• Articulate the role of generalist registered nurse and begin to assume responsibility for professional practice within the discipline of nursing. Develop a working knowledge of emotional intelligence, incorporate self-care and the use of feedback and reflection for improvement.
• Begin applying frameworks for critical thinking and decision making in nursing, demonstrate accountability for decisions and actions. Work to improve flexibility, organizational skills, and resiliency. Integrates assessment skills into and uses findings as a basis for nursing care plans which reflect the unique needs and goals for each patient.
• Articulate responsibilities of the members of the multidisciplinary health care team, respect contributions of all team members, and demonstrate the ability to develop working relationships.
• Demonstrate clinical reasoning and intellectual curiosity by incorporating knowledge from nursing, previous learning and personal knowledge. Utilize EBP. Begin applying frameworks for critical thinking and decision making in nursing, demonstrate accountability for decisions and actions. Work to improve flexibility, organizational skills, and resiliency.
• Practice within legal and ethical frameworks; demonstrate personal and professional values when addressing common clinical problems presenting typical legal and ethical challenges.
• Demonstrate a basic knowledge of professional communication (in its various forms) and utilize effective skills with colleagues and clients.

Grade Scheme

Assignment Outline

• Students will:
• Actively participate in lab discussions and activities.
• Demonstrate a positive, professional attitude and respect toward the program, lab coordinator, faculty, and peers.
• Come prepared with required materials and demonstrate engagement with assigned preparation.
• Be alert, attentive, and take responsibility for their own learning.
• Arrive on time for lab and return promptly from breaks.
• Exceptions to this policy may be made, as required, for student athletes, military members, or those with accommodations specific to this requirement through SUU's ADA Office.

Additional Information on Graded & Required Assignments and Activities

I. INITIAL DOCUMENTATION NEEDED FOR CLINICAL ROTATIONS

II. TRULA PEER WELLNESS COACHING ACTIVITY

III. NURSING PRACTICE LAB

• Hands must be clean with short nails (so they are not seen above the nail when looking at the palms of the hands). No polish of any kind may be worn.
• Hair must be pulled back or contained in some manner so that it is neat and not hanging in the student’s face. Facial hair should be trimmed neatly. Hair must be of natural color
• Jewelry should be limited to one ring, one watch, and four ear piercings (studs only). Jewelry must be able to be removed for sterile procedures.
• No gum chewing is permitted in the lab environment.
• Attempt to cover tattoos. If deemed offensive, they MUST be covered.
• Students may wear comfortable clothing in the lab but must be modest and appropriate. The less skin showing the better for the comfort of the manikins and the students.
• Closed toe shoes are required at all times while in the lab.

IV. COMPETENCY ASSESSMENTS/SCENARIOS

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT PERFORMANCE:

• Students are expected to “talk to” manikin/model/live person, utilizing communication techniques, questions and teaching appropriate to the scenario and procedure.
• Students are expected to THINK OUT LOUD while performing the assessment. Thinking out loud helps to clarify your actions to the assessor. For example, when donning PPE, state why you are doing so.
• Students are expected to “take action”. This means that they will show the steps in performing skills. The assessor/mentor is expecting to see the skill performed. The student should avoid statements like “I would normally put gloves on”. The student needs to don the gloves.
• A debriefing will occur immediately following the assessment, the student’s performance will be critiqued, and the student’s grade may be revealed. If it is a group situation, the students may be graded as a group or individually depending on the circumstances.
• Competency assessments are timed. A five-minute warning may be given to the students to make them aware of their time. Once the allotted time is up the competency assessment is over. Students are expected to perform the validation within the stipulated time, or they will lose points for all skills not yet performed.
• There may be an associated assignment after the competency assessment.
• Competency assessment times will be scheduled on the clinic spreadsheet. Students will be expected to be fluid on these days and come 15 minutes before their scheduled time and be prepared. Not being prepared or not arriving on time may result in a reduction of points.
• Competency assessments will build on the skills the students have learned in the lab. All skills/drugs will be listed on the practice scenarios they have had in class and the students will be expected to be familiar with them.
• Students will be expected to engage in critical thinking.

