CLINICAL POLICY
Clinical externships are designed to be instructional in nature by providing students with hands-on experience. Clinical training is a cooperative effort between the school, student, and externship facilities.Students who successfully complete programs courses and receive instructor approval in those programs, which so require, will be placed on clinical externship at local medical/hospital facilities. The school maintains professional malpractice insurance on all students and faculty while at clinical sites.
All students on clinical externship are supervised by approved faculty or clinical onsite personnel. Adequate student supervision is always provided. Students may not substitute or replace paid staff members. The clinical Site expects the student to obey all rules and regulations regarding the site and clinical assignment.The clinical site has the right to remove any student who demonstrates disregard for program and/or clinical site policies and procedures.
Some agencies and institutions that accept our students for externship may require criminal and/or personal background checks as well as pre-employment drug testing. Applicants with factors such as prior criminal background or personal bankruptcy, or a positive drug-testing result, may not be considered for positions at some clinical sites and some places of employment.
Clinical Externship Assignment
Based on clinical site availability, students may be required to complete their externships at more than one clinical site. Students who decline two sites may be dismissed from the program. In such an event, the school makes no assurances as to when or if the student will be eligible to return to the program. Based on the availability of externship sites, there may be a brief period between the end of the didactic portion of the program and the date the students begin their externship. Every effort is made to minimize or eliminate any waiting period, however, in the event of such a gap, students are expected to utilize labs and other school facilities as arranged with the Director of Education or Program Director.
Most externship hours are attended during daytime hours as most offices, clinics, and other appropriate clinical sites have daytime hours. Evening students will need to make the necessary arrangements to attend their clinical during these hours.
Prior to beginning their clinical assignments , students must have:
- A current CPR certification that is valid for the length of the clinical rotation.
- Clinical sites may require additional medical information, insurance coverage and/or inoculations for the student to begin their clinical program.
- The student is responsible for any cost associated with these additional requirements .
- A statement of general health signed by a health practitioner.
- A form that includes the medical information required is furnished to the student. The statement must certify that the student’s health does not preclude him/her from working in a health care setting.
- Drug testing and background checks may also be required by clinical sites.
Clinical transportation disclosure: Dominium Institute will provide a van and pay for all transportation costs for students to attend clinicals at any site that is 50 or more miles from the school. Students will be transported to and from the clinical site on the same day. Students will be notified of the time to meet at the school and will leave from there. The van will return students to the school. There will not be any lodging cost since this will be a one day trip. The only thing that students will have to pay for is their food.
Clinical Externship Conduct
Clinical externship sites are professional environments where students are expected to conduct themselves in a mature, professional manner appropriate for the workplace. Students are expected to arrive and leave on time and perform in a reliable and responsible manner. Students may not substitute or replace paid staff members. The clinical site expects the student to obey all rules and regulations regarding the site and clinical assignment. The clinical site has the right to remove any student who demonstrates disregard for program and/or clinical site policies and procedures.
Clinical Attendance Requirements
Students must attend their clinical externship on the days and hours designated by the site. Days or times of clinical externship may not be rearranged without permission from the School’s Clinical Coordinator and the Clinical Site Supervisor. In the event a student will be absent from a clinical site, the student must call the clinical site and the clinical coordinator in advance. If the clinical site or School determines that a student is not reliable for any reason, including absences, the student may be removed from the site and may be dismissed from the program. Students are required to attend 100% of required clinical hours. Scheduled breaks do not apply to students on externship. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the school with a time sheet signed by the clinical site supervisor documenting clinical hours completed for each week no later than Monday of the following week. If a student has missed any clinical time, arrangements for makeup time must be made with the clinical coordinator. Students will not be considered to have completed their clinical externship until the coordinator has certified all required attendance hours.
NCLEX
The State of Florida has licensing laws that require nursing students to obtain a state license prior to employment. To obtain a license, a graduate must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for this profession.
Students who score high on the ATI Exit Exam are strongly encouraged to keep studying and reviewing course material to increase their confidence and test-taking skills. Dominium Institute will conduct review classes to help prepare graduates for the state and national licenses. Students may obtain information on certifying examinations from program instructors.
