Clinical Experience Placement Process
BSN Pre-licensure Clinical Placements
All students in the BSN pre-licensure program will be scheduled for an appropriate clinical experience to align with progression of didactic courses which form the core of the program. The CCO will work with you to ensure all health and safety and site required documents are verified and on file by the end of the first 8-week session. It is your responsibility to work to complete these requirements on a timely basis to ensure successful placement. Students will typically be notified a minimum of 3 weeks in advance of the beginning of clinical assignments. Transition to Practice Residency is a different process that is competitive.
Course/Faculty Evaluation:
As part of Aspen’s continued effort to offer courses of the highest quality and effectiveness, students will have the opportunity to evaluate the courses, clinical site as well as provide feedback on course faculty. Evaluations will be distributed to students prior to the end of the quarter. All evaluations are completely confidential and anonymous.
Clinical, Lab/Simulation, Seminar Attendance and Participation
Absences jeopardize a student’s successful progression and completion of the program. Absences result in probation. Students who are too ill to perform safely in clinical, lab/simulation or seminar should seek medical attention and contact their faculty prior to missing. Technology issues are not an excuse for absence.
Attendance of 100% is required for lab, simulation and clinical. Students are responsible for all material covered in class, in clinical, lab/simulation and in their assigned readings. Participation in the classroom and clinical experience is required to meet clinical course objectives and program outcomes.
Attendance at all seminars, discussions, clinical and laboratory courses is required. Students are expected to be on time to all scheduled activities. Students are required to notify faculty of any absence and/or anticipated tardiness. Individual faculty will discuss the mechanism for notification of absence. Absenteeism interferes with student attainment of course objectives and impacts the grade students receive in clinical and theory courses. Legitimate illness may be an excused absence when defined as:
- Death of an immediate family member
- a communicable disease which can be transmitted to patients, staff, or other students
- an illness which would be aggravated by attendance at seminar, lab, or clinical
- hospitalization
- all other requests for excused absences will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Students will be asked to submit within 48 hours to the course faculty/program director evidence of illness for the time periods they are absent from their school-related activities. Students should identify the date(s) of activity missed as well as ensure that the date range of illness coincides with the date(s) of absence. The evidence of illness should take the form of a doctor’s note, documentation of a doctor’s face to face or electronic office visit, note from an urgent care provider, etc.
Any student who has experienced an Emergency Department visit or hospitalization or an acute illness, trauma, surgery, or pregnancy/delivery will need a health care provider’s release to return. Such a release should provide information that attests to the fact that the student is physically and/or emotionally able to provide safe direct patient care.
Students who are concerned they may miss or must miss school activities due to pregnancy or extended illness may consider a leave of absence and should contact their Academic Advisor or contact disabilityservices@aspen.edu to discuss potential accommodation Make-up opportunities are not always possible or reasonable.
Students are also prohibited from leaving the clinical site campus for lunch.