General Academic Policies

General Academic Policies

1. Students will follow the sequence of courses as outlined in the plan of study. The student carries the responsibility for ensuring that the prerequisites for coursework are met and that coursework is taken in the proper sequence. Any change to the plan of study must be approved by the Academic Dean.

2. The academic standard for students in the College of Nursing is a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 or above, with no grade in a required prerequisite course below a C (2.0). Those courses include CHEM 111 or any prerequisite for KIN 270 and, KIN 272, any Human Nutrition course, PSYCH 100, Microbiology (for students entering Fall of 2023 or later) and Statistics.

3. Successful completion of the physical and biological science prerequisites, college writing, and the R1 and R2 Math Tier requirements are required before progression into the Junior year of the nursing major.

4. If the Cumulative GPA falls below a 2.5 or the student has a grade below C in a required course, the student will not be allowed to progress to the next semester of required courses. Such students are required to meet with their academic advisor.

5. Each semester of required courses must be successfully completed before progression to the next semester, as outlined in the plan of study.

6. Students who do not progress satisfactorily through the nursing curriculum in its regular sequence or who take a leave of absence are not guaranteed that the curriculum and courses from which they departed will be in place upon their return. Such students will be expected to complete the curriculum of their new graduation date. Continuation in the program is based on space availability.

7. Didactic Nursing courses may be repeated once with no prior approval and twice with the permission of the Academic Dean. Failure to pass an undergraduate nursing course with a grade of C or better on the second attempt will lead to dismissal from the program. Repetition of a clinical course must be approved by the Academic Dean. If the student is denied a repeat of a clinical course, the student is dismissed from the College of Nursing. If an unacceptable grade is received in a required course, the student is on probation from the College of Nursing. Repeating any nursing course is on a space-available basis and requires payment of course tuition and fees.

8. Standardized NCLEX style examinations are required for progression in the program.

9. Students attending class or clinical who are impaired for any reason including the influence of alcohol and other substances will be asked to leave. If this behavior occurs in a clinical setting, it will be grounds for disciplinary action and dismissal.

10. Students must abide by all university policies in addition to those of the College of Nursing. Additional information may be found in the Registrar’s Academic Regulations . .

11. Students will be cleared for graduation and application for the RN licensure examination (NCLEX- RN®) when all graduation requirements of the university and College of Nursing have been met.

Notes about final semester Internship course (N498):

1. Placement in an internship site is determined by the clinical facility and the College of Nursing. The College of Nursing will request the student’s identified preferences; however, the College of Nursing cannot guarantee a placement in a requested facility or in a requested nursing field.
2. Medical/Surgical nursing is the default for all student requests. Example: if you request ICU, ER, Maternity; the College will add Med/Surg as a fourth option. Placements in Maternity, Pediatrics, ICU, ER, and PACU are very limited.

3. Requests will be sent to the first facility on the student’s request list. If there are no available placements at that facility a request will be sent to the student’s second facility of choice, etc.

4. Students are not to approach or contact nurses or Nurse Managers or other faculty regardinginternship opportunities. Clinical agencies may refuse placements for students who not follow the approved lines of communication for clinical placement. All communication regarding internship placements will be handled by the Clinical Placement Coordinator. Any contact information you have needs to be given to the Clinical Placement Coordinator.

5. Once a student’s request is accepted by a facility no further searches will be made.

6. Students are required to be available for internship hours (class, lab, site hours) during all active University days in the semester.
7. Students must be available for other class days on the Amherst/Springfield campus as assigned. These include start of semester lab days, other courses, ATI testing days, and simulation days. These days are mandatory and require on-campus presence of the student for all courses.

8. Students may receive communication over the summer months from the Course Coordinator regarding materials that may be due earlier than the start of term and students are responsible for checking for voicemails and emails daily. Failure to submit required materials may cause your placement to be cancelled by the clinical agency or delay the start of internship hours.

9. Credentialing materials must be completed in CastleBranch. Failure to submit the required materials at the date and time specified by the College of Nursing will delay your start of internship hours and is a failure to meet clinical objectives for the internship course.

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Grading

Grading

1. The standardized grading system used in all courses offered by the College of Nursing is as follows:

2.  No course required for the Nursing major may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis except as designated by the College of Nursing.

3. Clinical Evaluation Tool: All students who are completing clinical courses will be evaluated using a course-specific Clinical Evaluation Tool (CET). Please see Appendix B for a sample CET format.

4. The University Policy for incomplete grades will be followed:

Students who are unable to complete course requirements within the allotted time because of severe medical or personal problems may request a grade of Incomplete from the instructor of the course. Incompletes are warranted only if a student is passing the course at the time of the request and if the course requirements can be completed by the end of the following semester.

Instructors who turn in a grade of "INC" are required to leave a written record of the following information with the departmental office of the academic department under which the course is offered: (1) the percentage of work completed, (2) the grade earned by the student on the completed work, (3) a description of the work that remains to be completed, (4) a description of the method by which the student is to complete the unfinished work, and (5) the date by which the work is to be completed. In the case of an independent study where the entire grade is determined by one paper or project, the instructor should leave with the department information pertaining to the paper or project that will complete the course. To avoid subsequent misunderstanding, it is recommended that the student also be provided with a copy of this information.