NCLEX COST
The cost of the NCLEX Exam is not included in the tuition. Students will be responsible for paying for the NCLEX Exam at the appropriate time. NCLEX-RN cost is $200.00. NCLEX-PN cost is $200.00.
REPORTING ABSENCES – CLINICAL/LAB SITES
Attendance at all practice sites and clinical classes is mandatory.The student should notify the clinical facility or the instructor prior to the scheduled hour if he/she is going to be absent. Failure to attend and perform at an acceptable level in the lab and clinical will deny students the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to meet minimum safety standards. Therefore, clinical and lab class time require 100% attendance. Without exception, punctuality is expected.
The student is responsible for the following:
- Notifying the school or clinical facility of any absence or tardiness at least thirty (30) minutes before the expected time of arrival.
- All material covered in class/laboratory.
- Missed examinations/quizzes due to an excused absence. The student is responsible for taking an examination/quiz that was missed by the second day of return to the classroom.
- Written verification from a doctor permitting the resumption of all nursing activity is required after a medical absence of three (3) or more days.
ACADEMIC SUSPENSION
When a student is not in good academic standing, it results in an academic suspension. Suspension is a specified period, which requires a student to be removed from classroom, laboratory and/or clinical participation pending an investigation of reported concerns or for punitive reasons. The program administrator will suspend a student for one to three days when violation of a school or clinical policy is suspected, allowing adequate time to research the concern.
Suspensions of one to five days are authorized as penalty for repeated violations of a school policy or rule, or for a serious first-time rule violation. A student who has been suspended will not be allowed to make-up exams or tests missed while serving the suspension unless an investigation or an appeal clears the student of any suspected violation. Any clinical time missed while serving a suspension will be made up in accordance with the program’s clinical make-up schedule.
DISABILITY SERVICES
Dominium Institute is ready to make accommodations for students with a disability in the academic environment. To be eligible for accommodations, the student must provide appropriate documentation of their disability from a qualified medical doctor, which addresses the disability and the impact it might have on the student in the educational setting. Once Dominium Institute receives the document, the Disabilities Office staff will review the document and discuss with the student the kinds of academic adjustments/support services he or she will be entitled to receive at the school. A student must satisfy the definition of a disability as established by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 defines a disability as a condition which substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as learning, breathing, hearing, seeing, walking, caring for oneself, and working. Disabilities may include:
- Hearing impairment and deafness
- Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder.
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Medical conditions and physical impairments
- Specific learning disabilities
- Psychiatric disabilities
- Speech impairments
- Visual impairments and blindness
The student is responsible for making the necessary arrangements for testing accommodations by speaking with their professor in advance of the test date. Accommodations include, but are not limited to:
- Testing in a room with reduced distractions
- Granting extended time for exams – typically time and one half to double time
- Use of spelling and grammar assistive devices for essay exams.
- Assistance of a reader or word processor for exams
- Use of scratch paper during exams.
STUDENT HEALTH AND SAFETY
Dominium Institute staff promotes safety throughout the school. It is the policy of the institution to maintain classrooms and laboratories that comply with the requirements of various state and local building codes. Accidents often occur due to carelessness, fatigue, and/or use of the wrong procedures or faulty equipment. The laboratory and other places on campus are, therefore, designed to promote safety. Students must follow all procedures to prevent accidents and injuries. If an emergency is brought to the attention of a school employee during school hours, she/he will take appropriate action to obtain medical emergency services, if required.
Students should not independently call fire, rescue, medical, or law enforcement personnel. All accidents, injuries, or emergencies must be reported immediately to the nearest instructor or employee. Instructors and staff members, upon receiving a verbal report, will act promptly and follow a specified accident procedure. Similarly, students must not attempt to repair any damaged, broken, or malfunctioning equipment. They should notify an instructor or the nearest staff member.
The school administration should also be notified immediately of any illnesses, accidents, or hospitalizations of any students that may affect their ability to attend classes or otherwise participate in the program.
RE-ENTRY
A student who has canceled or has been terminated and wants to re-enter must submit a written request to the Director. The decision of the Director is final.