Program of Elmira College encourages intellectual, social, emotional, ethical and civic growth of the student as well as the development of a commitment to the profession and society. 7/14

9 9 7/14 Program Purposes and Outcomes Program Purposes The purposes of the Elmira College Nurse Education Program are threefold: 1. To offer a major in nursing grounded in a liberal arts education. 2. To prepare graduates for professional practice in a variety of health care settings. 3. To provide a foundation for graduate study in nursing. Program Outcomes The graduate, at the completion of the Nurse Education Program, will be able to: 1. Utilize theories and concepts from humanities, natural, social and nursing sciences to focus on individuals, families, groups and communities as the recipients of nursing practice. 2. Employ the nursing process in any setting to assist with the promotion, restoration, and/or maintenance of optimal health for the client of any age. 3. Use evidence based findings to improve the quality of nursing care provided to the client. 4. Apply knowledge and skills of information management and technology in nursing practice 5. Participate in identifying community and societal needs for health care of client systems. 6. Provide leadership in defining, implementing and evaluating the nursing practice in the provision of comprehensive health services. 7. Collaborate with consumers and colleagues to support necessary changes in overall health behaviors and health care delivery for the improved welfare of society. 8. Practice nursing in accordance with legal rights and ethical responsibilities. 9. Demonstrate commitment to personal and professional development.

10 10 Elmira College Nurse Education Program Conceptual Framework Paradigm Nursing Assess Diagnose Outcome Plan Implement Evaluate Process Identification Transitional Process Strain Disruption Refocusing Incorporate Change (discontinuity)

11 11 The paradigm for the conceptual framework demonstrates how major concepts are directly related to those of the philosophy: Philosophy Concept Human Systems (Person) Society (Environment) Health Nursing Change Conceptual Framework Concept Client System Student Nurse System Educational Environments Health Care Environments Health (outcome for the client system) Professional Development (outcome for the nurse system) Nursing Process Transitional Process The conceptual framework for Elmira College Nurse Education Program is the interaction of the nurse system and client system within the educational and health care environments. The emphasis is on the promotion of change in the student nurse and client. Through an interweaving of the elements of the nursing process and the transitional process during health care interactions, professional development for the student nurse system and health for the client system are achieved. The key concepts of the conceptual framework are related to two major systems from the human system category, the student nurse system and the client system. Both the student nurse system and the client system are composed of human beings who interact internally and externally. They choose courses of action or adapt in response to physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs. Choices are based on individual perceptions of self and environment. The ultimate goal of these interactions and choices is the evolvement of professional development for the student nurse system and health for the client system. Professional development for the student nurse is attained through identification and use of information, communication of ideas and cooperation, coordination and collaboration with other professionals. Client health is achieved when strains that interfere with attainment of optimal functioning are reduced. Educational and health care environments are viewed as subsystems of society. The student nurse system-client system interaction occurs in these two environments. The student nurse system interacts with educational environments in order to bring about a high level of professional development through evidence based education and practice and critical thinking.

12 12 The student nurse system that has achieved professional development demonstrates increased recognition and understanding of the client state, resulting in an optimal level of health of the client system. The client system interacts with health care environments created and promoted by the health care system. Assistance and support provided by health care professionals facilitate higher levels of knowledge and functioning and, therefore, health in the client system. The client system that has achieved a higher level of health demonstrates increasing knowledge and understanding of health status that can motivate the student nurse system to seek a higher level of professional development. Thus, collaborative interactions of the student nurse system and the client system in the educational environments and health care environments lead to positive changes for both. The theory of change is central to the conceptual framework of the Elmira College Nurse Education Program. The targets of change are the student nurse and the client. The nursing process and the transitional process are the interdependent dynamic components of the student nurse-client interaction from which change evolves. Through the use of the nursing process and the transitional process, this interaction results in heightened awareness and changes in behavioral responses for both the student nurse system and the client system. The dynamics inherent in the change process are similar for both the student nurse system and the client system. Within the transitional process, the sources of change are primarily disruptions (discontinuities or problems) derived either internally or externally. Most often change is expected from a focus on the strain (presenting symptom). But the true process of change should focus on strain reduction by way of refocusing on the disruptions (etiologies of the strain). The ultimate goal of this process is the incorporation of change. Disruption occurs as human systems experience biophysical, spiritual, cultural and/or psychosocial disruptions during various life experiences. A disruption in life is perceived as a signal for a transition when there is personal awareness of the experience and when new behavioral responses are required. A discontinuity will produce an impact on the self, the situation and the activity of the student nurse and/or client system. When the impact of disruption occurs, the system first attempts to maintain a steady state among its components. The system s response may be to simply adapt or to undergo a transition. If the system moves through the transition process, it then proceeds toward incorporation of change. The transitional process represents a cycle of acknowledging the reality of strain produced by a disruption, refocusing of thinking and activities in order to achieve balance and development and thereby incorporating change in one s behavior. Incorporation of change is purposeful. Attempts to achieve growth are demonstrated by professional development for the nurse or health for the client. The student nurse system passes through the same stages of transition as the client system. For the student nurse, this

