Expectations for Professional Behaviors for Nursing Students

Nursing students are held to a high level of professional conduct.

Plagiarism
Academic Integrity Concerns
Discrimination: The unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. (American Psychological Association (2022), Discrimination: What it is, and how to cope.)
Incivility: Engaging in one or more rude, discourteous, or disrespectful actions that may or may not have a negative intent behind them. (American Nurses’ Association (n.d.) Violence, Incivility, & Bullying.)
Bullying: Engaging in repeated, unwanted, harmful actions intended to humiliate, offend, and cause distress in the recipient. (American Nurses’ Association (n.d.) Violence, Incivility, & Bullying.)
Unethical Use of Social Networks: Communicating negative, harmful, demeaning, and libelous comments, photographs, etc. about students, faculty, staff, clinical affiliates, SONHS, Aspen University, or anyone else associated with Aspen University, including HIPPA-protected information.
Nurse-Client Relationships: Students must assume personal responsibility for being in
physical and mental condition to give safe nursing care and for the knowledge and skills

necessary to give this care.
- Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to:
- Providing client care in a predictably unsafe or harmful manner, for example:
  - carrying out a procedure without competence or without guidance of a qualified person.
  - willfully or intentionally carrying out physical and/or mental harm to a client.
  - exhibiting careless or negligent behavior in connection with the care of a client.
  - refusing to assume the assigned and necessary care of a client and failing to inform the faculty with immediacy so that an alternative measure for care can be found.
- Disrespecting the privacy of a client, classmate, faculty, or institution:
  - using the full name of a client in a written assignment and/or removing any data generated by the clinical facility of any sort and in any form and by any means (electronic; photographs; paper copies) from the clinical area.
  - discussing confidential information in inappropriate areas, such as elevators, cafeteria, parking structures, etc.
  - discussing confidential information about a client with third parties who do not have a clear and legitimate need to know.
- Falsifying client records or fabricating client experiences.
- Failing to report omission of or error in treatments or medications.
Disruptive Behavior in the Learning Environment: Conduct that is hostile, uncivil, disrespectful of the rights and property of others, denotes a clear uncooperative demeanor with Aspen University or SONHS policy or any behavior that obstructs or disrupts the learning environment (e.g., offensive language to include cursing, harassment, bullying, repeated outbursts which disrupts the flow of instruction, excessive talking amongst peers verbal, written or via chat, or the use of any electronic device which disturbs others).

Violations of Code of Ethics or Professional Expectations

Disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to verbal or written reprimand, immediate removal from the classroom, lab, simulation, clinical setting, or campus, expulsion from the University or any other action deemed appropriate for violations of the student’s responsibilities. Each incident and each individual involved are unique, and all mitigating circumstances should be considered with each violation. This does not, however, suggest that violations can be dealt with lightly. Refer to Violations of Code of Conduct Policy for more information.

Professional Dress and Behavior

Students must obtain and wear an official Aspen University uniform and identification badge. For more information, please contact Clinical Coordination Office. Nursing students have a specific dress code listed below. All students are expected to present themselves as representatives of Aspen University’s program. All students are expected to be respectful to faculty, student colleagues, staff, patients, and their families. Reports of unprofessional behavior will result in your being counseled by the clinical faculty and/or the Program Director/Clinical Practice Manager and initiation of a Code of Conduct violation which is subject to review by the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. You are expected to follow Aspen University’s official Code of Conduct policy identified in the University Academic Catalog.

Student Nurse Uniform Attire

The student uniform should be worn for all on campus or clinical activities, unless otherwise specified by the clinical site. Any deviations in dress at clinical including simulation lab will result in a Code of Conduct violation or the student being sent home from clinical and placed on clinical probation. Proper identification MUST be worn at all times in all clinical, lab/skills simulation and classroom settings. The uniform and identification requirements of the clinical agency are to be followed.

The uniform consists of:

Wrinkle free black scrub pants
Wrinkle free Aspen blue scrub tops, embroidered with the University logo
Wrinkle free white lab jacket (optional)

A white lab jacket must be worn if appropriate street clothes are worn in place of the uniform for patient selection. Shorts, very short skirts, jeans, tank tops, tube tops, see-through clothing, exercise clothes (sweats), and open-toed shoes are not acceptable attire in any clinical agency. Clothing depicting offensive language or pictures is not acceptable.

Scrubs and white lab jackets may be purchased through the Apparel Pro.
Name Badge, available from the SONHS Clinical Coordination Office. The name badge will show your picture and lists your legal first name, and “Student Nurse” or “Nurse” as required by the Clinical Partner The name badge must be worn while attending any clinical activity, lab/simulation or classroom. Name badge will not be worn outside of the clinical agency or campus.
White, black or neutral socks or hose are to be worn with the uniform.
Shoes are to be predominantly white or black, duty leather shoes with predominantly white or black soles, closed heels or predominantly white or black, clean athletic shoes (no mesh). Shoelaces must also coordinate.
Undergarments will not be visible through the uniform.
Additional items included as part of the uniform are:

Stethoscope with a bell and diaphragm head
Penlight
Bandage scissors
Black pens
If a belt organizer is used, it must be white or blue.
Watch with a second hand.

Optional items:

White or black cotton tee shirts, crew neck or turtleneck, may be worn under uniforms for warmth or modesty.
A white scrub jacket may be worn in the clinical setting for warmth.

Professional Appearance

Hair should be short or pulled back and styled neatly. Natural hair color is required; no purple, green, pink, blue or similar hair color is permitted. Beards or mustaches, if worn, should be neatly trimmed. Artificial eyelashes or eyelash extensions are not permitted.
Fingernails should be neatly trimmed and free of cracked nail polish. Only clear or neutral nail polish may be used, if desired. Acrylic nails, gels, overlays, dips, powders or any other nail enhancements are not permitted.
Permitted jewelry includes one pair of studded earrings, a watch, and a plain ring band. No other visible jewelry is acceptable including tongue rings or other facial jewelry. Clear spacers may not be worn in place of facial piercings.
Tattoos and any other body art should be covered. (Students are directed to follow the agency guidelines when in specified areas such as nursery, labor and delivery, and operating room.)
Perfume, after-shave lotion, scented lotions, and heavy makeup are not acceptable in the clinical area.
Gum chewing is not acceptable.
Clothing worn in non-clinical setting activities not requiring student uniform should adhere to professional standards.
Cell phone use is not permitted in the classroom, Lab/simulation or in the patient clinical setting. Students are expected to follow agency guidelines and clinical faculty directions regarding appropriateness of cell phone usage in the clinical setting.
Please remember that students represent Aspen University. Your appearance must be clean, neat, and professional.

Professional Attire for Specific Community Health Experiences, Presentations, Behavioral Health Clinical, or as Indicated by Faculty

Please check with your Community Health faculty on agencies that require “street clothes,” also known as business casual. Business casual is acceptable and can be interpreted as:

Women: wrinkle free slacks (dress pants), skirts (mid-calf to about two inches above the knee), blouses, shells, cardigans, blazers or dresses, shoes that cover the entire foot.
Men: wrinkle free dress pants, button down shirts, polo shirts (short sleeved shirts with a collar), blazers, shoes that cover the entire foot.
Do not wear:

Denim material
Anything that is see-through, short, tight, or shows too much skin.
Flip-flops or tennis shoes/sneakers.