V. CLINICAL PERFORMANCE

• ~A clinic schedule has been devised that contains all the student clinicals for the semester. The assignment of the clinical schedule will be on the first day of class and will be randomly selected by each student. The clinic spreadsheet is fluid and changes may be made during the semester due to changes in availability. Only instructors may change the spreadsheet, but students are able to request changes via the instructor.
• ~Each student will have one horizontal line that contains the clinic rotations for the entire semester. Each space will denote the specific clinic site to attend. If a space is blank, there has been no clinical assigned on that day. Please plan to complete open lab hours and/or pass offs on these days.
• ~ Students may switch a clinical day for another clinical day of another classmate with permission of the course instructor. The student who wishes to swap their day will send an email stating the day of the desired switch and the date they wish to switch to, and who they are switching with, and the other student will be included on the same email. Students must adhere to the clinic schedule unless given permission to do otherwise. All changes need to be approved by the course instructor, and it should be in writing via email or the very least by text. Any student not getting approval for clinic day changes may lose participation points and risks getting a professional point.
• ~Students will text into a clinical site once they are at the assigned location indicating they have arrived and will then text out of the clinic site once they are done for the day. Students should text their assigned clinical instructor, even if they see them. The instructors phone numbers are on the clinic spreadsheet. The key in the clinic spreadsheet will indicate which instructor should be texted for each site. If a student does not text the appropriate instructor they may lose points for the day.

• ~Attend all scheduled clinical experiences. See policy on missed clinical days. Bring all equipment and forms needed. Points may be deducted as per the clinic rubric.
• ~Complete Clinical Worksheet or Care Plan as directed in Canvas depending upon clinic site. Each clinic experience will have some sort of assignment attached to it. All the assignments are due the Sunday after the clinic experience. There will be no due date in Canvas so it is up to the individual students to know when they are to turn in the assignment. The only assignment that is not due on the Sunday after the clinic is the care plan- which does have a due date towards the end of the semester. If a student chooses to do their care plan at a clinic site then they will not turn in anything the Sunday after that chosen clinic. If a student swaps a clinic day with another student, it is their responsibility to be sure they can complete all their clinic assignments. Due to the breadth and depth of care plan submissions, these assignments may require more time than typical assignments for faculty to evaluate thoroughly. Faculty will ensure that all care plans are graded and returned no later than the final grade reporting deadline as outlined in the university academic calendar.
• ~Most assignments can be submitted into Canvas more than once before the due date; but after the due date, or after the assignment has been graded the students cannot make revisions.
• ~ It is up to the student to verify that the correct assignment is being submitted into Canvas. Blank documents or incorrect assignments may not receive any points.
• ~ Failure to follow the assignment directions in Canvas may result in a loss of points for the assignment.
• ~Skills pass offs. These do not have a grade, but are pass/fail. These must be completed satisfactorily in order to participate in competency assessments and in order to successfully pass this course.
• ~Students must complete the required hours of clinical experiences to pass this course.
• ~Complete the required 16 hours of practice in the DON lab. Completion of these hours are required to pass this course.

Instructor's Response Time & Feedback

From the DON Faculty Handbook:

Semester long course guidelines: Emails from students in semester-long classes must be responded to within three business days (Definition of business day: Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and does not include holidays). All assignments must be graded within seven calendar days of due date for semester-long courses. If faculty need an extension to grade assignments because of assignment length, holiday, or other circumstances, faculty will notify students in advance. Assignments need to be graded in sufficient time to allow students to improve and build upon their learning for subsequent assignments.

Student Expectations

As adult learners in a professional program, students are expected to be engaged, accountable, and respectful participants in all aspects of class and clinical learning. The following expectations apply:

1. Preparation and Participation

• Complete course module readings and activities within the assigned time frames.
• Be fully engaged in class, labs, and discussions, and take responsibility for your own learning.
• Participate actively and respectfully in collaborative work and group discussions.

2. Professional Conduct

• Collaborate professionally with peers, demonstrating respect, courtesy, and integrity.
• Uphold HIPAA standards—classroom and lab discussions may include sensitive or personal material that must remain confidential and not be shared outside of class.
• Store cell phones and smart devices away and keep them on silent mode during class.

