Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook - NIU
Undergraduate NursingStudent HandbookFall 2020-Summer 2021Updated December 10, 2020
Table of ContentsTable of Contents . 2Section A: Introduction to the School of Nursing . 4Preface . 4Welcome Letter from the Chair . 5History of the School of Nursing . 6NIU’s Nursing Education Model . 8Nursing Program Mission, Vision and Values . 8Individual Student Outcomes . 9Basic Certificate in Quality and Safety: Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) . 9Section B: General Information . 10MyNIU . 10Important Telephone Numbers and Resources . 10Nursing Program Overview . 11University Resources . 11Bookstore . 11Blackboard . 11Helpful Hints from Nursing Students and Faculty . 13Section C: Professional and Student Codes . 13American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses . 13Student Professional Contract . 14My signature on the Undergraduate Student Handbook Signature Page at the end of thishandbook acknowledges that I have read, understand, and will adhere to the Standards and that Ifully understand the consequences for failing to meet any of those expectations. I alsoacknowledge my responsibility in fully understanding all expectations and correspondingpolicies, rules, laws, and regulations. . 16Section D: Policies and Procedures . 16Academic Integrity. 16Clinical and Practicum Courses: Policy Statement . 17General Policies Concerning Clinical Enrollment. 17Clinical Requirements . 18Drug Use and Testing . 19Policy on the Disclosure of HIV Status . 20Policy on Refusal to Care for a Patient . 20Uniform Policy . 20NIU Photo I.D. Badge . 21Confidentiality: Policy Statement . 22Continuous Registration: Policy Statement. 22Leave of Absence (LOA) . 22Readmission. 23Core Performance Standards for Nursing Students . 23Disabilities or Chronic Health Problems: Policy for Students . 242
Enrollment in Nursing Courses: Policy Statement . 26Grading Policies . 26Policy for Standardized Grading Scale . 26Policy for Grading Undergraduate Clinical Courses . 27Northern Illinois University UG Nursing Clinicals Tardiness Policy . 27Policy Regarding D, F, and Unsatisfactory Grades in Nursing Courses. 27Policy for Prerequisite Course Grades . 27Policy on Falsification of Clinical Hours . 28HESI Examinations: Promoting Academic Achievement . 28Honors’ Guidelines for Students Completing Honors’ Capstone Projects . 28Human Patient Simulation (HPS) Laboratory Policies and Procedures . 29Independent Study in Nursing: NURS 350 . 30Summer Internship Program . 30Dosage Calculation Exam and Medication Administration . 31Mandatory Medication Dosage Calculation . 31Medication Dosage Calculation Examination Policy . 31Medication Administration Policy . 32Student Medication Administration Competency Checklist . 33NCLEX-RN Criminal Background Checks . 33Portfolio Requirements:. 34Policy for Referral to the Standards Committee for Progression or Retention . 37Student Complaint Process. 37RN Articulation Plan: Policy Statement . 37Standard Precautions Policy . 38Policy for Follow-up of Significant Exposure to Blood/Body Fluids. 39Policy for Follow-up of Significant Exposure to M. Tuberculosis . 39Significant Exposure Report. 39Student Fees: Policy Statement . 40Student Safety Policy . 41Section E: Organizations. 41Student Organizations . 41Sigma Theta Tau International, Beta Omega Chapter . 41Undergraduate Nursing Student Advisory Committee Bylaws . 41Research Committee . 42General Faculty Committee . 42Undergraduate Curriculum and Evaluation Committee . 42Portfolio Subcommittee . 42Standards Committee . 43Undergraduate Student Handbook Signature Page . 443
Section A: Introduction to the School of NursingPrefaceThis handbook is intended to provide students with reference information and to provideanswers to commonly asked questions posed by new and returning students as they progressthrough their undergraduate program. The purpose of this handbook is to complement, notreplace, the Northern Illinois University Catalog.Students are required to review the handbook each year and submit signature documentationannually to the specified location. Students admitted to the pre-licensure track should submit thesignature page to their Castle Branch account. RN-B.S. students should submit this page totheir Typhon account annually and Castle Branch for NURS 463.It is the responsibility of students to know and observe all regulations and procedures related tothe program they are pursuing. Under no circumstances will a regulation be waived, or anexception granted because students plead ignorance of or contend that they were not informedof the regulations or procedures. Each student receives the link and directions to the NursingUndergraduate Student Handbook at program overview sessions. It is the responsibility of thestudent to maintain knowledge of the content in the most current edition of the studenthandbook.Violation of any policy, statement, rule, law or regulation, including the StudentProfessional Contract, may result in dismissal from the nursing program. All students atNIU are required to use their NIU Z-ID email account for correspondence. This is themethod of official communication.All statements and policies published in this handbook are in effect for the period published onthe cover of the handbook. Faculty reserve the right to change statements and policies duringthe year the handbook is in effect, with the provision that students are informed in writing of anychanges.4