13 13 changing or transition process is a personal progression from a relative state of professional disruption to a high level of professional development. Within this level of development, there is an understanding of the complexity of human health, quality nursing care and personal and professional autonomy. Health of the client system is viewed on the health-illness continuum from depleted to optimal health. The student nurse system utilizes the systematic methodology of the nursing process to facilitate changes in health status on the health-illness continuum. The student nurse conceptualizes the client s health status in terms of the level of prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary) necessary to promote or maintain a state of well-being. Using the nursing process, the student nurse assesses the strains in the areas of self-image, the environment and/or the behavior patterns of the client. The student nurse then formulates a nursing diagnosis (es) in terms of the disruption(s) and strains that includes the client s responses to health status, life experiences and coping patterns. The reconsideration of the student nurse s or client s self-image, environment and behavior patterns bring about a refocusing of the planned activities, which attempt to resolve the strains and disruptions affecting either the student nurse or the client. Interventions are aimed at promoting an optimal level of health for the client and an optimal level of professional development for the student nurse. The plan of the nursing process is activated in a manner that engenders ongoing reassessment and/or evaluation. Tangible changes which have occurred are measured in one s self and in the client. The conceptual framework of change of the Elmira College Nurse Education Program is functional in guiding curriculum development for students in nursing. It describes, explains and predicts needed behaviors for students who are experiencing both developmental and role changes. Definition of Terms System A complex of elements in interdependent dynamic interaction to form a whole, the sum of whose parts are greater than and differs from the whole. It exists for the attainment of a specific purpose and possesses a boundary that distinguishes it from the environment. Human Systems Comprised of individuals, families, groups, communities and society. a. Individual: A unique biopsychosocial system that is responsible for his or her own behaviors and makes choices based on individual perceptions. The client system and the student nurse system are complementary interactive individual systems. b. Family: A social system that is plurality of human beings in a pattern of mutual interaction and interdependence. A social system has boundaries that enable one to distinguish the internal from the external environment.

14 14 c. Community: May include a worldwide group of many human or family systems in relationship with others, held together by common values and interests, common needs or goals, and/or geographical and political boundaries. d. Society: A highly complex system incorporating the human, family and community systems from which specialized institutions have evolved to serve the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual aspects of human beings within the context of their culture. Health Care System the external support instituted by society to assist the individual, family, group and community in the promotion, maintenance or restoration of health. Health a dynamic state in which there is continued change within individuals or groups aimed at the reduction of those strains that interfere with the achievement of optimal biophysical and psychosocial functioning. a. Health-Illness Continuum conceptualization of client status along a progression from depleted to optimal health in terms of the level of prevention necessary to promote, maintain or restore a state of well-being. 1. Primary Prevention Includes generalized health promotion and specific protection against disease for individuals of all ages by reducing or eliminating the risk factors (stressors). 2. Secondary Prevention Includes screening, early diagnosis and prompt intervention to restore normal functioning. 3. Tertiary Prevention Includes the promotion of optimal level of functioning for the individual within the constraints of a fixed, stabilized or irreversible defect or disability (disruptions). b. Health Care Environment Provides an atmosphere that is conducive to learning, collaborative interactions and the achievement of an optimum level of functioning for both the client and the student nurse. Change the positive outcome of interaction between the student nurse system and the client system. Transitional Process represents a cycle of disruption, strain, refocusing of thinking and activities and incorporation of change. a. Disruption A state in which a human system experiences disturbance arising from internal and/or external influences of the environment. b. Strain - A discomfort resulting from disruption that interferes with need satisfaction creating a state of disequilibrium in the system.

