Policies & Procedures
Undergraduate Policies
Practicum and Clinical Absence Policy
Students are required to participate in all regularly scheduled or substituted clinical practicums. Clinical practicums are defined as: practicum/clinical/simulation/Inter-Professional Education/laboratory experiences as they strive to meet course objectives/outcomes. Students must complete 37.5 clinical hours for every course credit hour. Failure to complete all regularly scheduled or substituted clinical practicums places the student at risk for not meeting course objectives. Students absent from clinical practicums may receive a failing grade if the absence is not appropriately communicated and/or the amount of missed clinical hours exceeds the amount of time that clinical faculty can accommodate for make-up. Students may also be allowed to withdraw according to IUSON Policy VI-A-12 if clinical hours cannot be made up, or take an incomplete according to University policy as dictated by the timing and circumstances surrounding the absences.
- If a student has a special circumstance for requesting an absence from a clinical day, the student is responsible for contacting the clinical faculty and course leader within the first week of the semester. The clinical faculty and course leader, with input from department leadership, will discuss the situation and decide whether the absence is permissible. Job commitments, planned trips, or needing to take a day off are not sufficient excuses for missing clinical practicums. Students who are non-compliant with immunization policies will not be allowed to participate in clinical. Nursing-related job interviews and/or professional conference attendance may be considered a permissible clinical absence at the discretion of faculty.
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Expectations regarding faculty notification of a clinical absence will be published in course material and may differ from course to course. During the practicum orientation, course faculty will inform students of their preferred notification method (e.g., phone call, email) and time (e.g., at least one hour prior to the scheduled experience except in the case of emergency). While a phone call or text may be the initial method of notification, a mandatory email through Canvas to confirm a clinical absence is also required.
- Missing clinical orientation may result in the student needing to withdraw from clinical if there are pre-requisites to clinical that cannot be replicated (e.g., computer training only offered on orientation day).
- Students are responsible for notifying clinical faculty prior to a scheduled clinical practicum when there is an illness or personal crisis preventing them from safely and effectively participating in the learning experience. Clinical attendance is not allowed if the student has had symptoms of a communicable disease in the past 24 hours. Students attending clinical must be fit for duty as outlined in Policy AFS-06 All Students Essential Abilities.
- Students are also responsible for notifying the appropriate agency contacts (e.g., preceptor, person(s) on the clinical unit and/or other care settings) by the published, designated notification method and time if they will be unable to safely and effectively participate in the learning experience.
- Students who do not notify course faculty and appropriate agency contacts as outlined in procedures three and four may fail clinical and receive a course grade of “F”. This includes any “no call, no show” absences.
- Students, who are absent from a required, regularly scheduled or substituted clinical practicum must contact course faculty within 24 hours of the absence to determine the consequence of the absence. If the clinical course schedules make-up days, these will be listed on the practicum schedule and students will be informed during orientation that these days are to be kept open as needed for clinical make-up. These clinical make-up days are not alternative options for regularly scheduled clinical days. Clinical make-up days are intended for illnesses, snow days, and unexpected circumstances that may occur preventing students and/or faculty from safely and effectively participating in clinical.
- Faculty will determine and schedule any substitute-learning opportunities for students who are absent from clinical. Consideration for this option is defined by course objectives/outcomes, student learning needs, and available resources (e.g., there may not be enough time left in the rotation for faculty to effectively evaluate student achievement of course competencies).
- Clinical absences associated with pregnancy and/or childbirth (in accordance with Title IX), severe illness and/or injury (e.g., severe injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident, cancer treatment), and ordered military duty or jury duty will be permitted. In these circumstances, students may be assigned an incomplete if hours are not made up in the current semester. Students who are assigned an incomplete will have one year (from the time of absence) to complete all required hours.
- Students must be on time to the assigned clinical unit. On time means that students are fully prepared at the designated facility location and start time, as determined by the clinical faculty.
- Upon the first clinical tardy or absence, a learning contract will be initiated by faculty. This contract is not punitive but serves to outline an improvement plan for students to successfully meet the clinical course competencies (e.g., professionalism). Excessive tardiness (2 or more occurrences) can be documented as a clinical absence and may result in failure of the course. Other appropriate consequences of missing required, regularly scheduled or substituted clinical practicums can be determined by course faculty according to published course expectations (e.g., loss of points).
Please refer to School of Nursing Policy AFS-22.
Last updated April 2021