Grades of Incomplete will be counted as F’s until resolved and will, if not resolved by the end of the following semester, automatically be converted to an F. Faculty wishing to extend this deadline must write to the Registrar’s Office stipulating a specific date by which the Incomplete will be completed.

Students are not permitted to re-register for a course in order to clear an Incomplete.

Requests for grade changes from INC to Y, from INC to a grade, from NR to a grade, or from a blank to a grade require the signature of the instructor only. In situations where an instructor has permanently left the employ of the University, the department chair or head (or designee) may change an INC to a final course grade after reviewing the information on student performance originally provided by the instructor at the time the INC was submitted and completing an evaluation of the makeup work of the student. Changes of an INC grade by the chair or head (or designee) require the signature of the Academic Dean in the College of Nursing. This procedure would normally be used only in cases where the original course instructor cannot be contacted, or the instructor refuses to evaluate the makeup work of the student or to provide an opportunity for the student to make up the missing work.

The College of Nursing states that if the course for which a student has received an Incomplete is prerequisite to another course, a grade of C or higher must be recorded before the student proceeds. In any event, contracts for completion are required when an INCOMPLETE is registered for the course. When the GPA is considered for honors, INC grades are detrimental to the CGPA.

5. Repeated Courses: Students may repeat a course for which they have received grades of C-, D+, D, or F. The grades received in both the original course and the repeated enrollment will remain on the student’s record. Students may not enroll in a course more than twice without the approval of their Academic Dean.

6. American Psychological Association 7th edition -- APA style is the official style in citations for College of Nursing papers. For more information, please see the APA website at: http://www.apastyle.org.

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Guidelines for Independent Study Contract

The Independent Study Contract is a statement of bilateral obligations wherein the instructor agrees to provide direction and assistance, and the student agrees to complete stated learning activities in order to achieve objectives, which have been mutually agreed upon.

These guidelines are for use with departmental Independent Studies that permit variable allocation of 1 to 6 credits and may include a practicum, if desired. The Independent Study Learning Contract (LC) provides maximum feasibility and at the same time assures accountability for all concerned. University guidelines are followed for time expectations. For example, a 3-credit LC would be the equivalent of 3 class hours per week (or 42 hours per semester) plus approximately 9 hours of preparation per week (or 126 hours per semester).

Assumptions

• The student has had sufficient background in the subject to be able to establish objectives that are pertinent and relevant to the chosen area.
• Both student and instructor are willing and able to accept the necessary responsibility and commitment, which can be considerable.

• There is coherence in the Learning Contract in that it is related not only to prior learning but also to future possibilities forstudy.

• It is possible to pursue the subject under study to the degree of complexity and level of intensity warranted.

• The terms of the LC are clearly understood by all parties concerned, are reasonable in scope and have a realistic timetable.

• Any LC that proposes research involving the participation of human subjects must be approved by the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Committee on Scholarship and Human Subjects Review.

• The LC can be renegotiated if the situation warrants.

Process

• The student brings to the instructor a written statement of the objectives to be attained and a brief description of the learning activities believed to assure the attainment of theobjectives.

• The instructor aids in the refinement of the statement of objectives to assure that they will meet individual learning needs and involve adequate study of the subject.

• Both student and instructor identify appropriate and available learning resources.

• If a practicum is involved, the instructor is responsible for the Letter of Agreement with the cooperating agency in accordance with policy and procedure.

• The learning activities and the use of selected learning resources are spelled out and their relationship to the objectives are made explicit.

• The criteria for evaluation and the evidence upon which evaluation is to be based are established. It should be clear how, by whom, when and on the basis of what evidence evaluation will be carriedout.

• A written agreement is completed and signed by the student and the instructor with copies retained by each and a copy filed in the student’s academic folder.

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NCLEX Preparation

Students are required to use assigned NCLEX preparation software (ATI) concurrent with the curriculum to ensure success with RN licensure. The cost of ATI is incorporated in the EMCON fees. 

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Professional Conduct

1. It is expected that each student shall understand and act in accordance with the values, vision and mission of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, the Code of Ethics as promulgated by the American Nurses Association, the University Code of Conduct, and the Academic Honesty policy of the University. Failure to do so will constitute a cause for dismissal regardless of academic standing.

2. Confidentiality of information related to clinical experiences and anonymity of patients and families are to be preserved.

3. Professional accountability and responsibility include attendance at all scheduled clinical and classroom course experiences and being on time and well prepared for the respective experiences.

4. Respectful communication is expected of nursing students in all interactions with patients, peers, faculty, and clinical facility staff.