15 15 c. Refocusing The response of the system to strain, which involves a deliberate and conscious attempt to effect planned change. d. Incorporation of Change The outcome of refocusing, resulting in health for the client and professional development for the nurse. Professional Nursing An intellectual, active process of care directed toward the achievement or maintenance of health. Its function is to provide health care through the use of the nursing process with individual, family, group and community client systems. Nursing roles are determined by the nurse-client relationship and include but are not limited to those of teacher, leader, researcher, patient advocate and case manager. Components of nursing roles include accountability and leadership. a. Accountability Responsibility for one s own actions in planning and implementing patient care. As a client advocate, the rights and interest of the client are identified and affected through the application of the nursing process, communication of the role of the nurse to the client, conservation of the client s self and energy, individualization of nursing actions to the specific client system and demonstration of judgment based on ethical/legal considerations. b. Leadership The process of influencing other persons' behaviors in establishing and achieving goals. c. Nursing Process An orderly, systematic manner of determining the client s discontinuities, making plans to solve them, initiating the plan and evaluating to what extent the plan was effective in resolving these discontinuities. It is an application of critical thinking, is on-going and can be adapted to any given situation. d. Professional Development The ongoing, self-directed growth and improvement of professional nursing skills and knowledge. e. Nurse Education An interactive process through which the student is provided an opportunity to gain and utilize knowledge and skills in different situations, which facilitates the development of roles essential to the practice of nursing. f. Educational Environment An atmosphere which is conducive to personal and professional growth and which facilitates learning in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Other Definitions Communication - The dynamic, interactive process involving the transmission of concepts, ideas, information, and perceptions. This process may occur between and among individuals,

16 16 families, groups, or communities. Communication may include verbal and non-verbal interactions, written material, media and information technology. Critical Thinking The intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information gathered from observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, and communication as a guide to decision making. Therapeutic Nursing the planned actions taken to provide theory-based interactions and evidence-based nursing intervention, including psychomotor and psychosocial therapeutics directed towards individuals, families, aggregates and the community to promote, restore and maintain health and prevent illness. Information Literacy The ability to know when and what information is needed and to access, evaluate, and use all forms of information towards a specific purpose (paper and electronic). (ACEN accreditation manual, 2013) Academic Advising Academic Affairs The nursing curriculum is available at and the four-year sequence of study is available by request from the Nurse Education Program (NEP). All students who do not have a nursing professor as an academic advisor are to contact the NEP office at least annually prior to registration to verify appropriate progression in the Program. Students with an academic advisor in another discipline may continue with that advisor or change to an academic advisor in the major by following the policy set forth by the College. Once in the nursing sequence, part-time students are required to have their registration form verified by a nursing professor each term. Accessibility Services (Accommodations) The Special Needs/Accommodations website is found at Students with documented academic and/or physical disabilities must contact Mrs. Carolyn Draht of the Office of Accessibility Services to facilitate accommodations. It is students responsibility to notify the course coordinator and make arrangements for any type of approved accommodation in a course. Students with College approved testing accommodations must make arrangements through the Office of Student Success and Advocacy which is located on the first floor of the Gannett-Tripp Library. Students are responsible for submitting the appropriate forms in a timely manner and according to the stated policy. Accommodations are made only within the stated policy.

17 17 Admission into the Nurse Education Program Once admitted to the College, most students are admitted to any major. To be allowed into the first nursing course (NSG 2010 Introduction to Professional Nursing), students must have a C (2.0) in each required course for the major and have taken two required science courses for the major. The criteria are the same for internal and external transfers. Unlicensed students refer to those nursing students who are not licensed RNs. Part time and transfer students must successfully complete an entrance examination prior to admission to the nursing major. APA Style All written assignments in all nursing courses are to be completed using current APA editorial style. Please refer to the APA manual for specific details. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010) is located in the reference section in the Gannett- Tripp Library. The APA website ( will have the most recent changes for referencing. Students find another helpful resource. There are also citation managers available to help with formatting in APA style. Career Related Field Experience (FEX 4510) The Career Related Field Experience is an integral component of the Nurse Education Program curriculum. No waiver for this experience is permitted. The coordinator of the nursing field experience practicum must approve all field experiences. Students may not begin Field Experience prior to finals week of the previous term. Students must successfully complete 200 hours of practicum along with the course seminar. To select an experience at a distance or on a specialty unit, the following requirements must be met: a) Students request to complete the field experience at a distance must submit a written request which includes clinical site and contact person information by October 15 th. b) All experiences are subject to approval by the Dean of Health Science in consultation with course faculty, as well as the ability to secure a clinical agreement with the institution. An official agreement between the agency and the College and a Field Experience contract with an individual institutional supervisor must be in place prior to any student activity in the agency. c) Students are responsible for meeting any additional requirements and costs of the clinical agency including, but not limited to: diagnostic tests, immunizations, physical examinations, personal liability insurance and living expenses incurred

