Student Handbook

Welcome to the School of Nursing at Emory & Henry College. This Handbook is your primary resource for information about policies and procedures of the nursing programs at E&H. The Handbook will provide you with information that will acquaint you with various aspects of your program and help you plan your nursing studies.

In addition to this Handbook, official publications of interest to nursing students are the Emory & Henry College Academic Catalog (https://catalog.ehc.edu/) which contains descriptions of all undergraduate programs and general academic regulations and the School of Nursing website (https://www.ehc.edu/academics/nursing/) which contains information about our nursing degree programs.

Letter from the Dean

Welcome to the School of Nursing at Emory & Henry College!

The World Health Organization named 2020, the year of the nurse and midwife. 2020 was also the 200th birthday of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, who applied science to organize hospitals and formalize nursing education.

The profession of nursing has a long and distinguished history, and has been ranked the most trusted profession for 20 years in a row. While caring is at the core of what a nurse does, the discipline requires a comprehensive view of patient care, incorporating science and art in evaluating changes in clinical conditions and advocating for appropriate care. As the largest profession within healthcare, nursing gave rise to many subsequent disciplines such as the first anesthetists and social workers among others. Healthcare disciplines bridge science and care into practice to improve health outcomes and nursing is the cohesive link for patients between healthcare disciplines. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically highlighted nursing’s contribution to patient care. You are a part of an exciting and caring profession where the opportunities to grow are limitless. I encourage you to use this time to study to explore and push yourself to levels you previously did not think possible. Do not settle for “good enough” or mediocrity but strive for excellence, while taking time to enjoy the journey.

We, the faculty and staff at the School of Nursing, are here to support you throughout your studies here at Emory & Henry. As you embark on this next step in your educational journey, we understand the commitment and sacrifice you are making to advance your professional career. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if we can help you in any way.

Wishing you all the best in your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Dr. Laurie Anne Ferguson Founding Dean and Professor

Emory & Henry College was founded in 1836 and was named after Bishop John Emory, an eminent Methodist church leader, and Patrick Henry, a patriot of the American Revolution and Virginia’s first governor. Both men symbolize the college’s dual emphasis on spiritual growth and civic engagement with the belief of education having a transformative effect on an individual, a community and ultimately the world.

Emory & Henry College offers more than 50 undergraduate degrees with 71 majors, 4 graduate, and 4 professional majors to its approximate 1250 students. Academic opportunities are enriched at Emory & Henry College for students to engage in co-curricular activities including athletics; cultural, political, and social organizations; music theater; and student government.

Emory & Henry College is located in the Highlands of Virginia and enables students to enjoy academic, cultural, galleries, museums, restaurants, shops, and sporting events in close proximity to the main campus. The richness of the culture and diversity empowers the students to engage in inquiry and promote knowledge and critical thinking. Students have an opportunity to become involved in service-learning in the community and abroad.

Emory & Henry College Mission Statement

We affirm the Christian faith as our spiritual and moral heritage and encourage all our members to grow in faith as they grow in knowledge. We believe in the worth of each person’s religious and cultural heritage, inasmuch as that heritage leads to service to others in our region and the larger world.

We affirm the liberal arts as our intellectual foundation and believe that excellence results when everyone actively participates in the educational process. We challenge all persons to confront historical and contemporary ideas and issues to develop the ability to think critically about all areas of human experience.

These traditions provide the context for our pursuit of excellence, as we engage a diverse group of well qualified men and women in educational experiences that lead to lives of service, productive careers, and global citizenship.

(Taken from the Emory & Henry College Academic Catalog https://catalog.ehc.edu/)

Emory & Henry College Vision Statement

Emory & Henry will be a national leader in providing the highest quality liberal arts, graduate, and professional education that combines tradition and innovation as it fulfills our historic commitment to transform lives and to create positive, social change in our region, our nation, and the world.

(Taken from the Emory & Henry College Academic Catalog https://catalog.ehc.edu/)

Emory & Henry College Motto

Macte Virtute – “Increase in Excellence”

Emory Campus

Nestled in the Virginia Highlands, the Emory & Henry central historic campus encompasses 168 pristine acres and is surrounded by an additional 167 undeveloped acres and the village of Emory.

Health Sciences Campus

The School of Nursing (SON) was established as an expansion from the Department of Nursing, as a separate school in 2021. The SON has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program with two tracks; a pre-licensure BSN and a RN-BSN. In 2023, the School of Nursing began a MSN degree with two clinical tracks, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) with a focus on Adult/Gerontology and coursework in Nurse Educator and a Family Nurse Practitioner tracks. Both tracks lead to eligibility for advanced practice licensure. In addition, an accelerated bridge from RN to BSN track, where during the last 12 credit hours if their BSN program, they may apply to a MSN track. If accepted, they may substitute 6.0 undergraduate credit hours (NURS 402 Informatics and NURS 405 Healthcare Policy & Finance) for the corresponding NURS 502 & 505 graduate level courses. Upon graduation, they receive both a BSN & MSN.

The School of Health Sciences was established in 2014 with the goal of preparing compassionate, patient-centered, highly skilled health care professionals who not only provide quality healthcare to their patients, but actively engage in leadership and service opportunities within their professional organizations and communities. The School of Health Sciences has both undergraduate and graduate programs.

• Undergraduate – Exercise Science; Pre-Health
• Graduate – Occupational Therapy (OTD); Physical Therapy (DPT); Physician Assistant (MPAS); and Counseling (CMHC).

Equestrian Center

The 120-acre riding center has indoor and outdoor arenas and a cross-country course suitable for competitions and hands-on training.

Bartlett-Crowe Field Station

Provides education, research, and service opportunities in the Appalachian forest and river ecosystems.

Accreditations

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC)

The baccalaureate degree program in at Emory & Henry College, is accredited by the commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791

Equal Opportunity Policy

Emory & Henry College admits eligible students regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or social class. Each student is given all the rights and privileges to all programs and activities bestowed or made available to students at the college. Emory & Henry College does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or social class in admission, employment, activities, programs or services.

Disability Services

Students who experience some difficulties in their educational pursuits are expected to present documentation or have testing to receive services. Please review the links below.

https://www.ehc.edu/office-student-success/disability-support-services/

https://www.ehc.edu/office-student-success/school-of-health-sciences/

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Emory & Henry College School of Nursing is to educate and prepare nurses to be professional leaders in healthcare in Southwest Virginia and beyond. The nursing curriculum is built with the underpinnings of liberal arts, sciences, and nursing which focus on the nursing process to enhance the pedagogical attainment of nursing knowledge, clinical skills, and devotion to the nursing profession.

School of Nursing Mission Statement

The mission of the School of Nursing is to educate nurses through interprofessional collaboration to strive for excellence, integrating science and care to improve health in our communities and world.

School of Nursing Vision Statement

Preparing nursing leaders who promote excellence, competent, and compassionate care.

School of Nursing Philosophy

Emory & Henry College is coeducational, church-related liberal arts college with a commitment in providing education in a caring environment. The nursing philosophy embodies faculty belief of nursing education and professional practice as recognized through the nursing metaparadigm of person, environment, health, and nursing. The nursing program embraces development of the whole person: ethical, intellectual, moral, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual. The nursing faculty will provide supportive, individualized awareness to assist students to attain learning goals and self-direction in achieving their professional nursing goals and education. Students will be active participants in their learning process through collaborative encounters inter-professionally, intra-professionally, and with the community to provide evidence based, patient-centered nursing care.

Professional education is instrumental in the achievement of a focused, specialized level of knowledge with an emphasis in a discipline through a commitment to ethical, social, and scholarly professional standards. It cultivates the acceptance of accountability for clinical judgement, critical thinking, and decision-making relevant to the level of professional nursing practice. Nursing education fosters students to promote and provide culturally-competent, ethical, evidence-based, and spiritually appropriate patient-centered care to diverse populations in the community.

The knowledge of nursing is procured through aesthetic, empirical, ethical, personal, and social knowing. The environment of education promotes scholarly inquiry and enables students to become knowledgeable to care for individuals throughout the lifespan. The education for preparing baccalaureate professional nursing practice is derived from a program of studies in behavioral and physical sciences, humanities, and nursing sciences. Students in the nursing program will be competent practitioners with a variety of skills, the ability to make sound clinical judgement based on data and current evidence-based practices, as well as develop respect for the intrinsic worth of human beings, contemplate their own personal values and attitudes, and develop a commitment to the profession of nursing and lifelong learning.

Nursing students at the undergraduate baccalaureate level are accountable for their individual learning with the unique potential for advancing the profession of nursing.

Nursing faculty serve as facilitators and mentors in the students’ quest of inquiry and knowledge in the learning environment. Nursing faculty exhibit behaviors of professionalism as a reflection of the ethical and legal commitment to the scope and standards of nursing practice.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for the Emory & Henry College School of Nursing is based on the nursing metaparadigm concepts of person, health, environment, and nursing. The definition of metaparadigm is “The concepts that identify the phenomena of central interest to a discipline; the propositions that describe these concepts and their relationships to each other” (Farlex & Partners, 2009)

The four concepts of the metaparadigm provide a holistic view to concentrate on the whole person, the health and welfare of the person, the internal and external environment, and the obligation of the nurse to the person.

Concepts:

Person – The person is regarded as an individual to be treated with dignity, respect, nurtured and valued to maintain the right to make informed decisions concerning their health and well-being. The structure of care encompasses the physical, cultural, mental, social, and spiritual needs of the person.

Health – The health of the person evolves throughout the lifespan. Health is viewed to comprise the physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social, intellectual, and spiritual wellness of the person. Consideration of these areas is optimal for the benefits and welfare in the outcomes for the person.

Environment – The environment is viewed as the physical space and surroundings which have an impact on the person and can be affected internally and externally. Factors which can influence the environment may include culture, interpersonal relationships, social status, educational level, socioeconomic status, geographical setting, genetics, immune function, and politics, to name a few.

Nursing – The nursing component focuses on the values of service and what the nurse does in providing care for the individual to promote optimal health outcomes. This involves the development of a relationship with the person, providing a safe and caring environment, determining evidence-based nursing interventions and actions for the provision of care. This is accomplished through the skills, knowledge, communication and collaborations, professional judgment and decision-making, critical thinking skills, and the use of technology which is acquired through education and practice.

At the completion of the baccalaureate program the student will demonstrate the following:

1. Apply knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to professional nursing practice.
2. Analyze and apply evidence from research and other information sources as a basis for nursing practice.
3. Apply knowledge and skills in using information systems and a range of patient-care technologies to facilitate delivery of safe, quality patient care.
4. Advocate for financial and regulatory healthcare policies, processes, and environments that improve the nature and functioning of the healthcare delivery system and nursing practice.
5. Collaborate and communicate effectively with healthcare professionals to promote positive working relationships, improve patient health outcomes, and deliver safe, quality patient care.
6. Apply knowledge and skills of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement and patient safety in promoting safe, quality care for diverse patients across healthcare systems and environments.
7. Assess factors that influence health and apply culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention to diverse individuals and populations.
8. Demonstrate consistent application of nursing’s professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.
9. Integrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of baccalaureate prepared nurses to provide professional nursing care to diverse patients and populations across the lifespan, healthcare settings, and healthcare environments.

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Nursing, the graduate will be able to:

1. Use interprofessional and organizational communication and relationship-building skills to create and lead highly functioning, reliable, and healthy teams.
2. Demonstrate competence in advanced roles (FNP/CNS)-Nurse Educator).
3. Analyze technologies to support safe practice environments and to optimize patient safety, cost-effectiveness, and health outcomes.
4. Analyze how polices influence the structure and financing of healthcare, practice, and health outcomes.
5. Employ ethical principles to decision-making in healthcare practices and systems.
6. Use information systems to design, select, and evaluate programs of care, healthcare systems, and health outcomes.
7. Integrate outcome data, evidence-based practice recommendations, and professional standards of care to improve population health outcomes.
8. Critically analyze healthcare policies to influence and educate policymakers and stakeholders.
9. Promote health by incorporating trauma informed care and identifying Social Determinants of Health and populations at increased risk particularly rural/underserved.

