A Student Notification Form (SNF) will be issued for behaviors not meeting the standards of Fresno City College Nursing Department policies, which are not identified as clear safety violations. The SNF will outline the observed behaviors and should include what follow-up is expected. Nursing program faculty may be informed of the SNF in order to offer support, guidance and resources to the student. Repeated behaviors warranting Student Notification may escalate to a Student Disciplinary Intervention.
Faculty will complete the SNF. The student will be offered an opportunity to review and sign the form, and the SNF will be placed in the student file.
If a student violates the Fresno City College Nursing Program Basic Standards for Safe Nursing Practice/Critical Elements, fails to demonstrate safe and satisfactory performance of a previously mastered skill, or seriously jeopardizes a patient's safety, a faculty will document the issue(s) on a Student Disciplinary Intervention (SDI) form.
Faculty will complete the SDI form. The student must sign the form when received, and it will be placed in the student’s file.
The Director, Assistant Director, course faculty, and/or counselor may be notified of the SDI and may meet with the student when necessary. The program faculty are informed of the SDI in order to offer support, guidance, and resources to the student.
If at any time the student's conduct or physical and/or emotional health is such that the student is a potential threat to the well-being of patients or others, the student will be withdrawn from the nursing program.
Withdrawal from the ADN Program may be related to:
- Violation of Basic Standards for Safe Nursing Practice.
- Failure of Semester Clinical Expectations.
- Failure of theoretical examinations or inadequate progress in theoretical course.
- Failure to meet clinical objectives.
- Clinical practice evaluated as "unsafe" at any time in the Program.
- Any violation of the Fresno City College Standards of Student Conduct.
- Stealing from any health care facility.
- Drug or alcohol issues that interfere with the safety of patients or others.
- Mental health issues that interfere with the safety of patients or others.
- Personal reasons (health, family/work responsibilities etc.)
A student who is experiencing difficulty is encouraged to meet with a Nursing counselor to discuss the difficulty and to identify sources of assistance (Skills lab, counseling, study skills, financial aid, etc.) or to explore other alternatives (LOAs, other career options, etc.)
When a student is withdrawn from the program for either academic failure or inadequate clinical performance, the grade of "F" will be assigned for the course in which the failure occurred.
If a student earns two failing grades in any of the required nursing courses, the student will be removed from the Fresno City College Nursing program and will not be allowed re-entry. The required nursing courses are: RN-31, RN-32A, RN-32, RN-33, RN-35A, RN-35B, RN-41, RN-42A, RN-42, RN-45, RN-46, RN-51, RN-52A, RN-52, RN-53, RN-55, RN-56, RN-61, RN-62A, RN-62, RN-65, RN-66, RN-101, RN-102.
Examples:
- Failing a theory, and/or skills, and/or clinical course component together, of the same course sequence, would count as one failure.
- Failing a theory course and being successful in a clinical component would count as one failure.
- Failing any required nursing course that does not have a clinical component would count as one failure.
- Failing the medication math exam resulting in withdrawal from theory and/or clinical and/or skills in the same semester would count as one failure.
If a student is withdrawn from the Fresno City College Nursing Program due to clinical failure, the student may not return to the program. If a student is withdrawn from the Fresno City College Nursing Program due to academic failure, the student may apply for readmission on a space available basis by meeting with the Director of Nursing. A student will be allowed to re-enter the Fresno City College Nursing program one time within one academic year of departure.
Re-entry students must wear the uniform currently being used.
- When a student is dropped from a theory course it requires that the concurrent skills/clinical course(s) be dropped also.
- Progression in the sequence of nursing courses will be permitted only after the dropped courses are repeated successfully.
- If a student earns a “W”, "D" or an "F" grade in a course, -the course may be repeated once only.
- If a student is earning a “W”, “D" or an "F" grade at the time of withdrawal from a course prior to the drop deadline, the course may be repeated once only.
- During the repeat of the course, if the student drops prior to the drop deadline and is earning a “W”, "D" or an "F" grade, the student may not repeat the course again and may not continue in the program.
- During the repeat of the course, if the student is dropped by the instructor due to absences prior to the drop deadline and is earning a “W”, "D" or an "F" grade, the student may not repeat the course again and may not continue in the program.
- Students can petition for withdrawal due to extenuating circumstances according to the college catalog in accordance with CCR, Title 5, Section 55024.
Purpose: Medication administration is a salient nursing role requiring discernment, critical thinking, and judgment to ensure quality care and patient safety. Thus, the medication math competency exam is intended to evaluate retention of medication math concepts and validate competency to perform correct math calculations for accurate medication administration in the clinical environment.
Each semester a medication math competency exam will be administered. The minimum passing score is 100% and is required to continue in the nursing program. Students will have three opportunities to pass the medication math competency exam. If a 100% is not achieved on the medication math competency exam after three attempts per semester, then:
- The first semester student will receive an administrative drop from RN-31(Foundations Theory) and will not meet the prerequisite to continue in RN-32 (Foundations Clinical). The student may complete RN-32A (Foundations Skills), RN-33 (Transcultural Healthcare); and may take RN-35A (Pharmacology A).
- The second through fourth semester student will receive an administrative drop from theory, skills, and receive a failing grade in clinical. The student may continue in RN-35B (Pharmacology B), RN-53 (Nursing Care of the Older Adult), and RN-201 (NCLEX-RN Review), as appropriate.
