Associate Degree Program in Nursing

CLINICAL EVALUATION  INSTRUCTIONS

CLINICAL EVALUATION

Clinical performance is evaluated by the clinical instructor and is based on the course objectives derived from the program outcomes.  The student also evaluates his/her clinical performance using the same objectives.  Clinical evaluation tool is used by the faculty to assign the final clinical grade of pass or fail for the clinical component of each course. A copy of the clinical evaluation tool is in each course syllabus/Campus Cruiser.  The clinical evaluation tool is comprised of formative and summative evaluations.  The evaluations are in writing, discussed with the student in an individual conference meeting, and signed by both the instructor and the student. It is then maintained in the student’s program file and used to review progress during the program. At the beginning of each semester students will read and review  the tool with the clinical instructor and sign the following statement on page one of the Clinical Evaluation tool ” I have reviewed the clinical objectives and grading criteria with my instructor.  I understand the process of clinical evaluation and the expectations for each of the clinical rotations.”

Formative evaluations:

Formative evaluation assesses progress and provides direction for learning throughout the course. It provides the framework of student self-assessment and instructor feedback to the student including their strengths and positive accomplishments as well as their deficiencies and performance that needs to be improved. It informs the student of his/her progress in meeting clinical objectives, identifies what additional learning is required, and makes recommendations to improve and/or to meet objectives. See course syllabi/class calendar for frequency and timing of the formative evaluation.

In the formative evaluation, performance is rated as follows:

Met - Met is defined as consistent performance of the objective according to criteria or guidelines given. When errors are made they are recognized, reported, and corrected.

NI - Needs Improvement is defined as performance that is inconsistent or inadequate and does not yet meet the clinical objective.  All Needs Improvement areas must be improved to Met at the summative evaluation.

NO - No Opportunity is used when there was no opportunity to meet the objective.

Not Met - Not Met Is defined as performance that clearly does not meet the objective, errors were made and not reported/recognized and/or expected behavior according to guidelines and criteria was not performed at all. Procedures performed with inappropriate supervision.

Summative Evaluations:

Summative evaluation occurs at the end of the course to determine if the clinical objectives have been achieved and establishes the grade for clinical practice. Prior to the summative evaluation the student completes the Summative Self-Assessment to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses. See course syllabi/class calendar for frequency of the summative evaluation. The clinical faculty is responsible for assigning the final summative grade.

In the summative evaluation, performance will be rated as follows:

Met - Met is defined as consistent performance of the objective according to criteria or guidelines given. When errors are made they are recognized, reported, and corrected.

NO - No Opportunity used when there was no opportunity to meet the objective.

Not Met - Not Met Is defined as performance that clearly does not meet the objective, errors were made and not reported/recognized and/or expected behavior according to guidelines and criteria was not performed at all. Procedures performed with inappropriate supervision.

To receive a Pass clinical grade Met must be achieved for all summative objectives; a Not Met rating in one or more summative evaluation objectives will result in a Fail clinical grade and failure of the course.  In addition to receiving a satisfactory clinical evaluation, a student must achieve a 75% or better in theory to receive a passing grade in a nursing course.

Clinical Skills Performance

Students are expected to maintain a satisfactory level of performance in all previously learned clinical skills throughout the program. The student is responsible to assess and remediate any skill deficiencies in the nursing skills lab as well as maintain his/her Clinical Opportunities Record (COR).

Faculty may assign a student to perform previously learned skills without advance notice; the expectation is that the student will perform all skills satisfactorily.

Safe Nursing Practice

The nursing faculty has the responsibility to determine whether practice is safe or whether it is unsafe, unethical, and unprofessional. They also have an obligation to protect the patient and society against harm. Therefore, if necessary, faculty will dismiss students from clinical area as specified in the Nursing Program handbook for unsafe, unethical, and unprofessional conduct and performance