SLOs Mapped to PNSG and AACN 2008 Essentials
BSN Program SLOs	QSEN Competencies (2020)	Baccalaureate Essentials (AACN, 2008)
At the completion of the baccalaureate program the student will demonstrate the following: 1.Apply knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to professional nursing practice.	Patient-centered care Evidence-based care	I. Liberal Education for Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice III. Scholarship for Evidence- Based Practice
2. Analyze and apply evidence from research and other information sources as a basis for nursing practice.	Patient-centered care Quality Improvement Safety	III. Scholarship for Evidence- Based Practice
3. Apply knowledge and skills in using information systems and a range of patient-care technologies to facilitate delivery of safe, quality patient care.	Patient-centered care Teamwork/collaboration Evidence-based practice Informatics	II. Basic Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care and Patient Safety IV. Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology
4. Advocate for financial and regulatory healthcare policies, processes, and environments that improve the nature and functioning of the healthcare delivery system and nursing practice.	Patient-centered care Teamwork/collaboration Evidence-based practice Safety	IV. Information Management and Application of Patient Care Technology V. Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments
5.Collaborate and communicate effectively with healthcare professionals to promote positive working relationships, improve patient health outcomes, and deliver safe, quality patient care.	Patient-centered care Teamwork/collaboration	VI. Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes VIII. Professionalism and Professional Values
6. Apply knowledge and skills of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement and patient safety in promoting safe, high-quality care for diverse patients across healthcare systems and environments.	Safety Patient-centered care Teamwork/collaboration	VI. Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes IX. Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice
7. Assess factors that influence health and apply culturally appropriate health promotion and disease prevention to diverse individuals and populations.	Patient-centered care	VII. Clinical Prevention and Population Health
8.Demonstrate consistent application of nursing’s professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct.	Patient-centered care Safety	VIII. Professionalism and Professional Values

 

Quality and Safety in Education Nursing (QSEN) Pre-licensure

QSEN Competencies: patient-centered care, teamwork/collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics. Patient-centered care : Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs. Teamwork and collaboration : Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. Evidence-based practice: Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care. Quality improvement: Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems. Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. Informatics: Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.

DEI&B Statement

Emory and Henry School of Nursing emphasizes the power of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging to establish high-quality, safe, professional, and individualized clinical excellence for the provision of healthcare and the learning environment. Emory and Henry’s School of Nursing understands, values, and represents DEIB components that make our students, patients, colleagues, and faculty unique. The School of Nursing is committed to fostering an inclusive environment, including those from various religion, nationality, race, color, age, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Emory and Henry School of Nursing supports training and collaboration to promote DEIB awareness and activities throughout the various program offerings. Nursing faculty ensures that the curriculum prepares students to address the social determinants of health for all people within their clinical practice experiences. In short, we endeavor to create an environment that welcomes you as you are and that allows you to be open in appropriately sharing more about yourself.

Admission Requirements

All students must meet the following criteria:

Pre-Licensure BSN Program Traditional BSN (TBSN)

• Be a current student at Emory & Henry College and have completed or in the process of completing the pre-requisite courses.
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0

TBSN Curriculum
Number	Course Name	Credit Hours
	FALL 1
BIO/CHEM 100	(If needed)*	3
ENGL 101	Writing	3
CORE 100		3
SPAN 105	Medical & Healthcare Spanish I	4
PSYCH 102	Intro to Psych	3
		16
	SPRING 1
BIOL 120	A & P I	4
PSYCH 231	Developmental Psych (CORE 200)	3
CHEM 125	Introduction to Chemistry	3
SPAN 106	Medical & Healthcare Spanish II	4
		14
	SUMMER 1
	FALL 2
BIOL 121	A & P II	4
CORE 103	Lifetime Wellness	1
NURS 206	Global Issues in Healthcare (CORE 300)	3
BIOL 232	Microbiology & Lab	4
		12
	SPRING 2
NURS 400	Pathophysiology	3
NURS 203	Fundamentals in Nursing	5
NURS 401	Health Assessment	3
STAT 163	Introduction Stats for Behavioral Sciences	4
		15
	SUMMER 2
NURS 204	Healthcare of the Older Adult	5
NURS 302	Pharmacology I	3
		8
	FALL 3
NURS 300	Nursing Ethics	3
NURS 304	Medical-Surgical Nursing I	5
NURS 305	Psychiatric Nursing	5
NURS 402	Informatics & Technology	3
		16
	SPRING 3
NURS 303	Pharmacology II	3
NURS 306	Maternal Child & Women’s Health	5
NURS 307	Pediatric Nursing	5
NURS 403	Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research	3
		16
	SUMMER 3
	FALL 4
NURS 409	Medical-Surgical Nursing II	5
NURS 411	Population & Rural Health Nursing	3
NURS 412	Population & Rural Health Nursing	2
NURS 405	Healthcare Policy & Finance	3
		13
	SPRING 4
ART	(creative arts requirement)	3
CORE 300	(second CORE 300 in lieu of study abroad)	3
NURS 413	Professional Leadership Capstone	5
HHP/HHP	Recreation Course (2)	1
RELG 1XX	Religion	3
		15
	Total	122-125

The Nursing program is 122 credit hours. Admission to Emory & Henry College as a freshmen or pre-nursing student does not guarantee admission to the nursing major until all criteria have been met. Through the early assurance program, qualified applicants may qualify for a guaranteed admission to the nursing program and enroll as “pre-nursing” students if they maintain 3.0 GPA, a “C” or better in their science coursework, and a score of 65% or higher on Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). To meet the requirements of early assurance, applicants need a minimum high school GPA of 3.3, SAT >1150; or ACT >25. In addition, applicants would require an interview as a part of the application evaluation. SON faculty would determine admission to this early assurance program. The SON would continue the annual fall application process for other students wishing to be accepted into the nursing program. Admission into the pre-licensure BSN program occurs yearly and is competitive. Students start Nursing courses in the Spring of year two after meeting the following admission criteria.

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Score of 65% or higher on Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) within the last two years
• Submission of the BSN Program application (due October 1 for consideration of spring admission into major).
• Interview with SON faculty
• Submission of signed Technical Standards form
• Current American Health Association (AHA) CPR Healthcare provider certification
• Criminal background check, Drug Screen, Immunizations
• Completion of, or current enrollment in, the required nursing prerequisite course must be completed prior to the start of spring semester BSN courses:
  • BIOL/CHEM 100* Introduction to Biology (3)
    • It is possible to be exempt from the BIOL 100 requirement if:
      • You have taken AP Biology and scored a 3 or higher on the AP exam, or
      • You have a 1200 SAT or 25 ACT and a GPA of greater than 3.3, or
      • GPA of 3.3 or higher and have successfully completed other AP exams (3 or higher) in Science and/or Math and feel confident in science knowledge
  • BIOL 120 Anatomy & Physiology I (4)
  • BIOL 121 Anatomy & Physiology II (4)
  • BIOL 232 General Microbiology (4)
  • CHEM 125 Introduction to Chemistry (3) or CHEM 111 (4)
  • PSYC 102 Introduction to Psychology (3)
  • PSYC 231 Lifespan Development (3)

After Admission Requirements

After admission to the Nursing program but before students can enroll in courses, students must complete the compliance requirements via the current SON credentialing vendor (see instructions below).

The School of Nursing utilizes ATI™ to support student learning and success. ATI™ Content Mastery Series (CMS) and/or Concept-Based Curriculum (CBC) assessment scores account for 10% or less of a student’s course grade. The comprehensive ATI review program offers the following to students:

• A comprehensive, assessment-driven review program designed to enhance student NCLEX® success.
• Multiple assessment and remediation activities. These include assessment indicators for academic success, critical thinking ability, and learning styles. Additionally, online tutorials, online practice assessments, and proctored assessments are provided and span major content areas in nursing. These ATI tools, in combination with the nursing program content, assist students to prepare effectively, helping to increase their confidence and familiarity with nursing content.
• ATI Orientation resources, such as ATI Plan, which may be accessed from “My ATI” tab. It is highly recommended that you spend time navigating through these orientation materials.

REVIEW MODULES/E-BOOKS ATI provides Review Modules in eBook formats that include written and video materials in key content areas. Students are encouraged to use these modules to supplement course work and reading. Instructors may assign chapter reading either during a given course and/or as part of active learning/remediation following assessments.

TUTORIALS TO SUPPORT ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION PROCESS ATI offers unique tutorials that are designed to teach nursing students how to think like a nurse, how to take a nursing assessment, and how to make sound clinical decisions. ATI is committed to increasing student confidence by providing students with experience answering NCLEX-style questions in a variety of quizzing formats.

ASSESSMENTS The Content Mastery Series Assessments (CMS) provide essential data regarding a student’s mastery of concepts in relation to specific nursing content areas, including a series of Targeted Medical Surgical assessments that address the individual body systems to provide formative evaluation of content prior to the final Medical-Surgical course. There are practice assessments available for students as well as standardized proctored assessments that may be scheduled during courses. These assessments will help students identify what they know, in addition to areas requiring remediation (called Topics to Review). All TBSN (pre-license RN) students are required to sign the ATI™ policy before enrolling in nursing courses.

Post-Licensure RN-BSN Program

• Consideration for this program requires students to apply and receive acceptance into E&H College and Post-Licensure RN-BSN program.
• Be a graduate* of an accredited Associate Degree of Nursing program or Diploma school.
  *Emory & Henry College has Concurrent Admission Agreements with several community colleges to provide a transfer pathway for students to earn four-year degrees. Students who are concurrently admitted to E&H, may take RN-BSN coursework while completing their Associates Degree.
• Hold a current unencumbered RN license in the state which they practice. Upon application to the nursing program, each student provides proof of current, unencumbered, unrestricted and valid licensure (RN and/or APRN) in the state(s) in which they plan to complete their practicum courses. If at any point during the program a student’s license (RN and/or APRN) becomes encumbered or restricted, the student is obligated to inform the Program Director and Dean of the School of Nursing immediately. Under no circumstances will a student with an encumbered or restricted license be permitted to enroll in a course with a practicum component. Failure to report an encumbered or restricted license to the Program Director and Dean will result in dismissal from the nursing program. An active registered nurse advanced practice credential (if applicable) in the state (jurisdiction) where employment and/or clinical practice will be completed shall be maintained while in the nursing program.
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended.
• For entry into the program, a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher is required. A GPA of 3.0 is to be maintained in nursing courses throughout the program. Applicants who do not meet the admissions requirements may apply for conditional admission consideration.
• Complete clinical clearance requirements 30 days after admission and prior to starting any clinical experience.

