Academic Policies and Procedures
Student Responsibility
- It is the student’s responsibility to be informed of general and special notices posted in the School of Nursing building and on the listserv.
- The student must make arrangements for the completion of all work, including makeup examinations and requirements for removal of conditional and incomplete grades.
- Because the curriculum is demanding, students are urged to limit work hours while in the program. A student’s combined employment and semester-hour load (including clinical laboratory hours) should not exceed forty hours a week in either a long-session semester or a summer term. During the final month of the last semester of the program, students are enrolled in a full-time preceptorship and are unable to have outside employment.
- Students may be employed in area hospitals and clinics as nursing assistants, performing functions for which they have been trained by the employing institution and for which the institution has a clearly discernible policy, either in writing or by precedent, defining the scope of these functions. It is illegal for unlicensed students to practice as professional nurses.
Students should be aware that (1) the School of Nursing assumes no responsibility for their activities as employees of an agency; (2) they are personally responsible and liable for any activity they participate in while employed; (3) professional liability insurance purchased by students is valid only in their student role, not in their employment role; (4) individuals who practice illegally may jeopardize their future careers, since those who are convicted of violating the Nurse Practice Act may not be eligible to write state board examinations and subsequently to be licensed.
Students employed in an agency are personally and professionally responsible for engaging only in those activities that fall within their job descriptions as nonlicensed workers (such as aides). They have a responsibility to refuse to participate in activities that they have not been legally licensed to perform, such as giving medications and assuming total responsibility for a nursing unit.
- Students should be familiar with the Student Standards of Conduct given in subchapter 11–800, Appendix C, “Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities,” General Information, as well as the University’s Honor Code and the School of Nursing’s Code of Honor. Upon admission to the professional sequence, students are expected to read and sign a pledge to abide by the Code of Honor.
School of Nursing Honor Code
The profession of nursing has a legacy of public respect and trust. We provide specialized care for the health needs of individuals and the community with integrity, honesty, compassion, and state-of-the-art knowledge and skills. Learning and practicing responsible and ethical professional behavior is a vital part of professional education.
As a student in the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Nursing, I pledge myself to be honest in all of my student activities including, but not limited to, all of my scholastic work and interactions with patients, members of the community, faculty, and peers. Futhermore, I will not use any substance prior to or during my interaction with patients that could alter my judgment or ability to render safe care: this includes but is not limited to any use of alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescription or over-the-counter drugs that may impair my mental and/or physical abilities required to perform safe patient care. I will disclose to my instructor any violations of the above standards of conduct.
Standards of Nursing Performance and Progress
Patient safety is a critical element in every clinical course. Clinical errors related to patient care, including those intercepted by the faculty, may interfere with a student's progression in the course and in the program. The standards of performance are described in course syllabi and clinical evaluation tools for clinical practicum courses.
A student must earn a grade of at least C in each nursing course for the course to be counted toward degree requirements. Concurrent or sequential enrollment is required as stated in each course description.
If the student is not on scholastic probation at the University, permission may be granted to repeat a required nursing course in which he or she failed to earn a grade of C or better. To receive credit, the student must repeat the course at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. The semester in which a course is repeated is at the discretion of the dean and is dependent on the space available.
A student may repeat a nursing course only once. If the student does not earn a grade of at least C upon repeating the course, he or she cannot continue in the School of Nursing. If, while repeating the course, the student drops the course or withdraws from the University at a time when the student’s performance in the course is considered to be inferior to that required for a grade of C, he or she may not reenroll in the course or continue in the School of Nursing.
No more than two nursing courses may be repeated.
A student may not repeat for credit a course in which a grade of C or better was awarded.
As a prerequisite to medication administration in clinical nursing courses, students are required to pass a medications and calculations test with a grade of at least 90.
Compliance Requirements for Clinical Courses
Students must provide documentation confirming completion of compliance requirements prior to participating in clinical nursing courses. Log in to the School of Nursing Intranet Site for more information.
Medical Clearance Requirements
Clinical experiences for nursing students are provided in hospitals and other health care agencies with which the School of Nursing is affiliated. A number of these facilities require that nursing students assigned to them have evidence of immunity to certain diseases. Students must provide the School of Nursing with evidence of compliance with immunization requirements before they begin upper-division coursework.
Criminal Background Checks
Students are required to submit to criminal background checks before enrolling in the upper-division sequence. Information about the process is available on the School of Nursing Web site. Students with concerns about eligibility are urged to seek official determination from the Texas Board of Nursing at http://www.bon.state.tx.us/. Further, we urge students with concerns to seek the background check six months in advance of beginning clinical courses to allow sufficient time for investigation and Texas Board of Nursing approval.
Employment Background Check
Agencies in which nursing students are placed for clinical work may require an employment background check. Directions to complete this requirement are on the School of Nursing Web site.
Drug Screen
Clinical agencies may require a drug screen to be completed prior to participating in patient care. Students will be notified during advising of this additional compliance requirement.