Welcome Letter from the ChairDear Nursing Student,On behalf of the faculty and staff, let me welcome you to the School of Nursing. We know howhard you worked to get here, and we are excited to help you achieve this monumental goal.The NIU School of Nursing has a long-standing reputation as one of the best baccalaureatenursing programs in the region. Founded in 1959, we have over 8,000 alumni working in theregion and beyond. When you graduate from this program, you will carry that tradition ofexcellence and reputation with you. NIU is the suburban Chicago area’s premier publicuniversity with more than 15,000 students. It is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as aresearch university with high research activity. The School of Nursing is the largest school withinthe College of Health and Human Sciences.The journey to become a professional nurse is one that challenges even the best among theclass. It is a demanding course of study. We have a proven model of instruction that clearlyprepares our students for success on the NCLEX, and we offer a number of extracurricularopportunities, including evening workshops, and student organizations that focus on academicand career development. Continuous, extensive study, as well as engagement with yourclassmates and those you meet in clinical practices, is essential to master this program and toprepare you for safe and effective practice in the years ahead. You are encouraged to make fulluse of the support nursing faculty are available to provide. We suggest you make appointmentsand visit with them during office hours, interact as a nursing committee member, and askquestions in class. In essence, we want you to have the best educational experience possible.Our doors are always open to you.I look forward to interacting with you over the school year and celebrating your successes. I alsolook forward to one day welcoming you as a colleague and fellow nurse into a profession thatwill bring you a lifetime of fulfillment and purpose. The friends and colleagues you make herewill be lifelong.Dr. Susan Caplan, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, FAANChair, School of NursingNorthern Illinois University5
History of the School of NursingThe baccalaureate program in nursing at Northern Illinois University began in 1959 with 19basic nursing majors and two faculty members. Dr. Annette S. Lefkowitz was appointed thedirector of the program and Dr. Ann M. Hart the assistant director. The baccalaureate curriculumhas been approved by the Committee of Nurse Examiners of the Illinois Department ofRegulation since its inception. The School of Nursing has had continuous accreditation by theNational League for Nursing for the baccalaureate program since 1965 and for the master'sprogram since 1973. In 2001, the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education became theaccrediting agency for both programs.The original School of Nursing was in a former private residence on Normal Road on the currentsite of the Founders Memorial Library. In 1969, the School of Nursing celebrated its 10thanniversary with a move into the north wing of the newly constructed Montgomery Hall. The newfacility was large enough to accommodate the over 400 students and 22 faculty members andprovided classroom space for all the nursing classes. In 1987, the School of Nursing againmoved to new facilities to accommodate the still growing program. The new School of Nursing,located at the corner of Normal Road and Ridge Drive, is in a completely remodeled elementaryschool building. It is large enough to accommodate the offices for faculty, staff, academicadvisors, graduate researchers and teaching assistants. It also provides classrooms andlaboratories for students.Registered nurses were first admitted to the baccalaureate program in 1964. In the late 1970s,the School of Nursing began offering nursing courses in several off-campus locations. By themid-1980s, RNs could complete the nursing component of the baccalaureate degree inRockford, in the Fox Valley area, or on campus. In 1992, RN-B.S. degree completion courseswere offered off campus at Hoffman Estates Educational Center, and in 1995 these courseswere offered at the Rockford Regional Academic Center. Currently, the school offers thisprogram completely online.In 1968, the school implemented a master's program in nursing. Faculty designed the programso that students can continue employment and pursue their graduate studies; most graduatestudents are part-time and commute to NIU from all parts of northern Illinois. In 1994, theSchool of Nursing received authority to offer the master's degree off campus and began offeringclasses at the Hoffman Estates Educational Center.In the fall of 1995, the School of Nursing began a post-master's Family Nurse Practitionercourse of study. In 1999, the graduate school recognized the program for certificate status.Candidates in the certificate program must have a master's degree in