Grade Scheme
Grades will be determined in the undergraduate programs using the following grading scale. To progress in the undergraduate program, students must pass each course with a C (74%) minimum.
| A | 100 % to 94.0% |
| A- | < 94.0 % to 90.0% |
| B+ | < 90.0 % to 87.0% |
| B | < 87.0 % to 84.0% |
| B- | < 84.0 % to 80.0% |
| C+ | < 80.0 % to 77.0% |
| C | < 77.0 % to 74.0% |
| F | < 74.0 % |
Assignment Outline
Attendance/Participation/Professionalism - 30%
Students are required to complete 180 hours of clinical experience to pass the course, which includes direct patient care, simulation, lab experiences, or virtual simulations. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in clinical rotations. Students are to arrive on time, wearing a facility badge, a stethoscope, and a clean SUU uniform. Students who receive a clinical point due to tardiness, patient safety care concerns, lack of engagement at clinical, unprofessionalism, etc. will be receive a deduction in participation points with a potential loss of all participation points for that day.
Students who are ill (diarrhea, cough, fever, vomiting, COVID-19 symptoms, etc.) will not care for patients. Faculty must be notified 60 minutes before clinical start time if a student is unable to attend due to sickness/injury. Clinical hours missed must be made up to pass the course. Makeups are not guaranteed and are based on clinical space availability.
Students will check in via Qualtrics survey to clinical sites and will not leave the facility during the rotation without the permission of instructor. Students are expected to attend mid-day conferences when in the hospital setting if applicable.
A loss of participation points and clinical point will occur for unprofessional behavior. Personal computer or cell phone use in patient care settings is considered unprofessional. If you have downtime at clinical sites, you are allowed to study with flash cards, hands-on textbooks, etc. All electronic devices must be used in the break room or other non-clinical settings.
During clinical time, students will refrain from:
- Taking verbal or telephone orders.
- Perform any invasive or potentially harmful task that they have not performed under the direction of the professor or professor’s designee.
- Interviewing for jobs.
- Napping or sleeping.
- Using laptops
- Using cell phones except for emergencies or at meal or break times
Clinical Evaluations - 10%
Students will complete a midterm and final clinical evaluation and meet with a level 2 faculty member to review to assess nursing skills, prioritization, critical thinking, medication administration, etc. Students are expected to progress in proficiency through the semester.
Competency Assessments - 15%
Competency Assessments include IV starts, central venous access device care and a final competency assessment simulation. Students will use critical thinking, prioritization, and apply knowledge gained from didactic learning in the classroom and experience gained in the clinical setting to provide evidence-based, safe nursing care in a simulated environment.
During competency assessment, students will contribute to making the skill/simulation as real as possible by interacting and performing nursing tasks as close as possible to those that which they would perform in a real-life scenario.
In the final competency assessment, students participate as a group in a simulation where they demonstrate patient safety, infection control, nursing skills, medication administration, full head-to-toe assessment, prioritization, etc.
SUU nursing uniforms must be worn on validation days.
Students may not practice live clinical skills outside of lab or clinical hours. Doing so will result in a clinical point.
Assignments - Grade Weight 25%
Students will demonstrate nursing knowledge, nursing process, critical thinking, and communication skills while drawing from clinical experiences in each care plan, reflection, and lab assignment. Assignment details, instructions, and rubrics are found in CANVAS.
Shadow Health Virtual Simulations - Grade Weight 10%
Students will demonstrate knowledge of acute nursing care in a variety of disease processes, body systems, and patient populations through virtual simulations via the Shadow Health platform. The virtual simulations count towards clinical hours, with a maximum of 10 hours awarded. Students must finish all Shadow Health assignments as they count towards clinical hours. Students who do not finish all Shadow Health assignments will receive a zero on all Shadow Health assignments and may possibly not pass the course due to a lack of clinical hours.
Open Lab Hours -Grade Weight 10%
Students will spend 10 hours in the nursing lab practicing and becoming competent in all nursing skills required in Levels I & II in the SUU nursing department.
Activities approved for open lab hours:
- Any level 1 or 2 nursing skill
- Virtual reality simulations (every student is required to participate in at least one)
- SimChart assignments/activities
- Head to assessment practice
- Psych D (if available) or Trula sessions (max 3 hours towards open lab hours)
- Any other activity listed in the Level 2 Lab binder
- Any other activity deemed appropriate by level 2 clinical faculty
Students will document time and skills practiced in the designated binder.
As self-motivated, active learners, students take initiative for their own learning by identifying skills that they do not feel competent in performing. Students can gain mastery skills and concepts by practicing them in the nursing lab environment.
Students must follow SUU clinical uniform expectations during open lab hours as described in the Department of Nursing Pre-licensure & Health Professionals Policies and Procedures Handbooks under Clinical Expectations, Uniform and Appearance.
Students who do not finish all Open Lab Hours will receive a zero and possibly not pass the course due to a lack of clinical hours.