Standards of Performance

Students in the School of Nursing are expected to adhere to standards of performance and ethics that are the foundation of the nursing profession.  These standards include:

•  IU Southeast Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct;
•  American Nurses Association (ANA) Standards of Professional Performance;
•  ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses; and
•  IU Southeast School of Nursing Essential Abilities (see below). 

Essential Abilities

Students accepted into the IU Southeast School of Nursing program will need the cognitive ability, emotional stability, and physical endurance to complete the program and practice professional nursing.  When determining professional suitability for the practice of nursing, the student must be able to do the following: exercise safe judgments based on assessment data, remain visibly calm in emergency situations, interact in a caring manner with others, follow directions, be flexible, and demonstrate honesty, integrity, commitment, cooperation, respect, and accountability.  The student must not pose a significant risk to the health and safety of self or others.  Qualified applicants are expected to meet all admission criteria and matriculating students are expected to meet all progression criteria, as well as the following essential abilities:

1. Essential judgment skills to include:  ability to identify, assess, and comprehend conditions surrounding patient situations for the purpose of problem solving around patient conditions and coming to appropriate conclusions and/or course of actions.
2. Essential physical/neurological functions to include:  ability to use the senses of seeing, hearing, touch, and smell to make correct judgments regarding patient conditions and meet physical expectations to perform required interventions for the purpose of demonstrating competence to safely engage in the practice of nursing.  Behaviors that demonstrate essential neurological and physical functions include, but are not limited to observation, listening, understanding relationships, writing, and psychomotor abilities consistent with course and program expectations.
3. Essential communication skills to include:  ability to communicate effectively with fellow students, faculty, patients, and all members of the health care team.  Skills include verbal, written, and nonverbal abilities as well as information technology skills consistent with effective communication.
4. Essential emotional coping skills:  ability to demonstrate the mental health necessary to safely engage in the practice of nursing as determined by professional standards of practice.
5. Essential intellectual/conceptual skills to include:  ability to measure, calculate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate to engage competently in the safe practice of nursing.
6. Other essential behavioral attributes:  ability to engage in activities consistent with safe nursing practice without demonstrated behaviors of addiction to, abuse of, or dependence on alcohol or other drugs that may impair behavior or judgment.  The student must demonstrate responsibility and accountability for actions as a student in the School of Nursing and as a developing professional nurse consistent with accepted standards of practice (School of Nursing, General Policies, C-5 - Essential Abilities).

Students failing to meet these essential abilities, as determined by faculty, at any point in their academic program may have their progress interrupted until they have demonstrated their ability to meet these essential abilities within negotiated time frames.  Refer to Student Policies for more information.

Social Media and Electronic Communication

As future professional nurses with a unique obligation and responsibility, nursing students must be cognizant of the public nature of social media and other electronic communication and the permanent nature of communicating therein.  These technologies may give the impression of privacy, but postings and other data should be considered in the public realm and freely visible by many people.  State and Federal regulations related to confidentiality, along with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), require that no patient information be made available to the public.  These regulations apply to comments made on social networking sites, and violators are subject to the same disciplinary action as with other HIPAA violations

Policy

1. Indiana Southeast logos may not be used on any social media without the approval of the Indiana University Southeast School of Nursing.
2. Students in the Nursing Program at Indiana University Southeast will:
   • Post no content or otherwise speak on the behalf of the clinical agency or School of Nursing unless approved by the instructor and clinical agency.
   • Promptly report any identified breach of confidentiality or privacy to the instructor and appropriate authority within the clinical facility (NCSBN, 2011e)
   • Transmit by way of any electronic media, no patient related information or images.  In addition, student nurses are restricted from transmitting any information that may be reasonably anticipated to violate patient rights to confidentiality or privacy or otherwise degrade or embarrass a patient (NCSBN, 2011e).
   • Share, post, or otherwise disseminate no information, including images, about a patient or information gained in the nurse-patient relationship with anyone unless there is a patient care related need to disclose the information or other legal obligation to do so (NCSBN, 2011e).
   • Identify no patient by name or post or publish information that may lead to the identification of a patient.  Limiting access to postings through privacy settings is not sufficient to ensure privacy (NCSBN, 2011e).
   • Refer to no patients in a disparaging manner, even if the patient is not identified (NCSBN, 2011e).
   • Take no photos or videos of patients on personal devices, including cell phones.  Follow employer policies for taking photographs or video of patients for treatment of or other legitimate purposes using employer provided devices.
   • Maintain professional boundaries in the use of electronic media.  Online contact with patients or former patients blurs the distinction between a professional and personal relationship and is not permitted (NCSBN, 2011e).
   • Refrain from accessing any personal social networking sites while in the clinical setting.

Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action and/or dismissal from the School of Nursing.

