Student Responsibilities
The University strives to treat students and student organizations in a consistent and fair manner while respecting their rights and responsibilities as members of the Aspen University community. We are committed to balancing the interest of the individual student or student organization with the needs of the community at large. Our goal is to uphold our institutional values.
All students who attend AU should be aware of their rights and responsibilities. AU policies are listed in the Aspen University Academic Catalog. You are expected to follow Aspen University’s policies listed in the catalog.
- Have medication cards or medication book available while caring for the patient. Highlight or tab the essential information
- Perform nursing care, perform skills, and administer medications
- Record on appropriate chart forms basic care given, medications administered, skills performed and assessment data obtained (where applicable)
- Report to assigned RN and clinical faculty any changes in condition promptly
- Report to assigned RN any abnormal assessment findings
- Report to assigned RN before leaving the unit for any reason
- Work as a member of the health team with staff (i.e., answer lights, pass trays, bathe patients, make beds, collaborate when appropriate)
- Seek additional experience on patients other than assigned patient(s). Let clinical faculty know of special interest and s/he will help you find them. Be proactive with your nurses and let them know you want to go with them to learn or would like to do the skill.
- Keep track of skills on psychomotor skills list
- Evaluate the clinical site (see Appendices)
- Students may not do the following. A student who fails to follow these guidelines will be placed on clinical probation after one incident.
- Take verbal orders or phone order from a doctor or primary care provider
- Transcribe orders
- Witness permits or advanced directives
- Care for patients with active tuberculosis (TB)
- Provide patient care or perform procedures, etc., unless their clinical faculty member is on the hospital premises
- Administer any IV medication without instructor or RN present
- Leave clinical setting for any reason without instructor's approval
- Start IVs or draw blood without instructor or RN supervising
- Administer blood products except albumin
- Silence any alarm without licensed nursing staff present
- Administer IV push drugs in an emergency code situation
- Administer narcotics
- Administer any medications or perform any invasive procedure without direct supervision of the clinical instructor or the staff nurse. This includes changing any programmed information on any monitoring devices including IV pumps.
Scheduling of Clinical Hours
The student’s personal and work schedules are expected to accommodate the required number of hours required in each course.
Students must meet all orientation, health and safety, and administration expectations of the facility 45 days before scheduled field experiences. Students are not permitted to begin hours PRIOR, AFTER or ADDITIONAL to the start/end date of the course.
Failure/Program Expulsion
If you fail to meet the course objectives, policies, and procedures outlined in the classroom and this manual, you may face failure or program expulsion. You must repeat any failed courses before moving on to the next course outlined in your program of study. A Code of Conduct violation will be filed by the faculty for any action that results in clinical failure. Clinical experience or Clinical course failure may result in a failure of the co-requisite didactic course. Examples of clinical failure, program expulsion, or Code of Conduct violation actions, include but are not limited to:
- Compromising Aspen University’s relationship with any site
- Compromising safety in any form
- Plagiarism and unethical conduct resulting in Code of Conduct Violations
Dosage Calculation Tests
Accurate computation of medication dosages and solutions is an essential competency for safe nursing practice. To establish the achievement of this competency, students will be required to obtain a passing score of 100% on a medication calculation test. Students will have three attempts to obtain a score of 100%. Remediation will be required after each unsuccessful attempt on the medication calculation test. If a student does not earn a passing grade of 100% by the third attempt, the student will earn a grade of “U” for this course.