BSN STUDENT HANDBOOK

Clinical Requirements
 

In some clinical courses, students are required to prepare in advance of the actual clinical practicum by reviewing clients' records the day prior to clinicals, reading related literature and/or preparing preliminary nursing care plans.

 Students will receive specific instruction from clinical faculty for each course. Time for clinical preparation should be considered when planning work and personal schedules.

• BSN Students are required to obtain Clinical Clearance prior to direct patient care contact and scheduled clinical hours.

• Clinical Clearance requires written documentation provided by the student to the BSN Secretary by;

§         January 5^th for Spring Semesters

§         August 5^th for Fall Semesters

Clinical Assignments will NOT be posted on the UTA SON Student Bulletin Board for students lacking Clinical Clearance.

RN to BSN students are required to obtain clinical clearance prior to scheduled clinical hours

Clinical clearance requires written documentation provided by the student to the RN to BSN Administrative Specialist (Pam Smith at 817-272-2776 or pamsmith@uta.edu) by the first day of class for the semester.

Students are expected to demonstrate Clinical Requirement Clearance for the ENTIRE semester prior to the first day of class for the academic semester.

 Clinical Clearance includes:

• Hepatitis B Series: (3 immunizations) or immune titer
• TB Test:  Mantoux or PPD Skin Test:

 (Must be current within 1 year AND  renewed ANNUALLY)

• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella:

(history of disease/exposure with positive titer, 2 immunizations if born after 1957, or positive immune titer)

• Tetanus/Diphtheria: (current within 10 years)
• Chickenpox (history of disease/exposure with positive titer, immunizations or positive immune titer)
• CPR: American Heart Association: BLS & AED Healthcare Provider (preferred) OR

American Red Cross: Professional Rescuer (accepted)

• Negative Drug Screen: UTA Student Health Center
• Criminal Background Check from Group I 
• Proof of current health insurance coverage every semester
• DFW Hospital Council Standard Student

            Clinical Orientation and Post-test (annually)

Students are expected to provide a signed release of clinical requirement documentation to requesting clinical facilities.

DFW Hospital Council Standard Student Clinical Orientation requirements are valid for 12 months and must be met prior to JR I and SR I clinical rotations.

 Specific Requirements include:

1. Attend JR Level Clinical Orientation
2. Attend SR Level Clinical Orientation
3. View required videos: HIPAA and Patient Confidentiality, Standard Precautions, Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens, Preparing for Terrorism (SrI)
4. Obtain 100% on DFWHC Orientation Post-test

 Part-time students, transfer students, and out-of-sequence students are required to attend JR Level Orientation ANNUALLY if enrolled in JR I or JR II clinical courses.

 SR Level students and part-time students, transfer students, and out-of-sequence students are required to attend SR I Clinical Orientation ANNUALLY while enrolled in SR I or SR II clinical courses.

 Clinical Orientation for JR Level students is scheduled during

JR I SON Orientation.

 Clinical Orientation for SR Level students is scheduled prior to the first week of the academic semester. Check the UTA SON Student Bulletin Board for date, time, and location. 

 See the BSN secretary (Room 650) or the Undergraduate Clinical Coordinator (jboyd@uta.edu) for questions/clarification. 

 JR Level: Provided on specific JR level orientation WEBCT site. Documentation of completion must be submitted prior to the first clinical day.

  SR Level: Provided prior to first scheduled class on specific SR level orientation WEBCT site. Documentation of completion must be submitted prior to the first clinical day.

 Students are responsible to meet clinical agency specific student clinical requirements in addition to obtaining Clinical Clearance from the UTASON. Examples: Signed Confidentiality Agreement, Evidence of Medical Insurance Coverage, Facility Provided Health History, etc.

  Hepatitis B Vaccine Series

In Progress Status

Hepatitis B Vaccine Series In Progress Status applies to JR I, JR II and first semester transfer students only.

Students are required to have obtained Hep B Series Injection 1 prior to the first day of the scheduled semester (JR I/transfer students), followed by Injection 2 in one month, and Injection 3 within six months of Injection 1, in order to maintain clinical clearance and Hepatitis B Vaccine Series “In Progress Status.” 

Failure to obtain the complete series (3 injections), according to the CDC established timeframe, may result in students not meeting clinical requirements and need to repeat the HepB Vaccine Series. Students not in compliance with “In Progress Status” will not be permitted to participate in patient care contact or required clinical experience.

Failure to meet clinical requirements may result in clinical ineligibility and course failure. 

Students may obtain the required immunizations and/or immunity titers from:

1. UTA Student Health Center,
2. County health departments, or
3. Private health care providers and/or employers. 

Students are expected to provide payment at the time of service at the UTA Student Health Center. (NOTE: The Health Center does not provide Varicella or MMR immunizations. You must go to a private physician or public health department for those immunizations.)

 Important Note: Students must adhere to the academic calendar for UTA SON clinical clearance for the entire semester, rather than employment calendar for CPR, PPD, Tetanus Booster, etc. renewals.

