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Clinical Attendance and Participation

Absences in the clinical rotation may jeopardize a student’s successful progression and completion of the program. Preceptors and sites have the right to report this behavior to the clinical faculty.

Clinical absences may result in referral to the Code of Conduct committee at the discretion of the clinical faculty. Students who are too ill to perform safely in clinical should seek medical attention and contact their clinical faculty prior to missing clinical.

An attendance of 100% is required. Students are responsible for any and all material covered in class, in clinical, and in their assigned readings. Participation in the online classroom and clinical experience is essential to meet the objectives for all clinical courses. 

Attendance at all scheduled lectures, discussions, and clinical and laboratory courses is expected. 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 may interfere with student attainment of course objectives and may impact the grade students receive in clinical and theory courses.  

Students who must miss clinical due to pregnancy or extended illness may not be able to complete clinical objectives. Students must contact the clinical faculty member or OFE to discuss options. The CONHS is not obligated to provide makeup clinical opportunities for students unable to complete clinical during their clinical course. 

Clinical Absence Policy 

Failure to complete the minimum clinical requirements will result in failure of that clinical course. All clinical hours associated with the failed course will be un-approved in Project Concert and must be repeated. All absences are to be reported to the clinical faculty in a timely manner via email, text, or phone, as required by the clinical faculty. If a student is unable to attend a scheduled clinical day, the student must: 1. Contact, by phone or in person, the preceptor, at least one (1) hour prior to the scheduled clinical time. Preceptors and sites have the right to report this behavior to the clinical faculty.

Students must have 81 hours completed as a minimum to be considered for an incomplete. Faculty must approve for an incomplete, these are not automatically granted. Incompletes are based on faculty discretion and have to be completed in 4 weeks to be successful in the course. Refer to the University Catalog for the Incomplete Policy: https://usuniversity.smartcatalogiq.com/.

Clinical Tardy Policy 

Clinical tardiness is defined as being late at the beginning of a clinical. Any anticipated tardiness is to be reported to the appropriate clinical faculty. Consequences of being tardy three times within the same course are: 

  • First Occurrence: The student will receive a clinical warning. 

  • Second Occurrence: The student may be referred to the Program Director for review  for the second late. 

  • Third Occurrence: The student may fail clinical on the third late and will be referred to the Program Director for review and may be forwarded to the Code of Conduct Committee

Clinical Pause 

Clinical pause is the official means of pausing the student from any clinical experience when students have missing, expired, or insufficient immunizations or documentation requirements on file with the Office of Field Experience. You will be notified by the OFE and/or through Complio before documentation is set to expire. Once documentation has expired, the Clinical Coordinator will notify your clinical course faculty of your clinical pause status if unresolved in a timely manner. You will not be permitted to continue clinical hours or logs until resolved. At all times, it is your responsibility to ensure that your health and safety documentation is up to date and current and that all other program requirements have been met. Health and safety requirements are mandatory for all students where indicated in this handbook. Violation of a clinical pause will result in a referral to the Program Director and/or Code of Conduct Committee.

Clinical Probation with Restriction

Clinical probation with restriction is the official means of notifying you of unacceptable behavior and/or unsatisfactory performance. Being placed on probation with restriction can affect the field experience/clinical grade and may result in a referral to the Code of Conduct, course failure, clinical ineligibility, and/or administrative withdrawal from the course.

Clinical probation with restriction status is conferred at the discretion of the course instructor, clinical instructor, and respective course faculty and referred to the Program Director for any unsafe or unprofessional behaviors. Violation of a clinical probation will result in a referral to the Code of Conduct Committee.

The following are examples of behaviors that lead to clinical probation with restriction: 

  • Participating in a setting with expired or outstanding immunizations/documentation, participating in a setting without approval or documentation, completing hours at a non-approved site or with an unapproved preceptor, or delay in completing COMPLIO by the due date 

  • Unexcused absences 

  • Tardiness, failure to notify faculty/staff of tardiness or absences in clinical 

  • Insufficient preparation for the field experience 

  • Failure to follow clinical faculty or clinical nurse guidance

  • Unsafe practice in the clinical area

  • Violation of professional and behavioral standards as outlined in the FNP Clinical Handbook, USU Catalog and USU Code of Conduct.

  • Causing a client unnecessary suffering or harm 

  • Failure to report abnormal data in a timely manner to the appropriate persons 

  • Conduct inappropriate to the role of the student as outlined in this manual 

  • Failure to dress in approved program attire 

  • HIPAA violations 

  • Leaving the clinical site without permission at any time during clinical hours 

  • Performing skills/interventions which have not been signed off by the clinical faculty

  • Acting outside of a student scope of practice 

  • Being at the clinical site when the preceptor is not at the site. 

  • Rotating with unapproved preceptors or sites.

Although some probationary actions and/or other sanctions may be assessed by the College, learners may still be referred to the University level Code of Conduct for violations of conduct outlined in this manual and/or the University Code of Conduct.

In the event a student is found to have violated the University Code of Conduct, is placed on clinical probation with restriction and/or jeopardized a clinical placement, the Program Director, OFE Director and/or designee reserves the right to require the student to identify clinical placements independently. This is in addition to any sanctions the student may realize as part of the Code of Conduct proceedings or otherwise.

Clinical Probation with restriction and Code of Conduct Referral Procedure 

  • Code of Conduct processes will be initiated.

  • The clinical faculty will discuss the concern with the Program Director.

  • A letter of probation will be provided to you by the Program Director. 

  • A copy of the letter will be sent to the Office of Field Experience and Academic Advising, and will be placed in your file. 

  • Clinical probation may result in the student being withdrawn from the course. If the matter is referred to the Code of Conduct committee, the student may need to withdraw from the course or program.

  • Refer to https://www.usuniversity.edu/current-students/university-catalog/ for more information 

Immersion/Lab

FNP students will complete an on campus immersion in MSN572. The hours associated with the immersion experience are considered lab hours. Lab/immersion hours do not count toward your clinical hours/journal entry requirements. For more information about immersions, review the Immersion tab in the Nursing Caring Corner.