CPR and First Aid Requirements
Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid are required for participation in clinical nursing courses. The CPR course must include training in infant, child, adult, one-person, two-person, and obstructed airway resuscitation. The basic first aid certification must be acquired from the American Heart Association (Heartsaver First Aid) or from a local emergency medical services agency (National Safety Council First Aid). Students must provide the School of Nursing with evidence of current certification before they begin upper-division coursework. Students who are registered nurses are not required to provide evidence of first aid certification before beginning upper-division coursework.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional liability insurance is required of all students enrolled in the professional sequence in the School of Nursing. Each student must pay the insurance premium at the Office of Student Affairs before he or she begins upper-division coursework. All student policies expire on the date of graduation.
Training Modules
All students must complete the following modules on the School of Nursing Intranet Site before participating in clinical nursing coursework: online orientation, facilities training, and training on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Health and Hospitalization Insurance
Students are strongly encouraged to purchase health insurance. The cost of personal health care, including care required as the result of clinical practicum experiences, is not covered by either the University, the School of Nursing, or clinical agencies. Information about low-cost group health insurance is available through University Health Services. The liability insurance students buy as a part of compliance for participating in clinical courses does not cover health care expenses.
Uniforms and Other Expenses
Students must purchase uniforms, shoes, name badges, and other supplies before taking the first clinical nursing course. Specific requirements and information about suggested equipment are distributed before the beginning of the first semester of the professional sequence.
Transportation
Upper-division clinical courses require students to go to various clinical facilities and community sites at varied hours. Students must have their own transportation.
Honors
University Honors
The designation University Honors, awarded at the end of each long-session semester, gives official recognition and commendation to students whose grades for the semester indicate distinguished academic accomplishment. Both the quality and the quantity of work done are considered. Criteria for University Honors are given in General Information.
Graduation with University Honors
Students who, upon graduation, have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement are eligible to graduate with University Honors. Criteria for graduation with University Honors are given in General Information.
Nursing Honors Program
The Nursing Honors Program is designed to enhance the educational experience of high-achieving undergraduate nursing majors by focusing on the development of scholarship. Students must apply to this competitive honors program, which begins in the sophomore year. Admission to the program requires approval of the Honors Program Committee. Acceptance into the honors program confers automatic acceptance into the nursing professional sequence, if the student maintains competitive overall and science grade point averages.
Students in the program must complete Nursing 321H, 117H, 264H, and 377H. These courses provide students with enhanced mentorship experiences. Students must complete an honors project with a focus on research, ethics, or leadership. Students are also required to take Nursing 337 Independent Study with their mentor with the focus on their honors project. Nursing 337 may be substituted for Nursing 347, Specialized Topics in Nursing, in the degree plan. The statement “Special Honors in Nursing” appears on the transcript of each student who completes the honors program.
Sigma Theta Tau International
Epsilon Theta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, was chartered at the University on May 16, 1980. Epsilon Theta Chapter presents scholarly programs each semester; program meetings are open to anyone interested in the program topic. An annual meeting, at which new members are inducted, is held in May.
Membership in Sigma Theta Tau is an honor conferred by active chapters on students who demonstrate academic excellence and on nursing leaders who advance the scientific base of the profession. The society recognizes superior achievement in many areas, facilitates the development of leadership qualities, fosters high professional standards, encourages creative work, and strengthens commitment to the ideals of nursing.
Each year qualified students in the undergraduate and graduate programs may apply for consideration for membership. Invitations to membership are extended to students who are in the top 35 percent of their graduating class. Undergraduates must have a grade point average of at least 3.00; graduate students must have a grade point average of at least 3.50. Qualified community nursing leaders may also be invited to membership. Applications for membership in Epsilon Theta Chapter are available from the Office of Student Affairs in the School of Nursing.
At the induction ceremony each spring, Epsilon Theta Chapter announces its awards, grants, and scholarship recipients. A scholarship is awarded to an upper-division nursing student who has demonstrated leadership potential and outstanding scholastic achievement. The chapter also awards start-up grants annually to Epsilon Theta Chapter members and/or students to fund research projects.
Sigma Theta Tau International, with active chapters on more than four hundred campuses in the United States and in several other countries, offers opportunities for involvement at the chapter, regional, national, and international levels. Programs are offered each year in different parts of the United States under joint sponsorship of chapters and Sigma Theta Tau International. International research congresses are held in cooperation with scholarly nursing organizations in other countries; these programs focus on scholarly topics of relevance to the advancement of nursing knowledge and to the improvement of public health. Research grants are awarded annually by Sigma Theta Tau International as well as by Epsilon Theta and other chapters.
Credit by Examination
The faculty believes that each educational experience should build on previous achievements to encourage fulfillment of each student’s potential. Therefore, all students and registered nurses are urged to seek advice on arranging a logical sequence of work. The faculty subscribes to the principle that a candidate’s competence should be validated and that credit should be awarded on the basis of satisfactory achievement on examinations as well as in the classroom. Twenty-four of the last thirty semester hours of credit presented for the degree must be earned in residence, rather than by examination, correspondence, or transfer.
An examination for credit may not be taken in a course in which the student is enrolled, which the student has completed, or which the student has dropped with either a passing or a failing grade.
University policies regarding credit by examination are given in General Information.