18 18 when participating in a field experience that is outside of regular options provided by the Nurse Education Program. Completion of the required number of field experience hours is expected within the time frame for the course. Not doing so will result in a delay in graduation and possible failure in the course. All written work must be completed as assigned. College Support Services College support services for full time students are documented in the Elmira College Bulletin and the Elmira College Student Handbook. Support services for part-time students are indicated in the Elmira College Continuing Education and Graduate Studies Bulletin. The Office of Student Success and Advocacy is available to all students. Course Web The ANGEL Course Management System is used for all required nursing courses. Students are responsible for all materials on ANGEL and to visit ANGEL for any updates. ANGEL may be accessed from off campus with the following URL In required nursing courses, students are required to correspond with faculty and clinical instructors through ANGEL only. Credit by Examination LPNs may receive credit for NSG 2510 (Fundamentals of Nursing Care I) by successfully passing a standardized examination. Students choosing to fulfill program requirements with credit by examinations must have prior approval from the Dean of Health Sciences. Examinations are to be successfully completed and scores provided to the Office of the Registrar or Continuing Education by the end of May of the 3 rd year (junior year) of the program. Diversity Diversity is valued at Elmira College. Respect for others, regardless of age, ethnicity, physical and mental abilities, gender, sexual orientation, religion and socioeconomic status is expected. Any inappropriate statement or action related to diversity during class, laboratory, or clinical experiences that reflect a lack of respect for others may result in disciplinary action including failure in the course and possible dismissal from the Program. Any violation of Title IX is to be referred to a Title IX compliance officer.

19 19 Grade System Delineation All nursing courses will use the following grading determinations. These grades carry quality points and are thus included in computation of the grade point average (G.P.A.) A = B+ = C+ = D+ = A- = B = C = D = B- = C- = D- = F = <60 Integrity Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. A breach of academic integrity includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of examination material, submitting another's work or previously used work of any student, including self. Students are responsible for understanding all the academic policies and requirements, student conduct codes and student grievance procedures of Elmira College, as stated in the current EC College Bulletin and EC Student Handbook. Students are held accountable for ethical behavior as described in the American Nurses Association Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application (2010), and the 2010 Nursing and standards of practice (2 nd Edition). A professional and ethical attitude and behavior on the part of all computer users is expected and required. Penalties for a breach of integrity in the classroom or clinical setting will be in accordance with Elmira College policies. To be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN, nursing students need to meet the academic requirements for their degree as well as be deemed by the nursing faculty to be of sound moral character. Licensure Students must complete all the requirements for the degree (S.B.) with a major in nursing prior to registering for the NCLEX-RN. Graduates of the program who have been convicted of a crime (including a misdemeanor) may not be eligible for licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse. For more information, contact the state in which licensure is desired. Part-time Students All part-time unlicensed students must successfully complete an entrance examination (NLN Pre-Admission Examination-RN [PAX-RN]) prior to admission to the nursing major. This examination is given April, July and November. Exceptions may be granted on an individual basis by the Dean of Health Sciences. The exam focuses on three main areas: verbal skills, mathematics and science. Students must earn a minimum composite score. The examination may be repeated once, after six (6) months. Those not successful on the second attempt are ineligible for entry into the nursing major. The examination is arranged through the Assistant

20 20 to the Dean of Health Sciences. If the requirements for the nursing major and/or the minimum score for acceptance change between inquiry into the program and when students are accepted as a nursing major, students must complete the new requirements for the major. No required nursing field code courses may be taken prior to acceptance into the major. Once entering the required nursing sequence, students must be able to meet all the requirements for the Program and the degree within three academic years. Any student who is not able to complete these requirements concurrently will be withdrawn from the required nursing course. Students will be reinstated into the required nursing courses when they have made sufficient progress in the degree requirements to allow concurrent completion of the Nursing Program and baccalaureate degree. Part-time students may only take less than 9 credits per term. Exceptions are found in the Elmira College Bulletin on page 20. Prices and Fees (additional) Students are independently responsible for costs for the following: annual membership in the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA), liability insurance, criminal background and child abuse checks. NSNA dues and liability insurance are billed through the College. Students are also responsible for costs incurred for uniforms, health requirements, Professional CPR, personal equipment for clinical practice such as watch with a second hand, stethoscope, bandage scissors and penlight. All students will pay for an integrated assessment program that is billed on a term by term basis. All pre-licensure students must complete the required NCLEX- RN review program in the Spring Term of the year of graduation. Progression To progress into the first required nursing course, students must earn a minimum of a C (2.0) in each course required by the major. Students must have two required science courses (Chemistry, Microbiology, and/or Anatomy and Physiology I and II) with a grade of C or better to enter the first required nursing course (NSG 2010 or NSG 3000 for RN students). Required nursing courses are sequential and must be taken in order. To progress from one level to another all of the courses in the prior level must be successfully completed and a sufficient number of credits must have been earned. All incompletes in required NSG courses must be resolved before the beginning of the next term to be eligible for the next nursing course. Steps in Progression To begin Level I *NSG 2010+, students must earn a minimum of a C (2.0) in each required course for the major as well as two science courses required for the major.