3. Growth and Development

• Critical thinking skills.
• Evidence-based practice informed by patient-centered concerns.
• Knowledge of both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment approaches.
• Sensitivity to patient and family characteristics and circumstances.
• Scholarly self and peer critique.
• Professional communication.
• Demonstrate continual growth in:
• Demonstrate increasing application of the course outcomes throughout the semester.

4. Commitment to the Program

• Recognize that nursing school is rigorous and should be a top priority over the next two years.
• Be available for all scheduled class and clinical days; do not request time off before the official end of the term.

5. Communication and Accountability

• Follow directions in class and clinical exactly as they are presented, asking questions for clarification when needed.
• Do not rely on past students or group chats as sources of instruction.
• Use the Chain of Command/Communication to resolve issues: first address concerns with your instructor; if unresolved, then contact your advisor; if still unresolved, escalate to the pre-licensure lead; and finally, the Nursing Department Chair if necessary.

Professional Policy & Conduct

Professionalism is a core expectation of the nursing program. In addition to satisfactory academic performance, students must demonstrate professional behavior in all settings—classroom, lab, clinical, and community. The Department of Nursing reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from the SUU Nursing Program if the student is deemed unsuited to continue in the study or practice of nursing due to unprofessional conduct.

Professional Practice Monitoring

Professional behavior is guided by the Professional Definition Policy and the Professional Practice Occurrence Policy found in the SUU Nursing Student Handbook.

Unprofessional behavior may result in a SAFE Professional-Practice Occurrence Report (“point”) being filed. Please review the Student Handbook for a complete explanation of the occurrence system and related consequences.

Expectations of Professional Conduct

Professional conduct begins in the classroom and clinical lab and is monitored through faculty observation and program rubrics.

Students are expected to demonstrate behaviors consistent with nursing industry standards: cleanliness, neatness, courtesy, engagement, integrity, and accountability.

Social media use must align with professional standards. Students are public representatives of the nursing profession and must always honor HIPAA and patient privacy. Think carefully before posting online.

Work and School Balance

SUU Nursing follows Intermountain Health’s standard requiring at least 8 hours of rest between work and clinical/class shifts.

Clinical rotations are considered “shifts.” Students who arrive to clinical or class after insufficient rest, fall asleep, appear unsafe, or fail to engage may be asked to leave. This may result in a clinical occurrence (point) and/or loss of participation points.

These expectations apply to all students, not only those working night shifts.

Late Assignments & Make-Up Work

Papers/assignments are due at the time designated. Some assignments will have a due date listed in Canvas and others may state specifically in the assignment instructions that they are due on a certain day after a certain event. There will be no late assignments accepted and there will be no extensions. You are embarking upon a career where you are expected to be timely; those expectations start here. Please plan accordingly! Computer systems are great when they work-they invariably fail the day the assignment is due, so turn your work in early. It is the student’s responsibility to check if the correct assignment is uploaded into Canvas. No points will be awarded for incorrect submissions. Points may be deducted for incomplete submissions. Students are responsible for making sure they understand when an assignment is due and to turn it in accordingly.

Tickets to lab are due at the time designated in Canvas. If the assignment is missing from Canvas, the student may be asked to leave lab until the ticket is turned in and may incur all penalties associated with not being in class, such as a loss of participation points and/or accruing a professional point.

Most assignments will have due dates in Canvas, but some clinical assignments will not and are due after a clinic rotation is done. It will be stated in the clinic assignment what day the assignment is due after the clinic rotation (usually Sunday). It is the student’s responsibility to check the instructions for the assignments and know when they are due.

Make-up work for extra credit or in place of missed assignments for classes will not be provided.

Exceptions to this policy may be made, as required, for student athletes, military members, or those with accommodations specific to this requirement through SUU's ADA Office.

VI. UNIFORM AND APPEARANCE:

SUU uniform scrubs are MANDATORY on clinic days, on competency assessment/scenario days, and where designated by faculty (please refer to the clinical spreadsheet).