Clinical Clearance/Credentialing

Students are required to purchase a credentialing packet, complete and submit the following via the current credentialing vendor:

• Background Check – This is a criminal background check and is essential for our clinical placements.
• 12-Panel Drug Test – Tests for Cocaine; Marijuana; PCP; Amphetamines; Opiates; Benzodiazepines; Barbiturates; Methadone; Propoxyphene; Quaaludes; Ecstasy/MDA; and Oxycodone/Percocet.
• eLearning – Annual required training
• Vaccinations, CPR training, and insurance evidence required – listed in table below

Requirement	Documentation
Measles(Rubeola), Mumps, & Rubella (MMR)	2 vaccinations OR
	Positive antibody titers for all 3 components (lab report of physician verification required)
Varicella (Chicken Pox)	2 vaccinations OR
	Positive antibody titers for all 3 components (lab report of physician verification required) OR
	Medically documented history of disease
Hepatitis B	3 vaccinations OR
	Positive antibody titer (lab report or physician verification required) OR
	Declination waiver (must be signed by healthcare provider and by you, the student)
Tuberculosis (TB)	Negative 2-step TB skin test completed within the past 12 months OR
	If positive results, submit documentation of a clear chest X-Ray completed within the past 3 years.
	Renewal will be set for 1 year for negative tests, and 3 years for positive tests.
	Upon renewal, one of the following is required:
	Indiviual TB Risk Assessment for Health Care Personnel showing no risk OR
	If previous positive results, submit an updated clear chest X-Ray.
Covid 19	Submit documentation of your COVID-19 vaccination(s).
	If you received the 2 dose vaccine series, BOTH doses must be submitted at the same time for approval.
	Documentation must include type of vaccine/manufacturer and lot number for approval.
Tetanus, Diphtheria, & Pertussis (Tdap) OR Tetanus & Diphtheria (Td)	One of the following vaccinations completed within the past 10 years is required:
	Tetanus, Diphtheria, & Pertussis (Tdap) OR
	Tetanus & Diphtheria (Td)
Influenza (Flu)	One of the following is required:
	Documentation of a flu vaccine administered during the current flu season (August - May) OR
	Declination waiver (must be signed by healthcare provider and by you, the student)
	Renewal will be set for 1 year from vaccine or declination date.
CPR Certification	Submit your current CPR certification. Must be American Heart Association BLS Provider course.
	The front AND back of the card must be submitted at the same time and the “Holder’s Signature” line on the back of the card must be signed.
	eCards are also acceptable and do not need to be signed.
	The renewal date will be set based on the expiration of your certification.
Health Insurance	Upload a copy of your current health insurance card OR proof of coverage to this requirement.

RN-BSN Curriculum*Full-Time (1 year - 3 semester option)

Fall 1	Spring 1	Summer 1
NURS 206 Global Issues in Healthcare (3) CORE 300	NURS 401 Health Assessment (3)	NURS 407 RN-BSN Capstone (3)
NURS 402 Informatics & Technology (3)	NURS 400 Pathophysiology (3) (Elective)	NURS 300 Nursing Ethics (3)
NURS 405 Healthcare Policy & Finance (3)	NURS 403 Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research (3)
NURS 411 Population & Rural Health Nursing (3)	NURS 404 Leadership & Management in Nursing** (3)
NURS 412 Population & Rural Health Nursing Clinical Practicum (1)
(13)	(9-12)	(6)
		Total Nursing Credit Hours (28-31)

RN-BSN Curriculum* Part-Time (2 year – 6 semesters)

Fall 1	Spring 1	Summer 1
NURS 206 Global Issues in Healthcare (3) CORE 300	NURS 401 Health Assessment (3)	NURS 300 Nursing Ethics (3)
NURS 402 Informatics & Technology (3)	NURS 400 Pathophysiology (3) (Elective)
(6)	(3-6)	(3)
Fall 2	Spring 2	Summer 2
NURS 405 Healthcare Policy & Finance (3)	NURS 403 Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research (3)	NURS 407 RN-BSN Capstone (2)
NURS 411 Population & Rural Health Nursing (3)	NURS 404 Leadership & Management in Nursing (3)
NURS 412 Population & Rural Health Nursing Clinical Practicum (1)
(7)	(6)	(3)
		Total Credit Hours (28-31)

*Nursing courses – does not include general education courses ** Clinical Practicum courses

Sample Course of Study

Fall 1	Spring 1	Summer 1
NURS 206 Global Issues in Healthcare (3) CORE 300	NURS 401 Health Assessment for the RN (3)	NURS 300 Nursing Ethics (3)
NURS 402 Informatics & Technology (3)	NURS 400 Pathophysiology (3) (Elective)	Lifetime wellness (1)
SPAN 105 Medical Spanish I or Language (4)	SPAN 106 Medical Spanish II or Language (4)	Core Religion, Arts or Humanities (3)
	STATS 163 Into to Stats for Behavioral Health (4)
(10)	(11-14)	(7)
		Total (28-31)
Fall 2	Spring 2	Summer 2
NURS 405 Healthcare Policy & Finance (3)	NURS 403 Evidence-Based Practice & Nursing Research (3)	NURS 407 RN-BSN Capstone (3)
Core Religion, Arts or Humanities (3)	NURS 404 Leadership & Management in Nursing (3)	HHP 1XX Activity/Recreation Course (0.5)
NURS 411 Population & Rural Health Nursing (3)	Core Religion, Arts or Humanities (3)	HHP 1XX Activity/Recreation Course (0.5)
NURS 412 Population & Rural Health Nursing Clinical Practicum (1)	Elective (3)
(10)	(12)	(4)
		Total (26)
		Total Credit Hours (54-57)

• Students may transfer in up to 75 credits – 39 credits from Diploma or ADN nursing courses
• A total of 120 credit hours are required for BSN degree if all general education hours are met.

NO STUDENT MAY START CLINICALS WITHOUT CLEARANCE FROM COURSE FACULTY VIA OUR CREDENTIALING VENDOR.

 

SON Grading Scale

A+ =100	B+ = 85-89	C+ = 75-76	D = 65-68
A = 95-99	B* = 80-84	C = 72-74	F = 64/below
A- = 90-94	B- = 77-79	C- = 69 -71

*(minimum passing grade for nursing)

TBSN Graduation Requirements in addition to E&H College Requirements

1. Grade of B (80%) or better in all nursing courses.
2. Completion of 122 semester hours and all required courses.

RN to BSN Graduation Requirements

Academic graduation requirements include the following:

1. Completion of 120 semester hours and all required courses. RNs must successfully complete both the general education and required nursing courses. Elective hours make up the remaining hours needed to graduate.
2. Grade of B (80%) or better in all nursing courses.
3. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher for all courses taken at Emory & Henry College.

Progression, Retention, Dismissal Guidelines for TBSN and RN-BSN Students

All Nursing students must maintain the required 80% (B) average in nursing courses.

If a student fails (“F”) a nursing course, they will be dismissed from the nursing program. If a student does not successfully pass a nursing course with an 80% or above, they will be allowed to retake the course one time. A second failure (79% or below) of any subsequent nursing course will result in dismissal from the nursing program. If a student fails a Pass/Fail portion of the course, the maximum grade that can be obtained will be 79%. The student will be required to repeat the course.

First time students in the nursing course will be given precedence over a student repeating the course. If there is a second failure of the same nursing course*, the student will be dismissed from the nursing program.

*If repeating the same nursing course – student’s submission of the same work, from the previous attempt, will not be acceptable.

Pursuant to VA BON 54.1-3007 A student will receive a failing “F” clinical and didactic course grade and be dismissed from the program for any of the following:

• Fraud or deceit in procuring or attempting to procure a license, certificate, or registration;
• Unprofessional conduct;
• Willful or repeated violation of any of the provisions of this chapter;
• Conviction of any felony or any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude;
• Practicing in a manner contrary to the standards of ethics or in such a manner as to make his practice a danger to the health and welfare of patients or to the public;
• Use of alcohol or drugs to the extent that such use renders him unsafe to practice, or any mental or physical illness rendering him unsafe to practice;
• The denial, revocation, suspension or restriction of a license, certificate, registration, or multistate licensure privilege to practice in another state, the District of Columbia or a United States possession or territory; or
• Abuse, negligent practice, or misappropriation of a patient’s or resident’s property.

Summer Credit Hour Policy

Students enrolled in the nursing program may only register for a total of 8.0 credit hours during the summer term(s). Students who wish to enroll in more than 8.0 credit hours during the summer must receive permission from their nursing advisor.

Withdrawal from a Class, Withdrawal from Emory & Henry College, Leave of Absence

The School of Nursing follows the withdrawal and leave absence policies of Emory & Henry College.

The policy for withdrawal from a class can be found at:

Academic Catalog

The policy for withdrawal from Emory & Henry College can be found at:

Academic Catalog

The policy for requesting a leave of absence can be found at:

Academic Catalog

Technical Standards for Admission, Progression, and Graduation

The goal of Emory & Henry College Nursing program is to enable every student to prepare to critically think and be competent and compassionate nurses in a changing healthcare environment. The endeavors of the program are to enhance nursing knowledge, practice, and professional integrity to develop improved health outcomes for patients, families, and communities in the continuum of care.

The student must be independently able to meet the technical standards of essential attributes of (1) physical attributes; (2) intellectual attributes; (3) interpersonal attributes; and (4) performance attributes. If the student is unable to meet these technical standards, with or without equitable accommodation, the student will be unable to complete the program and will be advised/counseled accordingly. [See Technical Standards and Essential Functions]

Required Citation Format

All written assignments must be in APA format of writing style. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition will be followed. APA referencing format for electronic resources can be accessed through the American Psychological Association website – www.apa.org

Confidentiality of Coursework

The communication of information in face-to-face or online courses which are based on personal or work-related experiences adheres to the policies and guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Students are expected to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of patients, peers, family, or agency/institution by not disclosing information outside of courses. If needed to express some detailed information, anonymity should be maintained with the use of an alias or initials. For more information on these laws, please refer to the following websites:

FERPA – https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/?src=fpco

HIPAA - https://www.hipaa.com/

Student Exam Taking Policy

1. Students must present a government issued ID or E&H ID to enter the testing site.
2. Students are not allowed any of the following in the testing area (it is also at the discretion of the proctor if a student needs to remove/leave other items).
   1. Electronic devices such as smart phones, watches (if the exam is via computer or iPad this will be the only exception).
   2. No sunglasses (eyes must be easily visible through the lens).
   3. No hoodies (sweatshirts without hoods are acceptable).
   4. No coats/jackets.
   5. No food, drink, or gum
   6. No hats, no toboggans/beanies.
   7. At the exam proctor’s discretion, the proctor may ask the student to remove jewelry (for example, large piece of jewelry).
3. Allowed in testing area.
   1. Small whiteboard.
   2. 1-2 dry erase markers.
   3. Whiteboard eraser.
   4. Students will enter the room with a clean whiteboard and will erase and show the white board to the proctor prior to exiting the test area.
   5. Soft ear plugs are allowed; electronic type ear plugs are not allowed.
   6. Small stress/anxiety relieving devices, such as a stress ball, will be permitted in the testing area only after inspection and approval by faculty.
   7. At the course faculty’s discretion, students may be instructed for specific tests if other items are allowed in the test area.
4. Upon entry into the testing area students will place all personal belongings at the front of the class, ensuring that all electronic devices are in the off position.
5. Students will separate with a minimum of two seats between each other, if this is not an option the exam proctor will instruct on seating arrangements.
6. The only questions that may be asked during the exam are if a technical issue arises.
   1. It the student has a technical issue; he/she will raise their hand to signal the proctor for assistance.
   2. It is the student’s responsibility prior to the exam to ensure that they have a fully charged computer (bring their adapter/charger keeping in mind that outlets might be limited), have downloaded and tested that the SafeExam Browser is on their iPad/computer).
7. Upon completion of the exam, students are to exit the testing area immediately and are not to gather their belongings.
8. Prior to the exam start, the proctor will inform the students when they are to return to the classroom.
9. Students should not congregate outside of the testing room.
10. Students will not disclose or discuss information about the items or answers seen on the exam/test/quiz unless it is during a formal test review with the course faculty. This includes posting or discussing any content or elements of the course.
11. Students may not copy or reconstruct exam items during or following the exam for any reason.
12. Students may not seek help from any other party or source in answering items (in person, via phone, text, or other means).
13. Upon return to the class, students should refrain from asking the instructor about any elements of the exam.
14. Students should understand and respect the faculty need time for to review the exam results so an analysis of the exam can take place.
15. For excused missed exams, the course faculty will notify the student of the alternative exam makeup date/time. During this time, students are not to reach out to peers or other sources regarding the exam.
    1. Excused emergent/urgent situations may include but are not limited to student illness (with medical documentation), serious illness or hospitalization, military or jury duty obligation, natural disaster, death, or severe injury of an immediate family member), or absence related to Emory & Henry College COVID policy.
    2. If a student has a conflict with scheduled exam, the student may request the course faculty schedule an alternative testing date. The request must be made 10 business days before the scheduled exam. If the faculty approves, the alternate test must be scheduled before the scheduled exam date.
16. For a timed exam/test/quiz, it is the student’s responsibility to remain aware of the remaining time as extended time will not be given and unanswered questions on the exam will receive zero/0 points.
17. On a paper/pencil exam or (e.g., a scantron exam), the student’s answers on completion of the exam will stand as is (e.g., unanswered question(s), answered out of order).
18. It is the expectation of the student to read the exam instructions prior to the start of each exam.
19. After the course faculty completes the exam review and posts finalized grades for the exam/test/quiz, a student who wishes to challenge a question (item) on an exam/test/quiz should email the faculty to request a one-on-one meeting to discuss. The expectation is the student is to bring evidence-based documentation to support the rationale. This emailed request from the student must be within 10 business days of the released final grade for the exam/test/quiz. Requests after 10 business days will not be eligible for consideration and the grade will remain as is. Students need to email the faculty (in classes with more than one instructor, all are to be on the email) to request a meeting. After and/or during the meeting to discuss an exam/test/quiz question, the faculty will inform the student if the grade stands as is or if the supporting rationale deems further consideration such as will be taken as a correct option/answer.