nursing from an NLN- orCCNE-accredited program. Faculty configured the curriculum for part-time study, and it takes aminimum of four semesters to complete.The School of Nursing also instituted distance learning in 1995 between the Hoffman Estatesand Rockford campuses. This technology allowed the faculty member to be at one locationwhile the course was transmitted to the other location via camera and a television screen. Thetechnology allowed students to attend classes closer to where they live.The first online course was developed and offered in 1999 for students in the Post-Master’sFamily Nurse Practitioner Certificate of Graduate Study program. By 2000, there were fouronline courses developed. In fall 2002, the entire Post-Master’s Family Nurse PractitionerGraduate Certificate program was offered online. As the School of Nursing continues to set the6
pace for the 21st century, it currently offers all of the RN-B.S. Degree Completion courses andthe majority of graduate courses online to enhance student access and flexibility in advancingtheir education and professional career options.In 2000, the School of Nursing was awarded a 1,039,000 grant from the U.S. Public HealthService, Health Resources Services Administration and Division of Nursing. The grant waswritten to expand the Adult Health Practitioner program, develop a rural-health nursing course,and offer courses via distance technology in the northwestern sections of Illinois. In 2001, theSchool of Nursing was awarded a Helen Fuld Grant to enhance the integration of communityhealth throughout the undergraduate curriculum. In 2006, a Nurse Educator specialization wasadded to the graduate program.The Nurse Educator specialization prepares nurses to plan and develop nursing curricula forboth classroom nursing programs and a variety of health care settings. Between 2007 and2009, the Nursing Program was awarded a total of 1,060,000 in grant funding from the IllinoisBoard of Higher Education to expand the undergraduate program and to install a Human PatientSimulator Laboratory.In July 2007, the Nursing, Public Health, and Health Education programs combined into oneacademic school and are now known as the School of Nursing and Health Studies. In October2
Undergraduate Student Handbook at program overview sessions. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain knowledge of the content in the most current edition of the student handbook. Violation of any policy, statement, rule, law or regulation, including the Student Professional Contract, may result in dismissal from the nursing program.
Xavier University Undergraduate Nursing Handbook 2021-2022 Page 1 INTRODUCTION AND HANDBOOK ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . Introduction The Xavier University College of Nursing publishes an Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook and a Graduate Nursing Student Handbook. The first section of each handbook is common to both, covering Xavier
go.niu.edu/catalog-diversity General Education Program: General Education Requirements — Northern Illinois University go.niu.edu/catalog-ug-gen-ed-req Academic Regulations Academic Regulations — Northern Illinois University go.niu.edu/catalog-ug-regulations Grading System Grading. GPA. Schedule Changes Changes in class scheduling.
It is online at law.niu.edu. Undergraduate Information General Information: (815) 753-1000 World Wide Web site: www.niu.edu The World Wide Web site provides access to the sites of NIU academic colleges, departments/schools, and many of the university's offices, as well as an online version of this catalog. The online catalog can be found at .
The Xavier University College of Nursing publishes an Undergraduate Nursing Student Handbook and a Graduate Nursing Student Handbook. The first section of each handbook is common to both, covering Xavier University, College of Nursing and clinical student policies and information. The second section of each
This Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Student Handbook are not intended to nor does it contain all regulations relating to the students or replace STU Student Handbook. This information in this Nursing Student Handbook is subject to change without notice. FL - Fall term withdrawal deadline "W" grade - All Students Nov. 2 Life Experience Portfolio Deadline Nov. 6 Founder's Day/Thanksgiving .
The Department of Nursing at Lehman College is one of academic departments four within the of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing.School The program admitted its first students in 1971. The Department of Nursing offers undergraduate and graduate nursing programs to a culturally diverse student body. Our undergraduate
The TCU Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook contains the policies and procedures that apply to nursing students at TCU. The Handbook also introduces the standards of professional nursing. In order for TCU Nursing to provide the best educational preparation for you, all of us—faculty, staff, and students—are accountable for the information contained in this handbook. We value your choice .
2016 Baldrige Performance Excellence Program www.nist.gov/baldrige It’s all about ‘Results’ 45% of the scoring is results