In addition to Policy# F2F17, page 25 -Uniform and Appearance, the following guidelines will be strictly adhered to in the community clinical and the competency assessment/validation settings:

• Scrubs should be clean and pressed. A student may wear a black, white, or bright SUU red undershirt.
• Students may wear a black jacket without a hood. Only the SUU logo is allowed.
• Hands must be clean with short nails (so they are not seen above the nail when looking at the palms of the hands). No polish of any kind may be worn.
• Hair must be pulled back or contained in some manner so that it is neat and not hanging in the student’s face. Facial hair should be trimmed neatly. Hair must be of natural color.
• Students may wear a back, white, or bright SUU red headband. Headbands should not be worn to conceal any unauthorized jewelry or hair coloring.
• Jewelry should be limited to one ring, one watch, and four ear piercings (studs only). Jewelry must be able to be removed for sterile procedures.
• If joggers are worn, the socks that are visible should be mostly black, grey, or white.
• Tennis shoes/soles need to be clean solid colors black, gray, or white and can have subtle accent colors. They should match the uniforms and be closed toe.
• The correct badge will be worn. Lab activities and facilities that do not require their own badge (like Intermountain) will require the SUU picture ID to be worn on the upper part of the uniform (close to eye level). Intermountain and SUU badges may be worn back to back on the same clip. If a badge is not appropriately displayed a student may be sent home to retrieve it and may receive a professional point if they miss an inappropriate amount of their clinical day.
• Attempt to cover tattoos. If deemed offensive, they MUST be covered.
• No gum chewing is permitted in the clinical or lab environments.
• Skills pocket card (given out by the course faculty prior to clinicals), protective eye wear, a face mask, a pen, penlight (penlight will be provided by SUU Nursing), scissors (scissors will be provided by SUU Nursing), watch, and stethoscope are all considered part of your uniform. Some of this equipment may be given to you by the department of nursing prior to starting clinicals. Please ask prior to purchasing any of the required equipment if you have any questions.
• Please do not take your computer to clinical sites. Instead, print documents ahead of time (for example, the care plan) that you may need during a clinical shift.

If students do not adhere to these rules, they risk losing performance points for the day and/or obtaining a professional point and/or being asked to leave the clinical environment.

AI Policy

When students use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process for this course, students should only use these technologies to improve readability and language, or to generate a basic skeleton of ideas for assignment content. Applying these technologies should be done with careful oversight, and students should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate good-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. SUU Policy#6.33 on academic integrity should be followed when using AI. If you are unsure to what extent to use AI as part of an assignment, please reach out to me before the assignment is due. If a student uses AI-assisted technologies, the student should disclose in their assignment the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the assignment by following the instructions below. This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement. Any assignment which has been determined by the professor (using the tools provided by SUU to monitor academic integrity) to have been created using these technologies which were not disclosed by the student is subject to failure.

Disclosure Instructions:

Students must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding this statement at the end of their assignment:

Statement: During the preparation of this work [THE STUDENT(S)] used [NAME TOOL /SERVICE] in order to [REASON].

Course Academic Integrity Policy

Assignments that require a written response must be in your own words. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes “(1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words” (Hacker 2003:383). As a control against plagiarism, your written assignments may be submitted to a system that identifies papers containing unoriginal material.

Please pay special attention to this section with regard to care plans!

Cheating will not be tolerated. Looking at (not just copying) another person’s paper during a test or quiz is considered cheating. Copying another person’s assignment is considered cheating and both parties are considered guilty. The punishment is an F for the assignment or exam. It is also considered cheating to share components of an assignment, such as a care plan. If two papers are identical, and it is obvious they are not in the student’s own words, the students in question may receive a failing grade for that paper.

A note about nursing lab competency assessments: These assessments are performance examinations in testing situations! Talking with other students once testing begins is considered cheating. You may not discuss the concepts in the competency assessment with other students. Students waiting in the hall to do their assessment are off limits to students who have already tested. If words are exchanged between these two parties it will be considered cheating and both students may receive a failing grade on their competency assessment or a loss of points.