Dosage and Calculation Exam Policy

Students are required to pass a dosage and calculation exam with 80%. Preparation prior to the proctored dosage and calculation exam will include a practice exam. Students who do not pass the dosage and calculation exam on the first attempt will be required to complete remediation and then repeat a dosage and calculation exam, and must achieve 80% on the exam (Max attempts for exam = 2 total attempts). Successfully passing the dosage and calculation exam is not a component of course letter grade, but is pass/fail, and is required to advance to the next clinical course. Passage of the dosage and calculation exam is required to pass the course and proceed in the nursing program. If the student does not pass the dosage and calculation exam, they will receive a “C” for the course letter grade.

Course Attendance

The Nursing program(s) are rigorous with expectations of students being accountable and responsible for their learning. Students are expected to be present and on time for each class and clinical session. Online courses will have specific requirements for participation.

Hybrid courses will require some face-to-face sessions along with online participation. The attendance requirements of each course will be addressed in the course syllabi.

It is understood illness and emergencies arise, which may result in the need to be late or miss a class. Unless it is an unexpected emergency, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor PRIOR to the class meeting time and obtain missed course lectures and/or assignments. If no contact is made notifying faculty of such circumstances, this will be an unexcused absence. The faculty may request documentation, such as an excuse from a healthcare provider. Two unexcused absences can result in unintentional withdrawal and/or failure of the course. Excessive absences can result in failure of the course and possible termination from the nursing program.

Policies and Procedures for Student Grievances/Appeals

Emory & Henry College staff and faculty strive to provide each student with positive educational experiences. The E&H College student complaint policy may be found at Academic Code and Procedures for Due Process . Students are encouraged to take problems and recommended solutions directly to the Course Faculty. If resolution is not achieved at the level of the Course Faculty, the student should consult his/her Program Director. If the problem or solution has a larger scope or if resolution cannot be achieved at the level of the Program Director or if the issue directly involves the Program Director, students are encouraged to meet with the E&H Dean of Nursing.

Grade Appeals Process

Students have the right to know the final course grade he or she has earned, the right to know the grading systems of the Faculty, and the right to know the grades they are given during the semester. This grading system should be included in the course syllabus.

If a student chooses to appeal the final course grade, the student must inform the Dean of the School of Nursing, in writing no later than 10 business days into the subsequent term, requesting that the appeal be addressed by the SON Committee (SONC).

1. The SON Dean will determine if the SONC should be activated and notify the committee.
2. The SON Dean will select a date for the committee to meet and inform the SONC, and the student.
3. When activated by the SON Dean, the SONC will meet within ten (10) business days to consider the appeal.
4. In considering the appeal, the SONC will review all relevant information and may select to interview all involved parties deemed relevant to the appeal.
5. Although not obligated, the student filing the appeal will have the opportunity to present their ‘case’ to the SONC.
6. Every attempt will be made to select a date and time that does not interfere with the student’s academic activities.
7. The student cannot request a different date or time for the meeting than that selected by the SONC.
8. The student cannot be accompanied by anyone at the hearing, including, but not limited to legal counsel.
9. Under no circumstances is the student permitted to electronically record any part of the meeting.
10. The SONC will have three (3) business days from the date of the committee meeting to make its decision and notify the student.
11. Depending on the issues leading to the deceleration or dismissal decision, and at the discretion of the Program Director and in consideration of recommendations from the faculty, students may or may not be permitted to continue in their academic studies pending the appeal decision.
12. If a student is not satisfied with the SONC’s decision, they may appeal to the Dean of the School of Nursing and Provost. Academic Code and Procedures for Due Process | Emory & Henry College (ehc.edu)

Student Academic Grievance Procedure

A grievance is a complaint made in writing to an administrative officer of the College concerning an academic decision made by a person or group of persons acting in an official College capacity that directly and adversely affects the student. The purpose of grievance procedures is to obtain an independent review of the allegedly improper academic decision. This procedure does not include the grade appeals, or matters of discrimination or harassment, which are addressed by separate procedures. Professional nursing grievances, including program dismissal will be reviewed by the SONC. The SONC will follow the Grade Appeals procedure in evaluating grievances. College student complaint policies and procedures can be found under College Policies at:

Academic Catalog

Professional Conduct

Each individual student is required to conduct themselves in a non-disruptive, respectful manner conducive for learning and engaging within the academic and clinical environments. Unprofessional behavior or potentially injurious actions to self, patients, or others will result in being asked to leave the setting immediately and can result in course or clinical failure. Such circumstances can include, but are not limited to, unprofessional appearance, not being prepared for class or clinical, and tardiness.

Incivility

Incivility toward peers, faulty, patients or healthcare professionals will not be acceptable behavior. The American Nurses Association (ANA, 2015) describes the behaviors of incivility as a “form of rude and discourteous actions, of gossiping and spreading rumors, and refusing to assist a coworker; name-calling, using a condescending tone, and expressing public criticism” (p. 3).

Bullying

Bullying toward peers, faculty, patients or other healthcare workers will not be tolerated. The ANA defined bullying as “repeated, unwanted harmful actions intended to humiliate, offend, and cause distress in the recipient. Bullying actions include those that harm, undermine, and degrade” (p. 3). Behaviors of bullying can be intimidation, insults, verbal aggression or attacks, hostile comments in the presence of the victim or others or through cyber media.

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ANA (2015). Position Statement: Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence. pp. 1-29.

Academic Honesty in Nursing

The nursing profession expects a nurse to demonstrate ethical behaviors and personal integrity at a high level consistent with the Christian worldview as viewed by Emory & Henry College, School of Nursing, the BSN and MSN Nursing Programs. Academic honesty is an essential component of ethical behavior and personal integrity and is required of all students completing nursing education at Emory & Henry College and entering professional practice. Faculty may use tools to detect plagiarism, such as GoogleTM, GrammarlyTM, TurnitinTM, or SafeAssignTM, to advance academic integrity and to identify student knowledge gaps. Students are encouraged to use these resources to check their work for plagiarism, and identify opportunities for learning related to paraphrasing, citations, references.

“Large language model generative artificial intelligence (generative AI) tools, such as ChatGPT and others, have recently emerged and become available for wide use. While generative AI tools can offer inspiration and new possibilities, they should not be seen as unacknowledged substitutes for the content created by students in their courses.” (UT at Austin)

Examples of adverse academic integrity (list is not all inclusive):

Cheating

1. Obtaining or giving assistance on assignments, tests, quizzes or other program related situations.
2. Eradicating and/or copying questions on exams or quizzes.
3. Unapproved collaboration on academic activities or assignments with fellow students.

Plagiarism

1. Verbatim replication of an author or another person’s work without recognition for citation.
2. Appropriating ideas from someone else and indicating them as your ideas.
3. Preparation of academic work is completed by another person or organization.

Fabrication

1. Misrepresenting and concoction of citations, data, or information.
2. Falsification or modifying documentation in the clinical setting.
3. Altering academic records documentation.

Course and clinical faculty will address all academic honesty violations with consideration of the evidence to determine the appropriate sanctions.

Sanctions are:

1. First infraction
   1. On the course assignment suspected, a grade of zero (0) or “F”; OR
   2. A course grade of “F”, OR
   3. Dismissal from the program.
2. Second infraction
   1. Immediate program dismissal, AND
   2. No readmission eligibility.

Academic honesty violations and sanction(s) imposed will be sent to the Dean of the School of Nursing and the Office of the Provost. Further sanctions may be imposed if warranted. The student has the right to appeal the sanction according to the Student Handbook guidelines. Documentation will be thorough regarding the incident and disciplinary action and sanctions placed in the academic student file.

Absentee Policy

The E&H College School of Nursing Program does not have free absences for classroom, online or clinical instruction. It is understood circumstances occur and are unpredictable. Students are responsible for contacting the instructor or clinical faculty at a minimum of 30 minutes prior to class or clinical if they are to be absent and the reason for the absence. It is not acceptable to ask a classmate to notify the instructor of YOUR absence and this will be considered an unexcused absence. You must complete all the required clinical hours to pass the course, and progress in the program.

Excused absences are determined by the following circumstances and at the discretion of the course or clinical faculty:

1. Illness with a required healthcare provider’s excuse.
2. Death in the family.
3. Attendance for a school sponsored event (i.e., sporting event or competition, professional conference or presentation, etc.).

Unexcused absences are determined by the following circumstances and at the discretion of the course or clinical faculty:

1. Not in class and has not contacted the faculty (even when sick and forgot to call).
2. Leaves class after test or when there is a break.
3. Leave class or show up late for class due to an appointment without prior arrangements made with the faculty.
4. Tardy to class three times.

Absenteeism is unacceptable behavior and can result in consequences set forth by the course faculty, which may include a decrease in the grade or failure of the course.

Tardiness Policy for Class or Clinical

Students are to be responsible and accountable in their behaviors. Students are expected to be present for class and clinical on time. To ensure being on time, plan to arrive early to class and clinical. Being late to class will result in receiving a tardy and three tardy episodes will result in an unexcused absence.

Clinical tardiness will NOT be tolerated. The first occurrence may result in the student being given a warning verbally and in writing. If there is a second occurrence, the student will be sent home and an unexcused absence will be given with written documentation placed in the student’s file. A third incident of tardiness to clinical will result in clinical failure for the semester and the student will have to retake the course per progression policy above.

Classroom Etiquette

Nursing students are preparing to enter a profusion which requires knowledge and skill. Students are expected to demonstrate professionalism in the classroom and clinical settings as stated in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses. The additional expectations and guidelines are to be demonstrated in the classroom:

1. Be prompt and on time for class and ready for participation.
2. Be polite to peers and faculty.
3. Show respect to peers and faculty during lectures and discussions.
4. Turn off cell phones during class with exception of circumstances of emergency and the need to inform the instructor prior to the start of class.
5. Students should avoid scheduling appointments or work time on any scheduled class or clinical day.
6. Personal computers or tablets may be used during class for course specific activities.
7. Do not engage in personal emailing, Instant Messaging, or being on any social media during class time. If this occurs, you will be asked to leave class and participation points will be deducted.

Cell Phone Policy

Because they create distractions and disrupt regular work routines, the use of personally-owned communication devices such as cell phones is prohibited during class or clinical.