Academic Policy and Procedure for Professional Conduct Standards/Violation Report for Standard of Safe Nursing Practice of Professional Conduct Policy
(Approved by Faculty Assembly 2011)

Policy:

While enrolled in the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Nursing, all pre- licensure students are expected to always abide by the Professional Conduct Standards. This policy is applicable only to pre-licensure students; all other students are held accountable to the Board of Nursing for adhering to these standards. Failure to abide by these standards will result in disciplinary action that may include dismissal from the nursing program.

Procedure:

1. All students will receive a copy of the Professional Conduct Standards at the start of the first designated nursing course for their program. The standards will be reviewed, and the student will sign an acknowledgement form that will be placed in the student’s academic file.

2. At the beginning of each subsequent academic year, the Professional Conduct Standards will be reviewed with students by the appropriate course coordinators.

3. Violation of these standards will result in the following disciplinary action:

First Violation:

1. The faculty member will give students an immediate oral warning. The incident will be documented by the faculty member on the Violation of Professional Conduct Standards form. One copy will be given to the student and one signed copy will be placed in the student’s academic file.

2. If this violation is of a serious nature, it may be referred to the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for further disciplinary action, which might include dismissal from the program. 

Second Violation:

1. The faculty member will document the incident on the violation of Professional Conduct Standards form. Following discussion of the incident with the student, the faculty member will forward a copy of the signed form to the coordinator and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education for review and recommendation regarding further action.

2. The recommendation of the coordinator and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for review and recommendations regarding reprimand or dismissal. If necessary, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing for final decision. This disciplinary action process will be documented and placed in the student’s academic record.

3. If the student has not been dismissed and remains in the program, any additional violation will be documented and forwarded as indicated in steps 1 and 2 above. Disciplinary action may include dismissal from the nursing program.

See Appendix H for the reporting form for the University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Undergraduate Program Violation Report for Standard of Safe Nursing Practice of Professional Conduct Policy

Professional Conduct Standards

In addition to the University’s Code of Student Conduct Policy, the following behaviors are expected for all clinical nursing students. These include, but are not limited to:

• Student will adhere to HIPAA privacy requirements at all times, which include, but are not limited to: not removing, photocopying, or scanning documents that have personal identifiers from the clinical area, not leaving workstation computers open, and not engaging in discussion of clients outside accepted work area.

• Student will notify appropriate personnel (e.g., client, faculty, client’s primary RN, preceptor) before leaving a clinical learning assignment.

• Student will practice within educational level, experience, and responsibilities while in the role of the nursing student.

• Student will not engage in unauthorized photography in the laboratory or clinical unit. American Nurses’ Association Code of Ethics

American Nurses Association Code of Ethics (revised January 2015)

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing abides by and adheres to the Code of Ethics for Nursing, which is set forth by the American Nurses’ Association as it relates to the professional conduct of nurses.

1. The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.

2. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.

3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.

4. The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care.

5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth.

6. The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.

7. The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy.

8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.

9. The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organizations, must articulate nursing values, maintain integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy.

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Electronic Testing Policy for Undergraduate Students

1. Testing in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing prepares students in a similar testing environment to current licensure testing (NCLEX), which is a strategy for your success.

2. Testing accommodations should be presented to the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

3. Seating will be at the faculty’s discretion and may be assigned. It is in your best interest to arrive at the testing room 15 minutes early to ensure an on-time start. Students may not be allowed to enter the room after an exam begins.

4. Testing device should be fully charged and have the test downloaded before arriving. Students should restart their computers and be connected to Eduroam before beginning their test. Students are not permitted to have any programs open on their testing device besides Examplify.

5. All bags and belongings are to be placed either at the front of the room or away from the testing environment. No other items may be present on the desk, including water bottles, mugs, or blank paper. No hats, headphones, or ear buds are allowed. Items such as phones or other electronic devices should be turned off and stored.

6. Keyboards, cases, and covers are permitted if they are attached to the device. These must be free of any writing or notes and available to the proctor to check.

7. Backward navigation (the ability to return to a previous question once it has been submitted) is disabled on all exams.

8. Once complete, exams must be uploaded BEFORE leaving the testing room. Students must show the instructor the green checkmark success screen before closing Examplify or leaving the testing area.

9. Students will be provided the exam password at the beginning of the exam period. Once the password is entered, the exam must be started within 3 minutes. The following are prohibited:
   a. Attempting to take the exam before the exam period
   b. Attempting to take the exam outside of the testing area,
   c. Continuing to take the exam after the exam period has concluded,
   d. During exam review, note taking, for example on paper or recording of any kind, including photography.

10. Students must follow University Policy regarding Academic Honesty.

11. Passwords may not be shared with other students.

12. Excused or make-up exam arrangements must be made with the instructor before the scheduled exam time.

13. In the event of an issue with the student’s device, the student should immediately bring their testing device to the proctor for assistance.

14. Additional testing time will not be granted for a bathroom or other break.

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Registration

Before registering for courses, students are required to review course selections with an Academic Advisor during the scheduled Academic Counseling period each fall and spring. Changes in course schedules should be accomplished with Academic Advisor consultation. Authorization for credits in excess of eighteen requires approval by the Academic Dean.

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