Acceptable Performance in UG Courses
Subject: Student Success
Policy: Acceptable Performance in UG Practice Courses
Revised: March 2022
Effective date: March 2022
Review date: Fall 2025
Responsible Party: level I: UAAC; Level II: Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Introduction and Purpose
While the College of Nursing has multiple campuses and utilizes a variety of clinical agencies, patient populations and learning opportunities, the faculty espouse one philosophy of teaching and learning as outlined in the Professional Nursing Curricula policy.Practice courses in the undergraduate programs are to be organized so that theoretical content and clinical learning experiences are offered in a manner that facilitates the application of nursing theory to clinical nursing practice throughout the course.
Students admitted to the nursing program and who remain in good standing receive guaranteed enrollment in nursing courses and access to clinical learning opportunities each semester through to graduation. Overall campus enrollment is limited to maintain safe quality patient care and adhere to regulated student/faculty ratios. Unsatisfactory completion of two or more nursing courses in two different semesters indicates that academic performance is not at the level normally required by the average undergraduate student and warrants removal from the program. For those students opting to seek reinstatement in the nursing curriculum, the appeal process provides an opportunity for the student to carefully examine their academic performance and formulate appropriate educational plan of action and strategies which will maximize future learning opportunities.
Policy
- Prerequisite courses for any nursing course must be passed with a grade of C minus or higher before taking the nursing course for which the prerequisite course is required. (See Application, Admission and Placement into the College of Nursing UG Program Policy)
- Acceptable performance in all nursing courses includes obtaining a grade of "C" or better. (See Standardized Grading Policy). The College of Nursing considers a withdrawal (W) to be a failed attempt at course completion.
- Students must receive a passing grade in both the theoretical and clinical/college laboratory portions of integrated lab courses. An unsatisfactory (U) grade earned in the lab component of an integrated course constitutes a failure of the entire course.
- Unsatisfactory completion of two or more courses in ONE semester does not necessarily warrant removal from the nursing curriculum since emergent circumstances (which subsequently resolve) may arise which may have contributed to poor academic performance during a semester. Students who fail to conform to reasonable standards of performance or behavior or when, in the judgment of the faculty member, reasonable supervision is inadequate to ensure patient welfare are subject to College of Nursing Policy C-6 Removal of Undergraduate Students from Clinical Settings and/or Professional Student Behavior
- Unsatisfactory completion (a grade below C) of required nursing course in two different semesters prohibits continuation in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.
- Since progression in the undergraduate nursing curriculum is prohibited by two failures in different semesters, students who wish to seek reinstatement into the nursing program may file an appeal for review by the College of Nursing Scholastic Appeal Committee. (College of Nursing Scholastic Committee policy).
Procedures
- Student clinical performance is assessed by course team members (faculty, preceptors and/or clinical resource registered nurses) during each clinical experience and communicated among course team members throughout the semester (e.g., weekly or biweekly course and level meetings). Students will be apprised of the status of their clinical performance during a mid-term formative evaluation. If at risk of failure or unsatisfactory this evaluation is conducted by faculty member to develop a plan for improvement and given opportunity during the time between the mid-term evaluation and the final evaluation to demonstrate achievement of all clinical objectives and competencies. The final summative clinical evaluation and grade in the practice course is determined by the qualified faculty member (i.e. graduate nursing preparation or greater) in consultation with the course team (preceptors and/or clinical resource registered nurse) after learning experiences related to clinical application have been completed. Students who were at risk at midterm or determined to have failed the course will meet with the faculty member and course team as appropriate to discuss areas of improvement and steps to repeat the course or appeal for reinstatement.
- Students who are unsuccessful, withdraw, or are removed from a nursing course for the first time submit a Campus Placement Request Form to repeat the course. Consideration of placement requests are process as outlined in the Application, Admission and Placement into the College of Nursing UG Program
- Students who are unsuccessful, withdraw or are removed from a nursing course for the second time in a subsequent semester are notified and removed from the nursing program by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- Students seeking reinstatement to the nursing program following two unsuccessful attempts in nursing courses during two different semesters may consult with their advisor and appeal for reinstatement through the College Scholastic Committee.