Please keep your devices secure, but not on your person, while performing clinical duties. You may use your phones and other devices during breaks and meal times in areas away from the general public. Use of cell phones for unauthorized purposes will result in the following:

1. Use of the cell phone during or leaving the classroom to answer the call will result in the student being asked to leave class for the day and will result in an unexcused absence.
2. Clinical sites have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for cell phone use. A clinical failure will be given if violation of this policy occurs.

Netiquette

Misconduct in courses can create feelings of annoyance and frustration with the impact felt by the instructor and fellow classmates. This behavior may cross the line into academic dishonesty and may be treated similarly to cheating or plagiarizing. These guidelines for learners are warranted and require students to take them seriously to avoid a negative impact on their success in the course and program.

Security

Your password is the only thing which protects you from pranks or more serious harm.

1. Follow the Emory & Henry College guidelines with respect to password security.
2. Do not share your password with anyone.
3. Change your password when prompted to do so by the E&H College website AND if you suspect someone might know your password.
4. Always logout when you are finished using a system – especially if using a shared computer in a public place.
5. ID badges should be worn at all times on the Health Sciences Campus in Marion. Building access is allowed by ID access, and approved guests. Do not let anyone “tailgate” or be permitted access to the building without an active ID.

General Guidelines

• Treat instructor(s) with respect, in email or any form of online communication.
• Always use the proper title for your professor: Dr. or Prof., or if you’re in doubt use Mr. or Ms.
• Do not refer to your instructor by their first name, unless specifically given permission or invited to do so.
• Use clear and concise language. Be respectful of the reader’s time and attention.
• Ensure you use correct grammar and spelling.
• Avoid slang terms, such as “whassup?” and using abbreviations in a text, such as “u’ instead of “you”.
• Standard fonts should be used for online reading in a consistent readable size (12 to 14 pt.).
• Avoid using caps lock feature as IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING.
• Limit and possibly avoid the use of emoticons. Not everyone knows how to interpret them.
• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as tone is sometimes lost in an email or discussion post and your message might be taken literally or offensively.
• Be careful with sharing personal information online (both yours and others).
• In any health care course, follow HIPAA guidelines – no sharing of patient information or emailing confidential patient information.

Email Netiquette

E&H email and Moodle (LMS) course information should be checked at a minimum, daily. All correspondence to your nursing instructor, clinical faculty, or fellow classmates should be exclusively through your E&H email and include the following:

• In the subject line, provide a clear and descriptive heading so there is a reason to open the email.
• Be brief and to the point and try to avoid having the reader to scroll for the entire message.
• Write the important part at the beginning as the reader may not read it in its entirety.
• Avoid sending attachments unless you are sure the reader can open them.
• Ensure there is a place at the end of your email which has your name, email address, and a contact phone number.
• Before you “reply all” to an email, think before you send. Do all the recipients need to see your response?
• If you are upset or angry about a situation, allow yourself 24-hours to calm down before you send or respond to an email so you can respond with a clear head.

Discussion Board Netiquette and Guidelines

• Ensure post are on topic and relevant to the course material. Re-read the instructions provided by the instructor, if necessary.
• View your post seriously and edit, if necessary, before sending. Avoid poor grammar and sloppy writing with spelling errors.
• When making a post, be brief and concise when making a thorough comment. This is a discussion area not a formal paper.
• Formally cite your resources as you would in any formal paper. Cite all references to quoted sources.
• Read all the messages posted in a discussion prior to giving a reply.
• Ensure your posts are your original ideas and not those of someone else.
• Avoid replying to a post with “I agree” without supporting your reasoning and ideas.
• Be respectful and considerate of other individuals’ opinions, which may differ from your own. Feel free to offer your differing opinion in a non-critical, respectful manner. Do not make insulting or personal remarks.
• Be open-minded and receptive to learning from your colleagues.

Classroom Professionalism Policy

The framework for the nursing professional culture consists of:

Preparation

Nursing faculty have an array of education, experience and ongoing professional development which enables their ability to provide significant content, evaluation of the course, and leadership. This is a commitment and responsibility faculty take seriously. To ensure a quality class is provided, it takes the dedication of faculty and students to be prepared. Faculty diligently prepare for class and clinical with expectations of students to thoroughly complete assignments and be punctual in turning in assignments. Students must be disciplined in taking their education seriously and study to be successful.

Engagement

Nursing is a professional practice which requires engagement. Faculty and students develop a partnership in learning. Faculty, therefore, pledge to create a learning environment which is innovative in providing interactive opportunities for meaningful learning, attentive to student opinions and insight, and receptive to student feedback. Students are required to engage by being attentive to their colleagues and faculty, to be inquisitive and provide informed insight to enhance their knowledge. Students should possess positivity and open-mindedness in class and clinical settings as well to class/clinical content which may be difficult. Active participation in learning and ensuring they fully understand course content, interest in their progress in the course and not merely the grades they have are expectations of students.

Meetings

Meetings are a part of every professional culture with formal/informal expectations. For purposes of the nursing program, the definition of meetings applies to scheduled class periods whether on-ground or online, conferences with course and/or clinical faculty individually or group, or during any clinical experience.

Students are expected to be present and on time for meetings. Professional culture dictates it is not acceptable to miss a meeting without informing the appropriate person in advance, regardless of the reason. This applies to any class, clinical, or conference meetings.

Students should be prepared for each meeting with textbooks, be able to take notes either manually or electronically, and engage in discussions, as class participation is vital to learning. Any form of social media use (texting, IM, Tweet, SnapChatTM, FacebookTM, etc.) is unacceptable in classroom and clinical settings and will affect your performance evaluation.

Inquiries

Understanding and adhering to appropriate timing is an important aspect of professional culture and behavior. Any inquiries regarding the class/clinical schedule, assignments, and clinical situations are welcome but should be posed prior to or after class/clinical. During class/clinical, unrelated questions demonstrate a lack of engagement to the content or task at hand. A lack of focus affects the performance evaluation in the class/clinical settings as it would in the workplace. Certain topics should be discussed privately and confidentially, not in the classroom or clinical setting. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law which protects the privacy of individual student records, therefore, grades and evaluations of assignments or tests should be conducted in privacy at a determined time.

Communication via Technology

Communication is an essential component of the nursing profession, whether face-to-face interactions, phone, email or text. Formal communication is deemed appropriate through face-to-face interaction or by email and informal communication is appropriate through phone conversations or text messages.

Guidelines for Communication:

1. Contact the professor to schedule a time during office hours for a face-to-face meeting. Instructors have office hours scheduled and many accept walk-in meetings, if they are available.
2. Phone messages received by 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday will be responded to within 24-48 hours, with the exception of illness or extenuating circumstances. Phone messages received after 4:00 p.m. on Friday will be responded to on Monday, with the exception of illness or extenuating circumstances.
3. Email messages should include the class name and number in the subject line with the subject included (ex: NURS 401: Health Assessment - Project Question). An email will be viewed in the student performance evaluation; thus, it should be formatted appropriately, have complete sentences with proper grammar and spelling. Emails received after 4:00 p.m. Monday – Friday will be responded to on Monday, with the exception of illness or extenuating circumstances.
4. Text messages will be acceptable at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors typically do not put all of the student’s phone numbers in their contacts. It is important to identify yourself, the class, and your question (ex: Hello Dr. Jones. This is Alex and I am in your NURS 401 Health Assessment class…. then ask your question). Text messages received by 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday will be responded to on the same day with the exception of illness or extenuating circumstances. Text messages received after 4:00 p.m. on Friday may not receive a response until Monday, with the exception of illness or extenuating circumstances. A text message received over a weekend in regards to class or clinical assignment requiring completion over the weekend may be responded to in a timelier manner.

Social Media Policy

Social media and the internet provide an important medium for sharing information and offer easily accessible methods for mass communication. Nursing students must be aware of the risks and consequences associated with social networking. Online social networking (e.g., Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, etc.) must be considered public information and postings containing certain information are illegal. Online content and behavior have the ability to enhance or undermine not only an individual but also Emory & Henry College, and the profession of nursing. Violations may expose the offender to criminal and civil liability. It is important to avoid disclosing any HIPAA or academic protected information regarding patients, clinical sites, or peers. Students should not post any information or videos to YouTube or other social media using the College name or label. For course assignments requiring a YouTube video, it is imperative that you select “unlisted” as the privacy setting for your video. With the setting of “unlisted”, only people with who you share the URL with can see your video. It is not searchable on YouTube. When posting a video in this manner, Emory & Henry College or personal demographics should not be mentioned in the video, description, or title. Any student found to have violated this policy will be subject to disciplinary action as set forth in the nursing student handbook. For example, infractions may result in utilization of the Professional Conduct Policy.

The following are taken from the American Nurses Association Social Networking Recommendations and modified to serve as a guide to students to avoid potential problems.

1. Standards of professionalism are the same online as in any other circumstance.
2. Never post photographs or any information gained in a nurse-patient relationship.
3. Maintain professional boundaries in the use of electronic media. Online contact with patients blurs these boundaries.
4. Do not post inflammatory or unflattering information about peers, patients, clinical sites and/or their employees on any social media site. Make every effort to present yourself as mature, responsible, and professional.
5. Do not take photos or recordings of a patient in your clinical setting or peers in their clinical or classroom learning environment without obtaining special permission utilizing the appropriate forms.
6. Promptly report any breach of confidentiality or privacy to your faculty member.
7. Do not share any protected health information. (HIPAA)

Please refer also to the professional email communication guidelines below.

For potential consequences of inappropriate use of social and electronic media and common myths and misunderstandings refer to the site below:

https://www.ncsbn.org/347.htm

More information can be found at American Nurses Association Social Media/Social Networking Principles Toolkit https://www.nursingworld.org/social/

Classroom Professionalism Rubric

Throughout the semester, student professionalism will be monitored and be a part of the performance evaluation. Instructors will evaluate according to the following rubric:

Item	Savvy (A)	Competent (B)	Developing (C)	Insufficient (F)
Class Meetings	*Always arrives on time. *Always prepared with completed assignments and/or readings. *Always inform the instructor of absences prior to class and/or clinical in the manner set forth by the instructor. *Participates in class by asking appropriate questions and active participation in discussions. *Requests face-to- face meetings to discuss grades and evaluations with the instructor.	*Arrives on time most of the time. *Is prepared with completed assignments and/or readings most of the time. *Informs instructor of absences prior to class/clinical most of the time. *Participates in class by asking appropriate content questions and participates in class discussion most of the time. * Requests face-to- face meetings to discuss grades and evaluations with the instructor.	*Arrives late often. *Is not prepared with assignments and/or readings often. *Inconsistent in informing instructors of absences prior to class/clinical. *General inquiries during class are not appropriate to content and minimal participation in class discussion. *Inquiries about grades or evaluation before or after class.	*Arrives late consistently. *Is not prepared for class consistently. *Never informs the instructor of absences prior to class/clinical. *Makes general inquiries during class which is not content related and does not participate in class discussion. *Inquiries about grades during class.
Engagement: Conduct	*Respects the instructor both verbally and nonverbally. *Respects peers both verbally and nonverbally. *Demonstrates verbal and nonverbal respect for methods of shared inquiry and discussion. *Uses technology appropriately during class. *Does not control discussion. *Actively engages in discussions with positive class participation. * Disputes ideas with respect and encourages and supports others in doing the same.	*Shows respect generally for the instructor verbally and nonverbally. *Show respect for peers verbally and nonverbally generally. *Generally, demonstrates verbal and nonverbal respect for methods of shared inquiry and discussion. * Seldom uses technology inappropriately during class. *Infrequently dominates discussion. *Generally, actively involved verbally and nonverbally. *Challenges ideas with respect generally, but is not open generally to being challenged from others.	*Demonstrates little verbal and nonverbal respect for the instructor. *Demonstrates little verbal and nonverbal respect for peers. *Respect for the method of shared inquiry and discussion is minimal. *Occasional use of technology inappropriately during class. *Occasionally dominates discussion. *Disengages occasionally verbally and nonverbally. *May resort to ad hominem attacks when in disagreement with others.	*Lacks verbal and nonverbal respect for the instructor. *Lacks verbal and nonverbal respect for peers. *Displays a lack of respect for the method of shared inquiry and discussion. *Uses technology inappropriately regularly during class. *Persistently dominates discussions. *Disengages habitually. *Resorts to ad hominem attacks by being argumentative or dismissive of others ideas.