Guidelines for Ethical/Professional Behavior

Professionalism

1. Communications within social network sites or other electronic communication sites are subject to the same professional standards as any other personal interactions.
2. Statements made by nursing students within online networks will be treated as if the nursing student verbally made the statement in a public place.
3. Nursing students will not violate copyrighted or trademarked materials.
4. Comments made regarding care of patients or that portray nursing students or a colleague in an unprofessional manner can be used in court or other disciplinary proceedings, such as those conducted by State Nursing Licensing Boards.
5. Nursing students should monitor the postings on their profile.  It may be useful to block postings from individuals who post unprofessional content.
6. Statements and photos posted online are potentially viewable by future employers.  It is not uncommon for potential employers to search for the social network profiles of potential hires.
7. Avoid giving specific nursing advice.
8. Nursing students will not make disparaging remarks about clinical agencies, School of Nursing employees, or colleagues.
9. Do not make threatening, harassing, profane, obscene, sexually explicit, racially derogatory, homophobic or other offensive comments (NCSBN, 2011e).

Privacy

1. Because these sites change continuously, it is advisable to closely monitor the privacy settings for social network accounts to optimize their privacy and security.
2. It is advisable that nursing students set their privacy profile so that only those people who are provided access may see personal information and photos.
3. Avoid sharing identification numbers on a personal profile.  This includes the student identification number, address, telephone numbers, social security number, passport numbers, driver's license numbers, birth date, or any other data that could be used to obtain personal records.

It is wise to "untag" yourself from any online photos as a general rule, and to refrain from tagging others unless explicit permission has been given by the individual to do so.  It is the nursing student's responsibility to make sure that these photos are appropriate and are not embarrassing or professionally compromising.

Confidentiality

1. First and foremost, nursing students must recognize that they have an ethical and legal obligation to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality at all times (NCSBN, 2011e).
2. Patient privacy measures taken in any public forum apply to social networking sites as well.
3. Online discussion of specific patients should be avoided, even if all identifying information is excluded.

Social Media in the Clinical Setting

1. Nursing students will be aware of social networking policies in all clinical patient sites.

ANA Standards of Professional Performance

The American Nurses Association has implemented Standards of Professional Performance (2010) that describe a competent level of behavior in the professional role.  Registered nurses are accountable for their professional actions to themselves, their patients, their peers, and ultimately to society.

1. The registered nurse practices ethically.
2. The registered nurse attains knowledge and competency that reflects current nursing practice.
3. The registered nurse integrates evidence and research findings into practice.
4. The registered nurse contributes to quality nursing practice.
5. The registered nurse communicates effectively in all areas of practice.
6. The registered nurse demonstrates leadership in the professional practice settings and the profession.
7. The registered nurse collaborates with healthcare consumer, family and others in the conduct of nursing practice.
8. The registered nurse evaluates her or his own nursing practice in relation to professional practice standards and guidelines, relevant statutes, rules, and regulations.
9. The registered nurse utilizes appropriate resources to plan and provide nursing services that are safe, effective, and financially responsible.
10. The registered nurse practices in an environmentally safe and healthy manner.

ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses

Each person, upon entering the nursing profession, inherits a measure of the responsibility and trust associated with the profession, along with the corresponding obligation to adhere to the standards of ethical practice and conduct it has set.  Nursing students are expected to show responsibility in their behavior; to deal with faculty, peers, patients, and clinical staff in a direct and honest manner; and to be professional in their conduct.  Students who violate accepted standards for professional nursing may be discharged from the program.  The Code of Ethics for Nurses was adopted by the American Nurses Association in 1950 and revised in 1960, 1968, 1976, 1985, and 2001 (Reissued in 2010).

1. The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and unique attributes of every person.
2. The nurse's primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community or population.
3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.
4. The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care.
5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth.
6. The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environments of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.
7. The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy.
8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.
9. The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organizations, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy.

Student Nurses Association (SNA)

With membership of approximately 50,000 nursing students nationwide, the National Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) mentors the professional development of future nurses and facilitates their entrance into the profession by providing educational resources, leadership opportunities, and career guidance.

Indiana University Southeast School of Nursing students are encouraged to join the SNA as sophomores to gain experience for leadership positions in the association as juniors and seniors.

Students are also encouraged to become involved in other IU Southeast student groups, activities, programs, and leadership experiences.  For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life.

Assessment of Student Learning—Basic students only

At specified times in the BSN nursing curriculum, student knowledge and skills are assessed to determine if students are progressing as expected toward expected outcomes:

• Preliminary Assessment
  • Students take this test as part of the admission process.  The assessment includes measures of reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and math.  A weighted score composed of 25% reading comprehension score and 75% pre-nursing GPA is used to rank students for admission to the nursing major.   
• Intra-curricular Assessments:
  • Testing occurs periodically during the student's progression through the program.
• Exit Exam
  • The final assessment occurs in the fourth year, spring semester.