This class provides many hands-on learning opportunities that cannot be simulated in anything other than a live environment. Therefore, live class attendance is mandatory.

Students must attend all scheduled nursing lab and clinical assignments. One hundred and eighty (180) hours of combined class and lab time are required to successfully complete this course.

Clinical Attendance:

• If you need to cancel a clinical due to inclement weather, you must notify your professor at least 90 minutes before the scheduled start time.
• A missed clinical may be rescheduled only if availability allows.
• Clinicals are required to pass this course. If a clinical cannot be rescheduled due to lack of availability it may negatively impact course progression.

Lab Attendance:

• If you miss a lab session, you may receive a professional point and risk losing assignment and/or activity points. You are responsible for contacting the course faculty to schedule makeup hours, which will depend on faculty availability.
• If you fail to attend the scheduled makeup session, you may receive a professional point and risk losing assignment and/or activity points.
• Missing required lab events may result in negative consequences toward course progression, as participation in all lab activities is required to pass this class.
• Exceptions to this policy may be made, as required, for student athletes, military members, or those with accommodations specific to this requirement through SUU's ADA Office.

Tardiness:

• Being late is not acceptable.
• A student is considered tardy at one minute past the scheduled start time.
• Tardiness may result in accruing a professional point, as it reflects poor planning.

No Call / No Show:

• Defined as: failing to call or text the instructor prior to the start time and arriving 30 minutes or more late to clinical or lab.
• The instructor may attempt to call or text the student to ensure their safety, but this still constitutes a no call/ no show on the student’s part.
• It is at the clinical instructor’s discretion whether the student may continue, whether the clinic will be rescheduled, and whether a professional point/professional points will be given.

Clinical and Lab Expectations:

• All lab experiences (e.g., competency assessments), lab assignments, and clinical experiences count toward required clinical hours.
• Certain experiences (ex. skill pass offs, completion of open lab hours, completion of clinical hours) may be required to successfully complete the course.
• Students are never permitted to complete clinical experiences without the knowledge and direct supervision of faculty.

Missed Clinicals / Leaving Early:

• Missed clinicals, leaving early, or attending on an unassigned day—regardless of reason—may result in loss of participation points or a professional point/professional points being given.
• Faculty maintain final authority in determining whether missed clinical hours can be made up.

Schedule Swaps:

• If a conflict arises on a scheduled clinical day, you may swap with another student.
• Both students must email the course faculty in the same message to request prior approval.
• Only after approval will the schedule be officially updated.

Professional Responsibility:

Attendance at both practice lab and clinical must be treated as a top priority.

Student-Athletes & Military Service

If you are participating in SUU-sanctioned athletics or in Military Service, please submit a Letter of Intent to the course instructor at the start of the semester. You must also provide your complete game or meet schedule—including travel days and departure times—to allow for necessary accommodations in your clinical schedule.

This schedule must be submitted at least one month prior to the start of the semester.

Accommodations will be made for official NCAA-sanctioned events only. Practice sessions are not accommodated.

Regardless of athletic or military commitments, you must complete all required clinical hours within the semester. Failure to do so may result in an Incomplete grade until these hours are fulfilled.

The instructor will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your schedule while maintaining academic integrity.

You are expected to manage your own transportation and assume your own risks when traveling to and from classes, labs, or clinical experiences and when performing duties in class, lab, or clinical experiences. There are inherent risks involved in travel and in lab and clinical experiences. The most obvious risks are accidents, contracting infections or other communicable diseases, weather, or lack of parking. Please plan ahead and take common precautions to prevent accidents, infections and violence. Be prepared and be safe.

In the course of their training, students may encounter various clinical scenarios, including environments where communicable diseases such as COVID and RSV are present, reflecting the inherent nature of nursing. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be supplied to students in most clinical settings. However, in certain situations such as Home Health/Hospice, students are responsible for providing their own PPE (refer to required equipment). It is imperative that students adhere to the policies and procedures of the respective facilities, along with embracing best practices for the appropriate use of PPE in each clinical setting. While we acknowledge the potential exposure to communicable diseases, we do not impose limitations on students and expect them to provide care in all situations.