 

Item	Savvy (A)	Competent (B)	Developing (C)	Insufficient (F)
Engagement: Content	*Examples, insights, and opinions are significant and inspired with knowledge obtained through assignments and readings. * Inquiry of ideas creates a deepening of conversation to extend beyond the text.	*Examples, insights, and opinions are significant and often reveal gained knowledge from assignments and readings. *Generally, contributes comments and ideas which demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of the material.	*Examples, insights, and opinions are often based on personal opinion or uncertain views, but does not demonstrate knowledge gained through assignments and readings. *Little contribution of comments and ideas which lacks understanding of the concepts of the material.	*Provides illogical comments with little to no substantiation and demonstrates students have not completed the assignment or readings. *Lack of understanding the concepts and material and is distractive to the environment of learning.
Engagement: Listening	*Actively listens to what instructor and peers are saying evidenced by nonverbal feedback. * Consistently builds on, illuminates, or responds to the comments of others.	*Listens fairly well to what others are saying evidenced by nonverbal feedback. * Replies to ideas and questions offered by participants.	*Disengages from listening to others indicated by nonverbal cues. *Occasionally will repeat comments or questions with little self- reflection of presented information.	*Consistently neglects listening or being attentive to the discussion as indicated by nonverbal cues and engaging in off-task activities. *Poor to no participation in commenting to others.
Item	Savvy (A)	Competent (B)	Developing (C)	Insufficient (F)
Engagement: Group work	*Accepts responsibility for maintaining the movement and quality of discussions when necessary. *Demonstrates leadership in redirection and refocusing of discussion when they are unproductive or sidetracked. *Encourages reluctant participants to engage in the activity. *Provides constructive feedback and support for peers consistently.	*Displays active participation in maintaining the flow and quality of discussion consistently. *Does not engage in sidetrack discussions or delve into unproductive topics. *Occasionally encourages reluctant peers to engage in the activity. *Constructive feedback and support are generally provided.	*Active participation is rarely shown in discussion or in maintaining the flow and quality of the discussion. *Easily distracted and occasionally unproductive with the discussion. *Does not engage reluctant participants. *Feedback is rarely provided and is not constructive or supportive.	*Disengage from discussion. *Undermines the efforts of peers engaged in discussion and is unproductive. * Disregards or sidetracks participants who are reluctant to engage. *Fails at providing feedback and support and demonstrates negativity about the discussion or towards peers.
Communi-cation in Technology	*Email and text messages contain necessary details and are professional. *Spelling and grammatical errors are non-existent; email format and syntax are appropriate with complete sentences. *The subject line contains the appropriate message.	*Necessary details are generally included in the email and text and are professional. *Spelling, grammar, and format are generally appropriate with complete sentences. *The subject line generally has the appropriate message.	*Email and text messages are consistently unprofessional and do not contain appropriate details. *Commonly has spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors. *Subject line often does not have a message.	*Unprofessional email and text messages and do not include necessary details. *Poor grammar, spelling and syntax in message and inappropriately formatted. *Rare to no message in the required subject line.

Discussion Board Rubric

Discussion Board Rubric	Excellent (4)	Good (3)	Fair (2)	Poor (0)	Points Earned
Relevance of post	Posting thoroughly answers the discussion prompts and demonstrates understanding of material with well-developed ideas. Posting integrates assigned content and makes strong connections to practice.	Posting addresses most of the prompt(s) and demonstrates mild understanding of material with well-developed ideas. Posting references assigned content and may not make connections to practice.	Posting fails to address all components of the prompt. Makes short or irrelevant remarks. Posting lacks connection to practice.	No posting
Quality of Post	Appropriate comments: thoughtful, reflective, and respectful of other’s postings.	Appropriate comments and responds respectfully to other’s postings.	Responds, but with minimum effort. (e.g. “I agree with Bill”)	No posting
	Excellent (2)	Good (1)	Fair (0.5)	Poor (0)
Contribution to the Learning Community	Post meaningful questions to the community; attempts to motivate the group discussion; presents creative approaches to topic.	Attempts to direct the discussion and to present relevant viewpoints for consideration by group; interacts freely.	Minimum effort is made to participate in learning community as it develops.	No feedback provided to fellow student(s).
Mechanics	Writing is free of grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Writing includes less than 5 grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Writing includes 4-5 grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.	Writing contains more than 5 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors
				Total	/10

Nursys E- Notify – RN-BSN & Graduate Students

The School of Nursing uses the National Council of the State Boards of Nursing electronic system, Nursys, for licensure verification and e-Notify to receive automatic updates on any changes in status of student licensure for those students who live in states with participating boards of nursing. Information about state participation can be found at: https://www.nursys.com/NLV/NLVJurisdictions.aspx

Although the SON uses this system, each student is responsible for notifying the SON immediately, if there is any action related to the student’s license while in the program.

Student Input into Governance

The School of Nursing acknowledges the importance of obtaining student input and offering students an active role. To facilitate the process of obtaining input, faculty will announce through e-mail the issues for which student input is requested. All students are expected to submit course evaluations at the appointed time during each semester. In addition, all students are encouraged to provide input to faculty, the appropriate Program Director, and the Dean by a variety of means including appointments, e-mail, telephone, written suggestions, etc. All student input is thoughtfully considered and faculty make every attempt to provide appropriate responses to student suggestions. Each program track cohort will elect a student representative who is asked to “attend” (in person or by phone) the meetings. Student representatives are non-voting members of the committee. All students are welcome to attend any SON meeting, however portions of the meeting agenda may be closed to non-voting members.

Student Representative

The role of the student representative (SR) to the program track faculty is critical to meeting program outcomes. Characteristics of a student representative include but are not limited to the following: excellent verbal and written communication skills, organizational and planning skills, critical reasoning and problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, ability to negotiate, make constructive suggestions and find corresponding solutions.

A student representative demonstrates commitment to the program by participating in meetings that are scheduled over the academic year; taking notes of the meeting and reporting the outcomes of the meeting to the student body; working with other students and faculty to implement initiatives and solutions; creating connections via planning events to enhance communication lines; and devoting about one hour a week towards this role.

Consistent with program outcomes, the SR role enables students to develop and/or strengthen leadership skills, connect with various internal and external agencies, assist student peers with communicating issues, concerns, and opinions. Responsibilities of SRs include:

• Acting as a link between students and faculty/administration
• Serving as a liaison in bringing any issues/suggestions/feedback to faculty at meetings
• Relaying key messages from the faculty/administration to the student body
• Suggesting, developing, and implementing solutions to problems related to online and/or campus life
• Collaborating with students to coordinate events to enhance student communication opportunities

Course and Program Evaluations

Student input is highly valued at the University, College, and School of Nursing. Program improvements are often generated by student feedback. Students are expected to complete evaluations of all orientations and courses at the end of every semester or when directed. Faculty values student input into the course and technology. Course and program evaluation is one mechanism for providing input to faculty and administration regarding the student learning experience. Other evaluations of the program are required at exit. After graduation, students are contacted to provide feedback as alumni. All evaluation data are reviewed by faculty and administration and serve to inform faculty regarding course and program refinements. Evaluation feedback is important for ongoing program improvement and meeting accreditation requirements.

Plagiarism Policy

Faculty may use tools to detect plagiarism, such as GoogleTM, GrammarlyTM, TurnitinTM, or SafeAssignTM, to advance academic integrity and to identify student knowledge gaps. Students are encouraged to use these resources to check their work for plagiarism, and identity opportunities for learning related paraphrasing, citations, and references. When academic dishonesty such as plagiarism is detected, the incident will be dealt with as indicated in the College’s Academic Honor Code.

In addition to the procedures listed at: https://catalog.ehc.edu/ regarding academic honesty and plagiarism, the School of Nursing requires that all academic honesty and plagiarism charges be reviewed by the student’s respective program committee or the SON committee as a whole, before being forwarded to the Committee of Academic Standards. The program committee or SON committee may, after careful review of the charges, decide to sustain the sanctions recommended by the course faculty, recommend increased sanctions, or overturn faculty sanctions.

Dress Code for Classroom and Lab Activities

Nursing is the only health profession where the entry level preparation is at the undergraduate level. Dressing professionally fosters respect from patients and colleagues.

Absolutely NO visible 5 Bs (breast, buttocks, belly, back, and if a breeze comes by nothing will blow up). Attire for classroom is business casual with closed toed shoes. You can wear comfortable shoes as long as they follow the guidelines. You can wear an Emory and Henry sweatshirt/t-shirt and slacks. No jeans unless there is a special school event which allows them. Scrubs are acceptable, but only SOLID COLORS. If you are going to wear scrubs you need to wear a matching scrub set. “Jogger” style scrub pants are allowed for classroom days but NOT allowed for clinical, skills, or simulation days. You must wear E&H scrubs on skills, simulation, and clinical days.

Appropriate Slacks: (following the 5Bs)

• khakis
• chinos
• dress pants
• non-form fitting non-jean material
• slacks
• dresses
• skirts

Appropriate Tops: (following the 5B’s)

• E&H sweaters, sweatshirts, polos, collared shirts
• Dress shirts
• Sweaters
• HOODED SWEATSHIRTS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON EXAM/TEST DAYS
• No ball caps or hats allowed in class, clinical, skills or SIM setting.
• Headbands are allowed but for clinical settings and lab must be solid colored white, navy, or black.

Clinical Requirements for Attendance and Participation

Students will participate in clinical experiences in the BSN program. Prior to enrollment in the first clinical course and annually, students must submit documentation proof of health status and the following immunizations provided by a physician or nurse practitioner. All documentation must be valid for the clinical for the semester or academic year. The following immunization records are mandatory and will be submitted to the credentialing vendor:

• Negative TB test or, if positive, a negative chest X-ray is required
• Two MMR immunizations or proof of immunity
• Chicken pox titer or history of disease
• Tdap immunization within the past 10 years
• Hepatitis B vaccine or acceptable titer level or signed waiver
• Annual Influenza (Flu) vaccination
• Covid-19 vaccinations
• Other requirements specified by clinical agencies, if applicable

Documentation of current immunizations and other clinical health requirements must be submitted prior to the clinical experience. If submission is not complete, the student will not be allowed to attend clinical, resulting in an unexcused absence requiring clinical make-up hours. Two clinical failures will result in dismissal from the nursing program.

