Policies & Procedures
Undergraduate Policies
Practicum and Clinical Absence Policy
Students are required to successfully complete a minimum number of clinical hours in each clinical practicum course as listed in the course syllabus.
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. Faculty plan clinical practicum experiences based on the course competencies and the time associated with participating in these planned learning activities when determining the type, quantity, and quality of clinical practice experiences.
Attendance Requirements
- Each course syllabus will list the required number of clinical hours, the planned clinical experiences, and clinical practicum performance expectations. Upon registration for the course, students should plan to be in clinical for the times and dates listed for the assigned section.
- Each clinical course will have scheduled clinical make-up hours in each rotation to accommodate clinical absences. Students who are absent from clinical experiences are expected to attend the scheduled make up day. 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.
- Students who need an additional make up day to meet course competencies will be required to attend the campus specific Clinical Make Up Day at the end of the semester. Students who require this option will have a clinical make up fee assessed to their bursar account.
- Failure to successfully complete all regularly scheduled or substituted clinical practicums places the student at risk for not meeting course objectives and a grade of unsatisfactory in the clinical course.
- Missing clinical orientation may result in the student needing to withdraw from the course if there are pre-requisites to clinical that cannot be replicated (for example- computer training)
- 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.
- All students will be required to sign the IUSON Clinical Practicum Expectations document at the beginning of the nursing program. Any student who is found to be not compliant with these expectations may be required to leave the clinical practicum experience. Eligibility to make up the clinical experience is at the discretion of the clinical faculty. Inability to complete the total required number of clinical hours will result in failure of the clinical practicum course.
- 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.
Procedure for Communicating Absences
- Students will follow procedures for communicating with faculty outlined in the syllabus.
- 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 Methods of communication (e.g., phone call, email) may vary across courses and students should follow the procedures outlined in the course syllabus.
- Additionally, a mandatory email to confirm a clinical absence is also required. 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 in the course syllabus may fail clinical practicum. This includes any “no call, no show” absences.
Tardiness
- 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 remediation plan will be initiated by faculty. This document 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) will be documented as a clinical absence and may result in failure of the course.
Please refer to School of Nursing Policy AFS-22.
Last updated April 2023
