Professional Conduct

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

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.
At the beginning of each subsequent academic year, the Professional Conduct Standards will be reviewed with students by the appropriate course coordinators.
Violation of these standards will result in the following disciplinary action:

First Violation:

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.
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:

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.
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.
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.

The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.
The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.
The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.
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.