Clinical Behavior and Absences

1. Students are expected to dress appropriately (see Dress Code section) and arrive on time to the clinical unit. Students are to remain in their designated clinical unit for the duration of their clinical day unless permission or re-assignment is given by the supervising clinical faculty or preceptor.
2. Use of cell phones or other electronic devices is prohibited in clinical units. In cases of emergency, the student may ask permission to have their phone with their belongings to be kept in a designated area or have contact made with the instructor or preceptor with their permission.
3. Students may NOT use tobacco, tobacco products (to include vaping), alcohol, illegal drugs, or misuse any legal, prescription medications while engaged in any educational and clinical experiences as a representative of Emory & Henry College. Violation of this may result in suspension or expulsion from the nursing program.
4. It is the policy of Emory & Henry College School of Nursing to maintain a safe and healthy environment for its students and employees. Emory & Henry College prohibits being under the influence of, or unlawful use, manufacture, possession, distribution or dispensing of drugs, “controlled substances” as defined in the Controlled Substance Act, 21, U.S.C 812: Section 812 and alcohol on college property or during college activities. Violation of this policy is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including permanent dismissal of a student. See SON Student Drug & Alcohol Policy under Policies and Procedures for Infection Control/Prevention and Exposure Response (pg. 48).
5. Students with symptomatic illnesses, (i.e., nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, elevated temperatures, skin rash, or drainage from eyes, to name a few), on the day of clinical should consult with the clinical instructor and/or preceptor PRIOR to clinical experience to ascertain eligibility to provide patient care.
6. In the instance of arriving at the clinical unit with symptoms of illness, the student may be dismissed by the clinical instructor or preceptor. Students may be asked for clinical clearance provided by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner to return to clinical.
7. Absence from clinical is highly discouraged and detrimental to successfully meeting the clinical requirements and course objectives. Students are encouraged to avoid scheduling appointments during clinical or course meetings.
8. Absenteeism should be for personal illness or extreme emergencies. The student will be responsible for:
   1. Necessitating any make-up work at the discretion of the clinical faculty or preceptor to ensure course objectives have been met, OR
   2. If extreme mitigating circumstances occur, the student will be given an “Incomplete” for the clinical, OR
   3. The student may be required to repeat the entire course, didactic and clinical, if course objectives cannot be met and this will result in a failing grade. A failing clinical grade results in a failing course grade.
9. Students will be responsible for personal transportation to all assigned clinical experiences.
10. Emory & Henry College School of Nursing and clinical agencies utilized by the school will not be liable for any injuries incurred traveling to and from clinical experiences, while at the clinical site, or for any illness diagnosed and treated while at the clinical site.
11. All personal property of the student is their responsibility. Emory & Henry College School of Nursing and clinical agencies utilized by the school will not be liable for any damage or loss to such items.
12. In case of inclement weather, students will be notified of any changes or cancellations via the campus alert app and the clinical faculty in the manner designated in the course syllabi. Students are asked to use good judgement for their safety in traveling to clinical sites. If absence needs to occur, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the clinical faculty at least 30 minutes PRIOR to the designated clinical time.
13. Students are required to adhere to the dress code guidelines for professional attire and image. At their discretion, clinical faculty and/or preceptor may dismiss the student from clinical that day for failure to comply with the dress code. This will result in an unexcused absence, no ability for make-up, and a grade of zero (0) for any assignments that day.
14. Students commonly are employed during school for financial needs. Faculty request students to not work past 11:00 p.m. the night prior to a clinical day to ensure proper rest is obtained and students can function at their optimal level. If a student presents to clinical fatigued and drowsy, clinical faculty and/or preceptor are required to use their discretion and may dismiss the student from clinical that day. This will result in an unexcused absence, no ability for make-up, and a grade of zero (0) for any assignments that day.
15. Tardiness for clinical is unacceptable behavior and the student may be sent home, unless notification to the clinical faculty was made in advance with clinical faculty approval. At their discretion, faculty has the option of offering a make-up day at their convenience. Otherwise, tardiness will result in an unexcused absence and a grade of zero (0) for any assignments for that day.

Dress Code for Clinical Experiences, including Lab and Simulation

Attire for clinical experiences:

1. Emory & Henry College students will wear navy uniform scrub pants and tops with the E&H monogram. The scrub tops and pants must be sized appropriately, wrinkle-free, clean and in good condition at all times. The top should not expose the abdomen when arms are raised above the head. Pants should be worn at the natural waist and underwear should not be visible. “Jogger” style scrub pants are not allowed for clinical experiences. Female students MUST wear a bra.
2. Lab coat or scrub jacket may be required.
3. Black, non-permeable leather shoes with a closed toe and closed heel are required. No sandals or clogs are to be worn. Shoes are to be clean, appropriately sized, and in good repair at all times.
4. For on-campus skills and simulation lab sessions, alternative footwear consistent with clean, professional, closed-toed, rubber-soled shoes can be worn. The footwear cannot be glittered, sequenced, or brightly patterned.
5. Black socks/hose are to be worn and should be the same color as the shoes. The length of the socks/hose should be sufficient to not expose the leg when seated.
6. Identification badges are to be worn at all times. Some clinical agencies may require facility specific ID badges. Students and clinical faculty will abide by the facility requirements.
7. Clinical units may allow business casual attire. This will include wearing dress slacks, appropriate top/shirt, closed toe/heel shoes (not heels), and socks/hose. Skirts and dresses may be worn with the hem being at the knee or below. Students should wear modest tops which do not show cleavage, emphasize the chest, or are tight and form fitting.
8. The following attire is PROHIBITED for any clinical experience: Jeans (denim or colored), shorts, tank or spaghetti strap tops, flip-flops, or sandals.
9. Clinical agencies may have additional attire requirements.

Personal Hygiene/Jewelry

1. Students should present to clinical showered/bathed.
2. Hair should be clean, dry, and groomed neatly. For individuals with long hair – hair should be pulled up off the collar.
3. Facial hair should be clean-shaven or neatly groomed at all times.
4. Make-up may be worn conservatively to be consistent with a professional image.
5. Nails should be clean and trimmed. Clear nail polish only may be worn. Artificial nails of any kind are NOT permitted.
6. Jewelry is restricted to engagement/wedding rings, stud pierced earrings, and a watch with a second hand. PROHIBITED jewelry: dangling or hoop earrings, body piercings of ANY kind, necklaces or chains, and bracelets. Students with ear gauges need to have skin tone colored plugs in place.
7. Tattoos and/or body art should not be visible at any time and should be covered by clothing.
8. Clinical agencies may have additional requirements.

Clinical Policy Violation

Adherence to the clinical behavior and dress code guidelines is MANDATORY. Failure to comply with the guidelines will result in being dismissed from the clinical site resulting in an unexcused absence with no make-up clinical given. A grade of zero (0) will be given for the clinical day. Repeated offense to these guidelines can result in a course/clinical failure and/or dismissal from the nursing program.

Infection Control and Exposure Response

The safety of all students, staff, faculty, and patients is of primary concern. Therefore, during orientations for both didactic and clinical education phases, nursing students are presented with information on personal security and fire safety, in addition to infection control, HIPAA, and OSHA. Furthermore, nursing students will be required to complete any clinical site-specific safety or security training requirements in preparation for supervised clinical practice experiences. Students must be aware that risk exists for exposure to infection and environmental disease during the didactic and clinical phases of the program. Nursing students, staff, and faculty must adhere to all established Emory and Henry College safety protocols.

• Didactic-phase students must notify their course faculty as soon as possible of any exposure to bodily fluids, chemical hazards, or potentially serious infectious diseases.
• All faculty, staff and students will utilize Standard Precautions (Methods of Prevention as outlined in the Nursing Program Student Handbooks) during all activities that present a risk of exposure to blood/body fluids or chemical hazards. Failure to do so will be grounds for disciplinary action.
• Students must follow the exposure response plan detailed below in the case of any exposure to blood/body fluids, chemical hazards, or potentially serious infectious diseases.
• Compliance with all safety practices is not just good procedure; it is also a mark of your professionalism. Failure to observe and practice Standard Precautions may result in adverse/disciplinary action for unprofessional behavior and referral to the Student Progression Committee.

Methods of Prevention

Standard precautions (Methods of Prevention) are the minimum safety and infection prevention practices that apply to all patient care and laboratory or technical skills training experiences in any setting where healthcare or healthcare training is delivered. These practices are designed to protect healthcare professionals (HCP) and prevent HCP from spreading infections to others.

Hand Hygiene:

• Good hand hygiene is critical to reduce the risk of spreading infection.
• Current CDC guidelines recommend use of alcohol-based hand rub for hand hygiene except when hands are visibly soiled (e.g. dirt, blood, body fluids), or after caring for patients with known or suspected infectious diarrhea, in which cases soap and water should be used.
  Key situations where hand hygiene should be performed include:
  • Before touching a patient, even if gloves will be worn.
  • Before exiting the patient’s care area after touching the patient or the patient’s immediate environment.
  • After contact with blood, body fluids or excretions, or wound dressings.
  • Prior to performing an aseptic task (e.g. placing an IV, preparing an injection).
  • If hands will be moving from a contaminated-body site to a clean-body site during patient care.
  • After glove removal.

Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Exam gloves will be worn when there is risk of contact with or when handling blood or body fluids or when there is a potential for contact with mucous membranes, non-intact skin or body orifice areas, or contaminated equipment. Facial masks, protective eyewear and/or gowns (as well as gloves) will be worn when performing/assisting procedures with a risk of body fluid or other hazardous material splashes or sprays.

Safe injection practices:

• No recapping of needles unless required by the specific procedure being performed.
• Use of self-sheathing needles and/or needleless systems when available.
• All needles and other disposable sharps will be placed in designated puncture resistant containers as soon as possible after their use.

Safe handling of potentially contaminated surfaces or equipment:

• Environmental cleaning: Areas in which patient care activities are performed will be routinely cleaned and disinfected at the conclusion of the activity.
• Medical equipment safety: Reusable medical equipment must be cleaned and disinfected (or sterilized) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If the manufacturer does not provide guidelines for this process the device may not be suitable for multi-patient use.

Respiratory hygiene/Cough etiquette:

• Cover mouth/nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Use and dispose of tissues.
• Perform hand hygiene after hands have been in contact with respiratory secretions.
• Consider using a mask to prevent aerosol spread.
• Sit as far away from others as possible.

Exposure Response

Wounds and skin sites that have been in contact with blood or body fluids should be washed with soap and water; mucous membranes should be flushed with water. There is no evidence that the use of antiseptics for wound care or expressing fluid by squeezing the wound further reduces the risk for HIV transmission. However, the use of antiseptics is not contraindicated. Use of caustic agents, e.g., bleach, is not recommended.

Incident/Injury Form:

• The student must notify her/his supervisor immediately and complete any notice of incident forms in use by the clinical site, as well as the Student Incident/Injury Form which can be found on Moodle>Student Forms/Documents-SON https://moodle.ehc.edu/course/view.php?id=22021

Medical Evaluation:

• It is very important that medical evaluation take place immediately because treatment decisions must be made within 2 hours of exposure. HIV prophylaxis for high-risk exposure appears most effective if started within 2–4 hours. It is also extremely important to evaluate the donor’s risk status immediately.
• The student should report IMMEDIATELY to his or her Clinical/Course Faculty and also contact the Program Director or Dean within 24 hours of exposure.
• If the exposure occurs at an off-campus clinical unit, the student should follow the Infection Control Policy of that facility. Outside of clinical hours, the student should go IMMEDIATELY to the nearest urgent care or emergency room.
  Note: If the incident occurs at a hospital or large medical facility, that facility’s Employee Health Clinic may be able to do the initial clinical evaluation.

Program Participation:

• Continued participation in the activities of the Nursing program will not be affected by any injury or illness that occurs while enrolled, provided the student continues to meet all Technical Standards and fulfill all defined requirements for program progression and is not directly infectious by way of routine contact.
  Note: This only applies to serious, potentially life-threatening infections.

Financial Responsibility:

• Students are mandated to have health insurance throughout their participation in the Program. Students will be financially responsible for all costs incurred during compliance with this policy.

Laboratory Testing/Treatment:

• To determine whether treatment of the student is necessary, blood may need to be drawn from the patient (i.e. source of contamination) to evaluate Hepatitis B, C, and HIV status. In a hospital setting the Infection Control Nurse or Nurse Supervisor is often authorized to order these tests on the patient/donor. The Infection Control Nurse or Nurse Supervisor should also review the medical record, question the patient/donor about risk factors, and obtain the patient’s/donor’s consent to do the tests necessary to evaluate their health status. If the exposure occurs in an outpatient setting (and these tests cannot be done), the patient/donor may need to accompany the exposed student for evaluation.

