ACADEMIC STANDARDS and POLICIES

The following are policies for College of the Redwoods LVN and RN students.  These policies apply to all students in every semester of the two nursing programs.  In addition further directives may be instituted by individual clinical agency policies.

Specific Course Evaluation Information:

Examinations: Quizzes, Midterm & Final Exams

In each nursing course there will be scheduled quizzes (with lowest quiz dropped), a cumulative midterm examination and a comprehensive final examination. There will be no make-up quizzes. The course teaching team will grant permission for an alternate arrangement for midterm and final examinations only in extreme circumstances. The faculty will retain all quizzes and exams.

Critical Thinking Assignment(s):  CTA

Due date(s) for CTA assignments are posted in the class schedule.  Five (5) percentage points will be deducted from the CTA assignment grade for every business day the paper is late.  Students are requested to attach the grading criteria sheet to the CTA assignment at time of submission. No re-writes will be

afforded to substandard CTA assignments.  Completion and submission of all written assignments is mandatory.  Failure to submit a CTA results in failure (“F” grade for the course).

Clinical Evaluation

Evaluation in the clinical area is an ongoing process.  Each student makes continuous, daily/weekly self‑evaluations of clinical performance in the clinical journal, clinical opportunities records, and reviews written feedback from clinical faculty. 

The clinical faculty makes continuous, daily/weekly student evaluations of clinical performance and gives verbal, written and/or electronic (email) feedback throughout the ongoing clinical experience.         

The student and the clinical instructor complete a written evaluation of student performance at the end of the clinical rotation.  Upon request, a copy of each evaluation will be given to the student; the original is maintained in the student’s file in the Health Occupations office.

Nursing Skills

Nursing students will learn skills on campus to provide care for clients in the clinical setting.  Skills are sequenced by semester in the nursing program and leveled by the degree of complexity and the amount of faculty supervision required to perform the skill in the clinical setting as described in the Clinical Practice Policies in this Handbook.  During each clinical rotation, as often as weekly, students document their skill competency and/or need for clinical opportunity to practice specific skills with the clinical faculty.

Skills Lab Referral (SLR): 

Students identified as needing remediation for a skill(s) or other clinical competency(s) will be given a SLR form to assist the student with further instruction, demonstration, and/or practice.  Please see specific instructions and SLR form (Appendix B).

Anecdotal: 

Anecdotal records are faculty-initiated with student-generated responses to an incident usually related to clinical learning; however they may also be appropriate to classroom, college laboratory, and other activities.  Incidents such as lack of preparation for clinical practice, demonstrating unsafe, unethical, or unprofessional conduct would warrant the generation of an anecdotal record.  Anecdotal records become part of the clinical evaluation and support low ratings on the clinical evaluation form.  Please see Anecdotal form and instructions in Appendix B.

Conference Summary: 

At any time in a semester when student practice indicates that a clinical failure is a possible outcome, faculty and student will jointly complete a Conference Summary (see Appendix B).

Grading Scale:

A grade of “C” or better is required for progression and completion of the nursing program. A minimal average of seventy five (75) percent is required for a passing grade of "C." In the nursing program, the following letter grade symbols and GPA will be awarded for the attainment of the following numerical grades: