Clinical Competency and Administering Medications:
The student must demonstrate competence in administering a minimum of four oral medications, excluding OTC medicines on at least two separate occasions. To administer medications in the clinical facility the student must complete a clinical competency exam administered with a score of 85% or better. If the student is unable to meet the 85% requirement on the first exam, a second exam will be given. Failure to obtain the 85% requirement on the second exam will result in a grade of “U” for clinical and an “F” for VNSG 2413.There is no makeup for the clinical competency. If the student does not take the first or second clinical competency exam at the date/time designated by the instructor, they will only have one chance to take the exam. If the student misses both exams, they will receive a “0” and will be dismissed from the VN program. This grade will not be averaged in with other exams.
Always have every medication you give as a student vocational nurse checked carefully by a licensed nurse.
You MUST attend clinical orientation. No excuses are accepted.*If orientation is missed, you will automatically be dismissed from the VN Program. Clinical tardy and absence rules apply.
Students must pass Applied Nursing 2 and Clinical simultaneously.
Uniform Policy: Refer to the Handbook.
Clinical Policies:
The purpose of clinical in the Vocational Nursing Program is to allow the student to practice nursing under the guidance of the clinical instructor. Clinical allows the student to apply the theory and technical skills learned in the classroom and skills lab to real clients in the health care system, on a Virtual patient, and in the simulation lab/on campus clinical’s safe learning environment. Sessions at the hospital setting begin promptly at 6:30am and conclude at 1:30pm for post conference. Post conference is held for one (1) hour after clinical. This time is used for special reports, guest speakers, and alternate learning experiences. This is also a time when students can share their experiences, consult each other, brainstorm, and seek guidance from the instructor. Sim lab and on campus clinical will begin at 7:30am and end at 2:30pm.
When at the health care facility, no student food or drink is allowed at the nurse’s stations or in the hallways. (This is also an OSHA regulation).Do not “visit” your fellow classmates during clinical time. Stay in your assigned area. Do not try to plan lunch dates during clinical. Your breaks are worked around your patient’s care. No visitors (friends or family members) are allowed during clinical. If the student is caught breaking any institutional policy, they will be sent home with a clinical absence, and the student could be dismissed from the program. You may not leave the hospital to buy lunch somewhere else or run errands. Students may not leave the hospital without checking with a clinical instructor. Bring your lunch or plan to eat in the hospital cafeteria. Also, all students may not leave the simulation lab/on campus clinical classroom without checking with clinical instructor. *Students not in uniform at clinical will be sent home. This will result in a clinical absence.*Refer to the Handbook for the uniform policy.
- Students participating in clinical activities must follow the clinical affiliates policies for students at their facilities. These may include, but are not limited to:Entering through a designated entrance
- Under going screen procedures prior to entering the hospital
- Students must have appropriate PPE, as required by facility, during patient related activities.
Students who do not adhere to the policies in place at their clinical location will be sent home and counted as absent.
Always tell the charge nurse before you leave the unit. Give a report and tell the nurse when you will return. During an eight-hour clinical day you get one 15-minute break and one 30-minute break. If you are not in your area or not on your 1 break or 30-minute lunch break, you may be sent home for the day with a clinical absence and may be dismissed from the Vocational Nursing Program.
Do not study for class during clinical. No cell phones during clinical. Instructors have the right to take them up and send student home with a clinical absence. Students found to be in violation of facility policies will be sent home with a clinical absence. If someone needs to contact you, instruct them to phone the Nursing Dept. Administrative Assistant at 409-882-3344, or call/email the clinical instructor.
Students in the VN Program must bring their Skills Check Off Sheet with them to clinical every day.
Students must follow all Hospital and Sim lab/On Campus clinical rules, or they will be sent home with a clinical absence.
Seek opportunities to learn while at clinical.
Remember we are guests at the hospital. You need clinical hours to graduate. Give all the staff respect—they have earned Maintain a positive attitude and smile often. Make the most of your clinical time.
- Clinical Restrictions:Perform phlebotomy.
- Begin intravenous infusion of any kind.
- Administer blood or blood products including Rhogam.
- Administer intravenous “push” medications.
- Give experimental medications.
- Give any medication to which a client has a stated allergy.
- Complete incident reports of any kind without the assistance of instructor
- Serve as a witness.
- Take verbal/telephone orders from physicians.
- Transcribe order sunless the transcribed work is initiated and initialed by a member of the hospital staff.
- Insert N/G tubes with out supervision.
- Insert a catheter with out supervision.
- Change dressings on any central lines; port a cath’s etc. without supervision.
- Give any medication without looking up the med in the Doctor’s Orders and the MAR, making sure that the two matches exactly.
- Give any medication that has not been checked by a nurse (LVN or RN)
*Students are to refrain from posting, texting, taking pictures of, or talking about patients, their clinical experience, facilities, etc. on ANY social media or they will be dismissed from the Vocational Nursing Program. No videoing or taking pictures of instructors or fellow classmates. NO posting them on social media without prior authorization from that person to do so.
Students must have their own transportation to and from hospital site, class, sim lab, on campus clinical, seminars, and trips.
- *Students are expected to wear professional attire to seminars, class trips, or tours and when guest speakers are invited to Lamar. No midriffs are to be visible.
- No sleeveless dresses or tops.
- No sweat clothes are allowed.
- No shorts or short skirts(divided or not) are allowed.
- If a student is in their uniform they must comply with the rules(hair up, etc.)Name tags must be worn to all seminars, tours, and trips.
- Students wearing clothing deemed unprofessional will be asked to leave, and will receive an absence.
- Students must pay any required fees for seminars.