Clinical Decision-making

Evaluation Methods:

Course Content:

Dosage Calculation Quizzes:

1.         Twelve dosage calculation quizzes will be given over the semester.

2.         Dosage calculation quizzes may only be taken during class at the time of administration. There will be no “make up” quizzes.

3.         The two lowest scores on the quizzes will be dropped and the average of the 10 highest scores will be calculated into the overall course score.

4.         Each quiz will consist of 10 dosage calculation problems and the student will have 20 minutes to complete it

5.         Dosage calculation quizzes are to reflect the student’s individual effort, therefore collaboration , talking during the quiz, or having any physical or digital materials or equipment other than a four function calculator during the quiz will be considered academic dishonesty.

6.         The student must score at least a 90% average on the 10 dosage calculation quizzes to successfully complete the course.

Participation points:

1.         Throughout the semester opportunity will be given to earn participation points.

2.         Students must complete the assignment as instructed to receive the points.

3.         If the assignment is a classroom one, the student must be present to complete the assignment.

4.         Two assignments will be dropped and will not reflect on the student’s grade.

Exams

1. Two 50 multiple-choice question exams will be administered over the semester over content presented in the assigned readings and in class on the dates prior to the exam.
2. Each student will be need to submit in class one Nursing Parscore Scantron without any marks on it by Monday, January 28, 2013.
3. Exams are to reflect the student’s individual effort, therefore collaboration , talking during the exam, or having any physical or digital materials or equipment during the exam will be considered academic dishonesty.

Evolve Exit Exam:

1.         The Evolve Exit Exam will be administered twice over the semester and the conversion scores for each administration will be used in the calculation of the course grade as indicated under the section for Evaluation Methods.

2.         Case Studies, Patient Reviews and Practice tests are available through the Curriculum Test Code for students to prepare for this exam.

3.         Exams are to reflect the student’s individual effort, therefore collaboration , talking during the exam, or having any physical or digital materials or equipment during the exam will be considered academic dishonesty.

Clinical Content

1.         Each student will be required to complete 48 clinical hours with a preceptor, 10 clinical hours in the simulation lab, 12 hours in leadership areas, 12 hours of patient care conferences and 8 hours of patient care write-ups.

2.         The student will select clinical rotations from the offered areas. Absences may be rescheduled based on availability, if there is no longer available rotations, students will not be successful in completing the clinical hours. Therefore it is in the student’s best interest to arrange with a classmate to switch clinical rotations once the student realizes he or she is unable to attend the scheduled rotation.

3.         The student is to complete an evaluation of the preceptor following each clinical experience using the survey function in Desire 2 Learn.

4.         Clinical instructors will periodically visit the student and his/her preceptors.

5.         Students are to complete a clinical documentation form following each experience using the survey function in Desire 2 Learn. The completed forms are to be brought to the next scheduled patient care conference.

Clinical Simulation Lab

1.         Students will complete three clinical simulations at the Regional Simulation Center for a total of 10 hours.

2.         Students will sign up for three separate visits to the simulation center.

3.         Students are expected to bring equipment needed to provide patient care and to have the resources they would normally use during a clinical experience.      

4.         Students who are late to the simulation lab will be considered absent. Absences may be rescheduled depending on space availability. If it is not possible to reschedule a simulation experience, the student may elect to complete additional patient care experiences to obtain clinical hours if available.

There will be no rounding of grades.

Additional Course Requirements:

1.         Students must maintain satisfactory health as determined by the total faculty consensus.

2.         Clinical performance, campus and/or clinical laboratory, are evaluated. Students are expected to pass both clinical and classroom components of the course. Failure in either one will constitute failure in the course. A course average of at least 74% is required to successfully complete this course.

3.         Students must maintain a current immunization record on file at the Vinson Health Clinic plus proof of a current CPR card, validated Health Insurance and paid Liability Insurance on file with the Wilson School of Nursing secretary during the entire semester. In order to attend class or clinical experiences, each student MUST comply with each of these requirements. 

4.         Four function calculators are allowed during exams. The use of programmable calculators, statistical or graphing calculators and calculators stored on personal data assistant devices are NOT allowed. In addition, sharing a calculator with another student is NOT allowed. Calculators may not make a discernable noise during use.

5.         Faculty reserve the right to make changes at anytime to this syllabus.

6.         Students will be held accountable for all communications sent by faculty via the course’s Desire 2 Learn site; therefore, you will be expected to check the site for announcements, assignments, messages, etc. daily. Faculty asks that students use the discussion board or clinical group sites as a means to make a specific request, ask for content clarification, to submit clinical dates…and so forth…rather than using our school/work email addresses.

Academic Dishonesty Policy:

NURS 4613 adheres to the MSU Code of Conduct.  In particular, academic dishonesty, however small, creates a breach in academic integrity.  A student’s participation in this course comes with the expectation that his or her work will be completed in full observance of the MSU Code of Student Conduct.  A student should consult the current Student Handbook for answers to any questions about the code.

Students are encouraged to take full advantage of many resources available including online Desire 2 Learn course resources, Internet sites, other textbooks and journals, faculty, and peers when accomplishing objectives. This interactive collegial learning environment is conducive for life-long learning.

However, all components of NURS 4613 are designed to represent the efforts of each student INDIVIDUALLY and are NOT to be shared, copied, or plagiarized from other sources.  When students submit their efforts for grading, they are attesting they abided by this rule.

