Welcome to Butler - Nursing - Clinical Requirements

Butler Community College
Department of Nursing

Clinical Requirements

All nursing students of Butler Community College must satisfy clinical requirements before the first day of clinical. It is recommended that students submit the Immunization Record and the Health Record as soon as possible after admission. This provides time for the records to be evaluated for completeness.

Contracts between Butler and clinical agencies and recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) guide these requirements. Students who do not meet clinical requirements will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities.

Immunization Requirements	Health Record	CPR Certification	Liability Insurance
Uniform Policy	Clinical Attendance	Confidentiality Statement	Miscellaneous Requirements
Blood or Body Fluid Exposure	Agency No Smoking	Safety	Refusal to Care

Background Checks

BCC contracts with clinical agencies which require that all students and instructors entering the agencies for clinical experience must pass a background check. This check includes:

Social Security Number Verification
Criminal Search (7 years or up to 5 criminal searches)
Employment Verification to include reason for separation and eligibility for re-employment for each employer
Violent Sexual Offender and Predator Registry Search
HHS/OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities
GSA list of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs
U.S. Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), List of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN)
Applicable State Exclusion List

Students are not allowed patient contact in any of the clinical agencies until their background check has been completed and reviewed. Students missing clinical due to incomplete background checks will receive an unsatisfactory evaluation for the Professional Behaviors outcome for each day missed.

Immunization Requirements

All students are expected to meet specific immunization requirements. The Immunization Record must be complete. It is strongly recommended that the student retain a personal record of their immunizations for submission to future employers. Unless otherwise specified, actual proof of immunization is required. Proof includes 1) evidence of the vaccination on an official record such as the Kansas Immunization Record (pink card), school records, or the International Immunization Record (yellow card), 2) a statement from a physician confirming previous illness, or 3) positive titer results.

A tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) booster is required every 10 years.

Two doses of live measles (rubeola) vaccine on or after the first birthday and separated by greater than or equal to 28 days, at least one dose of live mumps vaccine, and at least one dose of live rubella (German measles) vaccine. Health Care Workers (HCW) born before 1957 are required to have proof of only one of each. These immunizations are no longer provided individually but in the combined MMR. Caution: If the student needs to receive the MMR, please complete the two-step skin test before proceeding with the MMR. (CDC, General Recommendations on Immunizations, p. 14). The MMR could be administered with the second step, but not the first step.

The first of the three hepatitis B immunizations must be completed before the start of the clinical experience. All three injections should be completed within the year.

The student must be immune to varicella (chickenpox). A note from the student or parent documenting the date of disease is acceptable. If the student has not had the disease a titer must be done that will indicate immune status. If immunity is not present, the two dose varicella immunization must be obtained.

Pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for persons with a repeat history of pneumonia.

To reduce student illnesses and absenteeism during the influenza season and to reduce the spread of influenza to and from workers and patients, students should be vaccinated in the fall of each year.

A tuberculosis two-step test must be documented followed by an annual one-step. The PPD Mantoux is the acceptable test. The TB Tine test is not acceptable. The date of the tests, who gave and read it and results in millimeters must be documented. For positive reactors, a negative chest x-ray and negative symptoms must be documented. The two-step test is two of the single step skin tests done one to three weeks apart. It is recommended in many health care agencies because of the booster phenomenon. (CDC, Diagnosis of TB Infection and Disease), p. 10).

The Health Record must be completed and submitted to the Nursing Office according to the course syllabus. The Health Record must be completed no earlier than 3 months before the first day of class for the semester. Only the Butler Health Record form may be used, and must be signed by a MD, DO, ARNP, or Physician Assistant.

Health Forms for First Time Students Entering First Semester, LPN or Transfer Students

Health Form
Immunization Form

Health Forms for Students Entering the Second Level

Instruction Sheet
Health Form

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) Certification

All students must have current CPR certification. Either the American Heart Association BLS Healthcare Provider or the American Red Cross CPR for the Professional Rescuer is acceptable. These certifications include adult, child, infant and two-person. A copy of the current CPR certification card (both sides) should be turned in to the nursing office. Students without current certification will not be allowed to participate in clinical. Butler Allied Health offers the American Heart Association CPR classes. The course is AH 130. See the Butler Interactive Schedule or contact Allied Health at 316-320-7375 for those dates.

Liability Insurance

Nursing Students must purchase Malpractice Insurance annually through the Accounts Payable office in the Hubbard Center. This policy covers students only while in clinical experiences related to nursing courses.

Uniform Policy

The dress code for Butler nursing students is based on policies of health care institutions used for clinical experiences.

Purple scrub pants and purple lab coat (available in college bookstore), and white top are worn while giving patient care.
The Butler Community College school identification patch must be purchased in the campus bookstore. The patch is to be worn on the left upper arm of the white top and purple lab coat.
The Butler picture ID (obtained in the Hubbard Center) must be worn with the uniform or lab coat any time the student is in the clinical setting.
White leather or synthetic closed toed shoes (not canvas) are to be worn.
Purple lab coats with school patch and nametag must be worn over business causal street clothes when getting clinical assignments, in place of the uniform.
Student uniform includes appropriate equipment for the clinical site i.e. watch with second hand, stethoscope, black ink pen, pen light, Butler Nursing picture ID tag.

Students are expected to be responsible for maintaining a clean, neat appearance.

Hair, beards, and sideburns must be neatly groomed, clean and present a professional appearance.
Excessive use of cosmetics, fragrances and other accessories will be avoided.
Facial jewelry, such as eye, nose, lip or tongue jewelry is prohibited.
Tattoos must be covered when in the clinical setting.
Artificial nails in the clinical and food preparation setting are prohibited as outlined in the Infection Control policy.