Student Safety During Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs)

The Nursing Program will provide appropriate training to students regarding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards prior to beginning the program. The facility at which the clinical experience takes place shall provide students access to the facility’s rules, regulations, policies and procedures with which the students are expected to comply, including the Facility’s OSHA, personal and workplace security and personal safety policies and procedures and shall address all appropriate safety measures for all students on site. It will be the clinical faculty’s responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure personal safety and security of students during clinical experiences.

For all incidents/injuries, students are required to complete the Student Incident/Injury Report Form as included on Moodle>Student Forms/Documents – SON https://moodle.ehc.edu/course/view.php?id=22021 within 24 hours of the incident or injury.

Inherent Risk Assumed

Choosing the healthcare profession is a noble and self-sacrificing calling. Students should accept responsibility for the decision they have made to enter into a profession and professional training program that has inherent risk to their personal safety while performing their duties, responsibilities, and training in this role of caring for other human beings. By enrolling in this Nursing Program the EHC Nursing student accepts this risk.

Universal Precautions

Students are responsible for following OSHA Guidelines for universal precautions at the clinical rotation site; including the use of gloves, care of sharp objects, use of eyewear, protective clothing, and other precautionary measures.

Latex Allergies

Any documented allergies to latex products should be reported to the preceptor and Director of Clinical Education. Each student is responsible to supply the latex-free products they may need if not readily available.

Safety Precautions

Students are required to review the material on personal safety and security in the School of Nursing’s Student Handbook in addition to the Safety and Security information posted in the Emory and Henry College Academic Catalog>Student Handbook EHC Safety and Security. Importantly, in addition to the E&H College and School of Nursing safety policies and procedures, nursing students are required to follow all clinical site-specific safety policies and procedures.

Evaluation Guidelines

Evaluation of Student Clinical Performance

1. During clinical experience, the course faculty will collaborate with the mentor/preceptor assigned to the student to receive feedback.
2. Course faculty will collaborate with the mentor/preceptor to assist the student in achieving clinical objectives.
3. Course faculty will discuss evaluations with the student during clinical experiences.
4. In the event of an unsatisfactory performance or critical incident, the mentor/preceptor will contact the course faculty immediately. The course faculty and mentor/preceptor will discuss and determine the appropriate plan of action and counseling of the student.
5. At the end of clinical experiences, the course faculty and student will meet for the final evaluation.
6. Students are required to receive a satisfactory grade on the final clinical evaluation to successfully complete the course.
7. Course faculty are responsible for all grading and evaluations with input from the mentor/preceptor.

Student Evaluation of Mentor/Preceptor and Clinical Facility Site

Each student will complete an evaluation of the mentor/preceptor and the clinical facility at the end of the clinical experience(s). The evaluation will be submitted as designated by the course faculty.

Mentor/Preceptor Evaluation of Clinical Practice Experience

The mentor/preceptor will complete an evaluation of the clinical experience at the end of the semester.

Student Drug and Alcohol Policy

It is the policy of Emory and Henry College School of Nursing to maintain a safe and healthy environment for its students and employees. Emory and Henry College prohibits being under the influence of, or the unlawful use, manufacture, possession, distribution or dispensing of drugs, “controlled substances” as defined in the Controlled Substance Act, 21, U.S.C. 812 Section 812  and alcohol on college property or during college activities.

Violation of this policy is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including permanent dismissal of a student. Federal and state laws provide additional penalties including fines and imprisonment. Local and College ordinances and policies may provide penalties for drug and alcohol violators, which may include referral for local prosecution or requiring the individuals to participate satisfactorily in an approved drug or alcohol abuse assistance or rehabilitation program.

To maintain a safe and drug free environment, EHC expects its campuses and institutes to establish procedures for performing screenings for controlled substances and alcohol within areas or positions that affect safety or where such screenings are required by federal regulations. In addition, screenings are permissible where there is a reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol use.

At EHC, the college bears the additional responsibility of assuring that students entering clinical settings are ready for providing clinical care and must pay particular attention to issues that could affect patient safety or student access. To this end, the campus has an established a number of guidelines and procedures relating to drug and alcohol monitoring.

Guidelines and Procedures:

1. Clinical sites may require drug testing, (at the student’s expense) as a condition of clinical placement and students may be responsible for payment of such testing. In addition, agencies may require random drug and/or alcohol testing of a student while in or on the clinical site’s premises. Students participating in patient care in such settings as a part of their education must conform to that site’s policies and requirements.
2. Students taking over-the-counter or prescribed medication are responsible for understanding the effect that the medication may have on their performance or personal behavior and possibility that usage of these medications might lead to an adverse finding on a drug screen. Students in such circumstances are strongly advised to report the use of such substances to their Program Director and/or Director of Clinical Education (DCE), if they suspect that their performance may be impaired and/or if their behavior has caused college officials to require them to provide blood, urine, or breath analysis.
3. A college official may require a student to undergo drug testing, (at the student’s expense) for an immediate blood, alcohol, urine or breath analysis under any of, but not limited to, the following circumstances and conditions:
   1. When there is reasonable suspicion that the individual is under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, marijuana or other chemical substances;
   2. Following a work-related injury;
   3. Observation of poor judgement or careless acts, that caused or had the potential to cause patient injury, or that had, or had the potential to jeopardize the safety of others, or that had resulted in damage to property and/or equipment;
   4. Suspected diversion of controlled substances (e.g. use of possession of a prescription drug without a prescription, sale or distribution of a prescription drug, or theft of a prescription drug) including but not limited to, anti-anxiety agents or psychostimulants (such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin).
4. Until proven otherwise, an individual with a preliminary positive drug or alcohol screen is presumed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and subject to intervention or sanction by his/her college. This type of intervention or sanction will be dependent on the setting in which the incident occurred, the degree of impairment observed and the actual level of banned substance detected. Additional confirmatory testing or monitoring would likely be required to determine the need for additional sanctions/treatment beyond temporary removal from the setting in which a change in, and/or abnormal behavior was observed.
5. Individuals with a history of drug or alcohol use, including those who were required by the college to seek treatment as a condition of continued enrollment, may be required to have periodic testing for drugs or alcohol at the student’s expense.
6. Individuals who refuse to undergo an immediate drug and alcohol screen may be subject to immediate disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal.

School of Nursing students are also bound by the Emory & Henry College Code of Student Conduct. https://catalog.ehc.edu/ehc-student-handbook/code-of-student-conduct

Intervention Process for Cases of Chronic Substances Use/Abuse/Dependence

In the absence of a defined college process, the following general guidelines should be followed when a college determines that a student is unduly affected by substance use/abuse/dependence.

1. Students that have been exhibiting evidence of substance use/abuse/dependence should be referred for assistance through the Paul Adrian Powell, III Student Success Center and the SON Committee (SONC) for voluntary evaluation and care. Counseling services are provided through the Paul Adrian Powell, III Student Success Center. Services are available to all enrolled students. Depending on a student’s needs, students may meet individually with a counselor or participate in workshops and groups that focus on various topics such as stress management, assertiveness, appropriate expressions of anger, grief, trauma, consultation, adjustment to changes, substance abuse, and relationships. When necessary, the Counseling Office refers students for services that are not available through the college. Information about counseling services can be found at: https://www.ehc.edu/office-student-success/counseling-services/ Counseling staff provide services on the Marion campus as well as the Emory Campus.
2. If his/her conduct and performance in a clinical setting warrants such action, the student may be subject to immediate corrective action by the clinical faculty. Such actions could involve immediate removal from the clinical setting, requirement for immediate testing for alcohol or controlled substances at the student’s expense, referral of the student for behavioral screening, or other actions deemed necessary by the clinical faculty.
3. A student may be required to take a leave of absence (normally for a period not to exceed 12 months) for evaluation and care by treating clinical professionals who will be permitted to confirm compliance with recommended treatments and to confirm readiness of the student to return.
4. Any student who fails to complete recommended care and treatment and/or whose readiness to resume his/her academic program is not confirmed by his/her health care provider will be subject to dismissal.
5. Any student on leave to address substance use/abuse/dependence will not be allowed to resume active enrollment without a written positive recommendation from his/her treating healthcare provider(s).
6. In the case of substance use/abuse/dependence:
   1. The student must provide evidence of successful completion of the treatment program and sustained active recovery/sobriety.
   2. The student must present documentation that they are substance free, presently involved in an after-care program and fit to resume their education without restrictions.
   3. The student must sign a statement that they are willing (or be willing) to provide periodic unannounced urine screens during the remainder of their educational experience.
7. Students should be aware that academic programs may be required to divulge information related to prior drug or alcohol treatment for hospital and/or professional credentialing.

A listing of the general policies of Emory & Henry College can be found at Student Handbook | Emory & Henry College (ehc.edu).

The goal of the Emory & Henry College School of Nursing is to produce competent, professional Registered Nurses who provide compassionate, quality care to various patients across the lifespan. In addition to scholastic achievement, nursing students will be judged on their physical, intellectual and emotional aptitude to complete the essential function requirements of the nursing program. Fundamental skills which are required, with or without reasonable accommodations, to complete the essential functions and technical standards of the Emory & Henry College School of Nursing BSN programs include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Observation: The functional use of vision and other sensory modalities for observation are required. Students must be able to observe/participate in didactic, laboratory, and clinical demonstrations, as well as observe patients up close and at a distance while noticing the verbal and non-verbal signals.
2. Communication: Communication is a vital part of nursing and includes speech, reading, writing and computer literacy. Nursing students must effectively communicate with patients to elicit and transmit information concerning changes in physical health, mood, and activities as well as other vital information related to healthcare needs. Students must be able to communicate and perceive nonverbal signals. Nursing students must effectively and efficiently communicate with various members of the health care team.
3. Sensory and Motor Coordination and Function: Nursing students must have fine motor, gross motor and equilibrium functions to effectively perform patient assessments (i.e., palpation, auscultation, percussion muscle testing, range of motion and other examination procedures) and to carry out nursing interventions. Students must be able to execute motor movements required to provide general therapeutic interventions (i.e., patient transfers/positioning, exercise, performing manual mobilization techniques) and provide emergency treatment to patients. Quick reactions are essential for safety and therapeutic response. Such skills require coordination of both fine and gross muscular movement, equilibrium and functional use of touch and vision.
4. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: Nursing students must be able to effectively solve problems and have decision-making skills, which require the student to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate and synthesize information from various sources. Students must be able to perform these skills and abilities in a timely manner, especially in emergency situations. Students must be able to synthesize knowledge and integrate relevant information of a patient’s history and physical examination to develop an effective nursing intervention plan.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes: Nursing students must possess emotional health/psychological ability required for full use of their intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities inherent to diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, compassionate, and empathetic relationships and rapport with patients. Nursing students must be able to handle physically, mentally and emotionally taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. Students must be able to adapt to a changing environment, display flexibility and function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical patients’ experience. Ethical behavior must be demonstrated in the classroom and clinical settings at all times. Compassion, empathy, integrity, values, concern for others, interpersonal skills, and motivation are all personal qualities which will be assessed.
6. Nursing students must be able to use a computer to access various internet sites utilized in the nursing program as well as be able to write papers and do assignments throughout the program.
   
   It is the responsibility of the student to request appropriate accommodations. Emory & Henry College will provide reasonable accommodations for eligible students as long as accommodations do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program and do not impose an undue hardship such as those that cause a significant expense, difficulty, or are unduly disruptive to the educational process. To determine eligibility for accommodations, students should follow the procedures listed at:https://www.ehc.edu/office-student-success/disability-support-services/register-with-our-office/

Students needing accommodations are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Support Services as soon as possible; DISCLOSURE BEFORE BEING OFFERED ADMISSION IS NOT REQUIRED. Applicants/students with disabilities who meet the above technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, shall not be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, nor be subjected to discrimination in the Emory & Henry College School of Nursing.