Academic dishonesty includes cheating, collusion, plagiarism or the acquisition of tests and other academic materials such as test banks without the permission of the faculty. Cheating, collusion, or plagiarism is defined as: (1) cheating - intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, equipment, or study aids in any academic exercise; (2) collusion - the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work offered for credit; (3) plagiarism - intentionally representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise.

Academic dishonesty (cheating, collusion, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated in this class. Whenever a student is unsure of whether a particular situation will be interpreted as academic dishonesty, he/she should ask the instructor for clarification. Any student found to be academically dishonest as defined above and under each assignment will automatically receive a grade of “F” for both the classroom and clinical components of the course.

MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT HONOR CREED

“As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else to do so.”

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception.

Thus, we, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters.

We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one’s own work, work or ideas which are not entirely one’s own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student.

We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed.

Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate

Disruptive Behaviors:

Behaviors that detract from the learning process will NOT be tolerated. Beepers and cellular phones are to be powered off during all class sessions and clinical experiences so that others will not be disturbed. In addition, disruptions occurring from students entering or leaving the classroom during class time will not be tolerated.

The Provost has received a number of complaints from students saying that when their peers are allowed to bring children into class it is disruptive, is not appreciated, and is considered inappropriate for a learning environment and is something they should not have to tolerate. Given these complaints, children are not to be brought to class.

Instructor Drop:

An instructor may drop a student any time during the semester for excessive absences, for consistently failing to meet class assignments, for an indifferent attitude, or for disruptive conduct. The instructor must give the student a verbal or written warning prior to being dropped from the class. An instructor’s drop of a student takes precedence over the student-initiated course drop of a later date. The instructor will assign a grade of either WF or F through the 8th week of a long 45 hours semester, the 6th week of a 10 week summer term, or the 11th class day of a 4 or 5 week summer term consisting of 20 days. After these periods the grade will be an F. The date the instructor drop form is received in the Office of the Registrar is the official drop date.

American Disability Act (ADA)

Midwestern State University does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s disability and complies with Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in its admission, accessibility, and employment of individuals in programs and activities.

MSU provides academic accommodations and auxiliary aids to individuals with disabilities, as defined by law, who are otherwise qualified to meet academic employment requirements. For assistance, call (940) 397-4140 or come by Disability Support Services in Clark Student Center room 168. Please see the instructor outside of class to make any arrangements involving special accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to declare any disabilities. After declaration, preferably at the beginning of each semester, the student needs to contact individual instructors to determine any reasonable accommodations that may be required.

Clinical Failure:

1.         Clinical failures are awarded students who fail to meet the objectives of the clinical experience, students who fail to uphold the ANA Practice Standards and the ANA Code of ethics, students who fail to maintain patient safety, and students who fail to complete all of their clinical hours.

Infractions constituting clinical failure:

STUDENTS ARE NOT TO ADMINISTER MEDICATIONS UNLESS DIRECTLY SUPERVISED BY A FACULTY MEMBER OR PRECEPTOR

Failure of the clinical component of the course occurs when the student receives an unsatisfactory rating in any area of the evaluation tool or does not complete 90 hours of clinical. Absences will be rescheduled at the discretion of the course coordinator. 

Certain behaviors result in an unsatisfactory rating in the professional behavior section of the evaluation rubric.

Three incidents of infractions to the standard of professional behavior to include but not limited to:

• Arriving to a clinical experience without completing the pre-clinical assignment even if allowed to stay in the clinical
• Not conforming to the dress code even if allowed to stay in the clinical
• Not bringing appropriate supplies to the clinical experience even if allowed to stay in the clinical
• Unprofessional/inappropriate language or gestures
• Unprofessional/inappropriate behavior such as disrespectful behavior, chewing gum, using tobacco products in non-smoking areas, disruptive behavior, or failure to comply with a written or verbal instruction including reminders to update immunizations and other clinical requirements
• Arriving late to any clinical site even if allowed to stay in the clinical
• Non-compliance with the policy to notify the instructor and the agency of a clinical absence prior to the absence or as soon as possible if immediate notification is not possible
• Non-compliance with the policy to receive written prior approval before attending the clinical and/or the policy to notify the clinical instructor of absences prior to attending the clinical or as soon as the student realizes he/she must leave the clinical experience.
• Leaving the premises without permission from the clinical instructor
• Failure to complete assignments by the due dates
• Failure to return from meals or breaks at the assigned time
• Use of a cell phone for calling, texting, e-mailing or receiving calls, texts or e-mails in the clinical area unless given permission by the clinical instructor

Two incidents of infractions to the standard of professional behavior to include but not limited to:

• Disregarding patient confidentiality without malice or intent to disclose
• Patient negligence that does not result in patient injury
• An error in care that does not harm a patient
• Committing two infractions from the list above as well as one in this list

Infractions to the standard of professional behavior that results in immediate failure of the clinical component of the course to include by not limited to:

• Administering medications without the direct supervision of a faculty member or preceptor
• Failing to check two patient identifiers prior to administering medications.
• The smell of alcohol on the breath
• Testing positive for illicit drugs or alcohol
• An error in care or patient negligence that harms a patient
• Falsification, omissions, and/or lying
• Intentionally revealing confidential information
• Placing self, staff or patient at risk of harm due to abandonment of duties and/or sleeping during clinical experiences
• Cheating, collusion, plagiarism, or stealing. Cheating/collusion/plagiarism – cheating means intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise; collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work offered for credit; plagiarism means intentionally representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise.
• Performing in an unsafe manner.
• Failure to report a patient care error or incident.
• Physical or verbal abuse of patients, patient’s family members, faculty or staff