Adjustments to the uniform policy may be made according to the clinical site. Students may not wear a Butler Community College name pin, patch, lab coat or uniform when employed by a health care agency.

Attendance

The faculty believes that all scheduled learning activities, both class and clinical, are essential and valid. Students are strongly encouraged to attend all scheduled learning activities. Attendance policies of the Department of Nursing fall within the general guidelines of the college attendance policy. Within the Department of Nursing, a clinical absence policy has been established which includes possible course failure for excessive absences. Please refer to individual course syllabi for details regarding clinical attendance.

Confidentiality Statement

Any information, either written or oral, having any relevance to patient care is considered strictly confidential. Discussion regarding patients is restricted to the proper professional environment under supervision of appropriate health care professionals. Under no circumstances is it ever appropriate to discuss one patient with another patient, nor to discuss a patient case in a public area. In the psychiatric areas, if the student finds that the assigned patient is someone with whom they are acquainted, the student must immediately contact the instructor for another patient assignment. To do otherwise is a breach of confidentiality. A breach of confidentiality may be grounds for dismissal from the nursing program.

Miscellaneous Requirements

Individual agencies may have unique clinical requirements such as completion of modules related to restraints, blood glucose monitoring, etc. Select Speciality hospitals have a mandatory random drug testing policy which includes nursing students. The student's clinical instructor will inform students of these miscellaneous requirements.

Blood or Body Fluid Exposure Protocol

When there is a parenteral (i.e. , needlestick or cut) or mucous membrane (e.g. , splash to the eye or mouth) exposure to blood or other body fluids, the student is to follow this protocol: Wash the skin exposure site well with soap and water. Avoid using damaging substances such as bleach. Do not bleed tissue. Rinse well.

Treat a splash to the eye or mouth immediately with a water bath/rinse to the area.

Inform the Faculty member, who will advise you. Inform the unit manager. Complete necessary incident or agency reports. Leave the clinical area immediately to obtain medical care and advice. Contact your own health care provider immediately (personal physician or the emergency room).

Depending on the nature of the parenteral exposure, it may be necessary to begin drug treatment within hours of the exposure. For this reason, the Department of Nursing recommends that students seek medical advice immediately after informing the faculty member and the unit manager.

Neither the clinical agency nor the College is responsible for the cost of the care that is involved in the treatment, management or surveillance of exposure to blood or body fluids. For this reason, the Department of Nursing strongly recommends that all students have personal health insurance.

Back to top

Agency No-Smoking Policies

As of January 1, 1990 all of the health care agencies have a no smoking policy which will be enforced for students in clinical settings. Failure to comply with the agencies' smoking policies may result in a monetary fine against the medical center or with Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), a type I deficiency which could prevent accreditation. Butler students must adhere to agency smoking policies. Patients may be upset by the odor of smoke on caregivers' clothing, hair, etc. If faculty, staff, patients or family report concerns or problems due to odors on the student, the student may be sent home for the day and an unsatisfactory be given in Professional Behaviors on the clinical evaluation form.

Safety

Personal safety is of great concern. Assaults upon students have occurred in hospitals, parking areas, and other places where students need to travel. No area of Wichita or El Dorado can be considered free of threat. When you are going to and from your clinical site, please keep the following in mind:

1. Be aware of your surroundings. Evaluate threat. Be aware of who is around you how many, their affect, and how rapidly they may be approaching you.
2. If available, carry a body alarm (cost about $20.00).
3. Always walk with others to and from parking. Do not walk by yourself.
4. Do not park next to a van with the van doors opening on your driver's side.
5. Do not appear to be vulnerable by burdening yourself with books and
packages or walking slowly as if you were unsure of yourself.
6. Do not enter any occupied elevator by yourself.
7. Keep your distance from other pedestrians. Be wary of those asking for
direction or anything else of you.
8. As you enter the parking area, have your car key in hand.
9. Before you enter your car, look underneath and inside for potential attackers before you unlock your door.
10. As soon as you enter your car, lock the doors and keep them locked as you drive. Move from the parking area immediately.
11. If you must roll down your window, do not open it enough for someone to reach in and grab you.
12. Do not hesitate to call hospital security for escort if you feel threatened.
13. If you feel threatened; honk you horn, set off your alarm, scream, or do anything else to attract attention.
14. If you are parking at night, park in the best-lighted area of the parking lot or garage.
15. Be sure to note the location of your car in the parking area.
16. Keep an escape route in mind, should an attacker surprise you.
17. Maintain eye contact with a person who is threatening to you. Don't panic. Use your good judgment in these difficult situations. If you observe the above, you will reduce your vulnerability and your risk of attack.

Refusal to Care

The The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpertive Statemenst states:

"The nurse in all professional relationships, prectics with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by consideration of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. "

During the nursing curriculum, nursing students will spend time in the clinical setting. Nursing faculty will supervise students during their clinical rotations and ensure students are not functioning beyond their scope of practice or level of knowledge. Nursing faculty will assign (or assist in the selection of patients) that will reinforce and allow the student to relate theory to practice. As a result students will be exposed to many diverse patient situations. The student may be assigned, therefore, to a patient with whom he/she may have some moral or personal conflict.

American Nurses Association (2001). Code for nurses with interpretive statements. Kansas City, MO: The Author.

Return to Nursing Student handbook Index
For further information, contact the Department of Nursing at: khulse@butlercc.edu
316-322-3140 or 733-3140 from Wichita

Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008