Undergraduate and graduate nursing students are required to obtain American Heart Association Basic Certified Life Support and Automated Emergency Defibrillation (BCLS & AED) CPR for Health Care Providers (preferred) OR American Red Cross Professional Rescuer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (accepted if current – this is valid for one year only). 

 Evidence of current CPR certification is required during clinical course enrollment from admission to graduation.

To be admitted into the nursing program, applicants must submit and pass a criminal background check. The School of Nursing will provide potential students with the information related to obtaining the criminal check.

www.dfwhc.org/groupone In the right-hand column, select Group One Students

A negative urine drug screen is required prior to SON admission and if there is a break in attendance for a semester or more. Drug screens are conducted by the UTA Student Health Center.  Those with a positive drug screen will be denied admission to the UTA SON. Random Drug Screening may be requested by faculty, dean(s), and/or clinical facilities for cause while students are enrolled in the SON.

Pre-licensure policy www.uta.edu/nursing/handbook/BSNdrugpolicy.pdf 

As part of student accountability and socialization into the professional role of the nurse, students are required to: 

1. attend and actively participate in ALL scheduled clinical hours,

2. demonstrate punctuality & organizational skills,

3. assume accountability to notify clinical instructor and clinical agency of absence and/or tardiness for scheduled clinical hours.

 Students are expected to notify the clinical faculty and preceptor/facility for clinical absence or late arrival to clinical site (greater than 5 minutes following scheduled clinical start time).

 Students are expected to allow for adequate travel time, securing parking in designated areas at clinical site, and/or traffic delays. If you will be late because of traffic or an accident, notify your clinical instructor and/or preceptor immediately. Notification will not necessarily prevent a behavioral contract for improvement from being generated and placed in the student file. 

Acceptable methods of notification i.e.  phone, etc. will be specified by each clinical instructor. Email is not acceptable.

 Professional behavior contracts will be written after 2 tardies and kept in the student’s permanent file. 

After 3 tardies, a clinical make up experience will be required to fulfill the clinical obligations. 

Students are expected to attend ALL scheduled clinical hours. All missed clinical time will be made up each semester in a fashion designated by the instructor. 

Students who are not in clinical compliance will NOT be permitted to participate in direct patient care and are required to attend/participate in the scheduled clinical make-up experience. Additional clinical hour absences and/or tardiness for scheduled clinical hours may result in course failure.

Guidelines for Attending Clinical When Ill

Students should not attend clinical experiences if they are febrile or carrying any possibly communicable disease. Students are urged to consult their clinical faculty or lead teacher if they have any questions about whether or not they should attend clinical.

Students deemed unprepared for the clinical experience for the day, by the clinical instructor/preceptor, may be requested to leave the clinical site, directed to the LRC for an alternate experience, and/or must complete the clinical preparation requirements established by the clinical faculty.

See Classroom Expectations and WebCT information in this handbook.

Students may not give medications unless supervised by their clinical instructor, GTA, preceptor, or unit registered nurse.

 Students are expected to know and utilize the facility designated two (2) positive patient identifiers prior to medication administration, procedures, and/or specimen collection.

Students must provide clinical instructors with name and phone number of a contact person(s) in case of an emergency. This information must also be on file with SON Undergraduate Student Services in room 662 of Pickard Hall. RN to BSN students must also have this information on file with the RN to BSN Administrative Specialist.

Specific information for each course and clinical requirements are provided in the course syllabus.

Clinical courses are classified as PASS/FAIL courses.  In order to progress in the School of Nursing, students must receive a passing grade in the lecture component as well as satisfactorily meet the clinical course requirements. 

Criteria for satisfactory completion of the clinical requirements include: 

• Clinical performance consistently represents safe nursing practice.

• Consistently demonstrates sound judgment, decision-making skills, and professional ethics.

• Consistently demonstrates insight & understanding of behaviors & actions.

• Consistently meets the clinical objectives of the course.

• Demonstrates responsibility and accountability to address areas of improvement identified by the clinical faculty.

• Meets the clinical attendance requirements, submits satisfactory written assignments, and demonstrates openness to learning.

Because providing direct patient care is physically demanding, students need to meet the physical requirements of a staff nurse in the same setting in which they are completing a clinical rotation.  Physical conditions that may result in the inability to complete a clinical rotation include acute illness, injury, or complications due to pregnancy.  Changes in physical status that require activity limitation or bed rest will require documentation from the student’s health care provider and may result in the need to withdraw from or take an incomplete in a course. 

• The award is a faculty selection: it is not a student or group selection
• The course team (Lead Teacher and all Clinical Faculty) will consider nominations from clinical faculty with a maximum of 5% of students in the course or 1 group award(s) per course, per semester.  Each member of a nominated group must meet the criteria.
• Graduate courses will consider nominations from clinical faculty with a maximum of two awards in a graduate clinical course per semester.

• Consistently exceeds clinical performance standards in the application of theoretical concepts, evidence-based practice, and communication (written and verbal).
• Demonstrates exemplary performance in the use of critical thinking and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrates exemplary performance in the application of leadership principles and professionalism.