Purpose
To outline for students, standards to meet for progression in the baccalaureate nursing program.
Standards for Progression (BNP Prelicensure)
- Complete each required course in the required curriculum with a minimum grade of "C."
- Achieve a minimum grade of "C" in nursing, general education and/or support courses at each semester level prior to progressing to subsequent nursing courses.
- Achieve a satisfactory in clinical for nursing courses with a clinical component.
- Cease to attend clinical immediately upon receiving two unsatisfactory grades ("U"s) at any time during a clinical rotation.
- Repeat both theory and clinical components of a nursing course in which less than a "C" grade is achieved; or when the clinical component is evaluated as unsatisfactory.
- Repeat required nursing course/general education/support courses in which less than a "C" grade is achieved prior to progressing to the next nursing course.
- Maintain 2.0 total cumulative GPA in order to continue in nursing program.
- Complete the nursing program within five years after official acceptance into the program.
- For the post licensure component, complete all required semester one and two nursing and general education courses prior to enrolling in NURB 461: Nursing Leadership and Management, NURB 498: Nursing Senior Seminar, and NURB 499C: Advanced Nursing Practicum.
- Maintain compliance with immunization requirements.
- Maintain compliance with technical performance standards.
- Present evidence of having current certification in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers by the American Heart Association before progressing to a clinical nursing course that requires patient/student interaction.
- Present evidence of current liability insurance coverage payment before progressing into a clinical nursing course that requires learning activities within a health care facility.
- Present evidence of professional treatment prior to registering for subsequent nursing courses in the event that there is evidence of emotional instability or drug or alcohol abuse which could affect the ability to provide safe nursing care (Please refer to the Department of Nursing Drug Screening Policy located within the student handbook for further details).
- Adhere to the following guidelines with respect to deficiencies:
- In the event of having to repeat a nursing course or required support course, the student must submit a written request at the time of course failure to the coordinator of the baccalaureate nursing program stating the desire to repeat the course. This statement must be received no later than one week after the registrar’s office has released the grades to the student’s Datatel Account. If a written statement is not received it will be considered an unofficial withdrawal from the program. (See Resumption of Program Policy for details regarding statement.)
- All courses repeated due to failure to achieve a course grade of "C" or above will be counted in determining the number of course failures.
- Be dismissed from the nursing program for any of the following situations after admission to the nursing program:
- Achievement of less than a "C" grade twice in the same course.
- Achievement of less than a "C" in any two required courses in the program curricular sequence.
- Inability to complete the nursing program within five years after beginning the program.
- Placing a patient in extreme emotional or physical jeopardy.
- The Department of Nursing and the BNP expects students to conduct themselves in a professional manner that is in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Nursing. The Code of Ethics for Nurses serves as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession. A student demonstrating any of the following will be dismissed from the program prior to the end of the semester:
- Inability to transfer theory into practice.
- Consistent lack of understanding of his/her limitations.
- Inability to anticipate the consequences of action or lack of action.
- Consistent failure to maintain communication with faculty and staff about client care.
- Dishonesty about client care.
- Commitment of a civil/criminal act in the educational area.
- Breach of patient confidentiality.
- Impaired behavior.
- Unprofessional behavior or acts of incivility that place a client or colleague in physical or emotional jeopardy. Examples of incivility include, but are not limited:
- using the silent treatment; spreading rumors, badgering or back-stabbing; rude or obnoxious behavior; sabotaging a project; damaging someone's reputation using humiliation, put-downs, and intimidation; failing to support a peer in collaborative relationships; setting someone up for failure; undermining of work; verbal abuse; public reprimands; sarcasm; destroying confidence; losing one's temper or yelling at someone; continual criticism; and encouraging others to turn against a peer.
- failure of acceptance to a clinical site based on denial of the clinical placement due to failure to comply with all hospital policies and procedures.
- failure of acceptance to a clinical site based on unprofessional behavior.
- Prelicensure program students who perform below 900 on any nationally normed achievement examination are required to meet with the course leader to develop a retention plan.
A retention plan must be developed, initiated, and completed prior to progressing to the next nursing course. If a student scores less than 900 on a HESI exam, it is a progression requirement that they perform identified remediation activities and/or assignments as determined by the faculty. This must be completed prior to the end of the first week of the following semester.
It is the student's responsibility to provide evidence of completion of remediation and schedule a conference with the HESI administering faculty. If the student does not take these steps, their lack of action will result in their inability to progress and dismissal from the BNP.
Resumption of Program Policy (BNP Prelicensure)
Students out of sequence must take a re-entry HESI exam. Prior to re-entry, pre-licensure program students will be required to take a standardized HESI exam(s), at cost to the student, to show that they have maintained currency with previously learned course content/skills. Students will have one opportunity to test (the week prior to the start of the desired re-entry semester) and will be required to achieve a score of 900 on the standardized HESI exam(s). If students are not successful in scoring the required 900, they will not be permitted to return to the program.
During the time students are considered out of sequence, students are strongly encouraged to remediate on previous deficiencies identified on all standardized HESI exams taken during the program and any additional deficiencies identified during program course work in order to successfully complete the re-entry standardized exam(s). See table below for information regarding standardized exams to be administered.
*Note: If a student is successful in all NURB courses, but fails a required support course or takes a LOA, the student will still be required to take the standardized exam(s) that corresponds to the semester the courses above were required.