Course Classifications
2004-2024 Curriculum (TBSN/ABSN)
Lecture Only
NRSG 115 Nursing as a Profession NRSG 258 Principles of Pathophysiology
NRSG 377 Introduction to Community-Based Nursing
Lecture/Recitation Discussion
NRSG 220 Foundations of Ethical Nursing NRSG 444 Care Management
NRSG 387R Research in Healthcare
Lecture/Seminar
NRSG 418 Health Care Policy & Health Care Economics
Integrated Lecture/College Laboratory
NRSG 238 Health Assessment Across the Lifespan NRSG 336 Nursing Pharmacotherapeutics
NRSG 341 Psychosocial Nursing Concepts
Integrated Lecture/Clinical Laboratory
NRSG 225 Foundations for Planning and Providing Clinical Nursing Care NRSG 346 Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family
NRSG 348 Nursing Care of the Child and Family NRSG 352 Acute & Chronic Illness
NRSG 437 Psychiatric Nursing NRSG 454 Urgent & Palliative Care
NRSG 477 Population-Based Nursing Care in the Community NRSG 487 Nursing Leadership & Management Development
Curricula (Traditional & ABSN) beginning Fall 2022
Concept (Lecture)
NRSG 116 Introduction to Professional Nursing
NRSG 314 Concepts in Psychosocial Nursing
NRSG 316 Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics I
NRSG 317 Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics II
NRSG 318 Accelerated Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics (ABSN)
NRSG 327 Foundation of Nursing Care
NRSG 323 Professional Development I
NRSG 332 Nursing Concepts in Health Promotion
NRSG 333 Concepts in Health Promotion & Psychosocial Nursing (ABSN)
NRSG 354 Nursing Concepts in Reproductive Health
NRSG 357 Nursing Concepts in Pediatric Care
NRSG 358 Nursing Concepts in Reproductive Health & Pediatric Care (ABSN)
NRSG 406 Professional Development V (ABSN)
NRSG 408 Nursing Concepts in Chronic Care
NRSG 412 Professional Development IV
NRSG 426 Nursing Concepts in Population Health
NRSG 431 Nursing Concepts in Psychiatric/Mental Health
NRSG 403 Professional Development III
NRSG 460 Nursing Concepts in Acute/Chronic Care (ABSN)
NRSG 470 Nursing Concepts in Acute Care
NRSG 480 Management of Healthcare Systems
Lecture /Recitation/Discussion
NRSG 324 Professional Development II: EBP
NRSG 452 Health Policy & Economics
Skills & Simulation Courses
NRSG 328 Foundation of Nursing Lab
NRSG 329 Adult Health Assessment (Integrated skills lab)
NRSG 400 Nursing Simulation
Practice Courses
NRSG 334 Nursing Practice in Health Promotion
NRSG 359 Nursing Practice in Reproductive Health & Pediatric Care
NRSG 409 Nursing Practice in Chronic Care
NRSG 427 Nursing Practice in Population Health
NRSG 432 Nursing Practice in Psychiatric/Mental Health
NRSG 461 Nursing Practice in Acute/Chronic Care (ABSN)
NRSG 471 Nursing Practice in Acute Care
NRSG 498 Professional Internship
Definitions
Lecture/Concept Courses
Concept/lecture courses include the presentation of course material by the instructor using the lecture method designed to meet course objectives. Each credit hour represents a minimum of three class-oriented work hours (50 minutes of classroom instruction and an additional two hours of out of class engaged effort and work per student) each week during a 15-week semester. One credit of achievement should approximate 45 hours of combined instruction and student work/engaged effort. At least an equivalent amount of work and engaged effort is required regardless of pedagogical format (lab, web-enhanced, on-line, condensed coursework, internships, studio, independent study, etc) (MSU Catalog).
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Lecture/Lab Combo (Integrated Lab)
Combines the elements of lecture and laboratory in one meeting time.
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Practice Courses
Practice courses (clinical laboratory) use 3 hours of time per credit per week to meet professional nursing competencies and course objectives (e.g., 3 credit lab x 3 hours x 15 weeks = 135 hours per semester). 90% of practice course hours/experiences require direct care and the remaining 10% may be directed towards clinical orientation, post practice conference, and/or student performance evaluation. Purely observational practice experiences and simulation are not considered direct patient care.
Direct Care
direct care, defined by AACN (2021) as “a professional encounter between a nurse and an actual individual or family, either face to face or virtual, that is intended to achieve specific health goals or achieve selected health outcomes…[and] may be provided in a wide range of settings, including acute and critical care, long term care, home health, community-based settings, and telehealth.”
Indirect Care
defined by AACN (2021) as “nursing decisions, actions, or interventions that are provided through or on behalf of individuals, families, or groups. These decisions or interventions create the conditions under which nursing care or selfcare may occur. Nurse might use administrative decision, population or aggregate health planning, or policy development to affect health outcomes in this way. Nurses who function in administrative capacities are responsible for direct care provided by other nurses. Their administrative decisions create the conditions under which direct care is provided. Public health nurse organize care for populations or aggregates to create the conditions under which improved health outcomes are more likely to occur. Health policies create broad scale conditions for delivery of nursing and health care.”
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Recitation/Discussion
The presentation of course materials is designed to involve students in recitation and/or discussion. -
Seminar
Students share, with the instructor, responsibility for preparation and presentation of course materials.
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Skills lab & Simulation Courses
Skills/simulation courses use 2 hours of time per credit per week to meet professional nursing competencies of which the majority (greater than 50%) are simulated (not involving a contractual/therapeutic nurse-patient/client relationship). Each credit hour represents a minimum of two class-oriented work hours (50 minutes of lab instruction and an additional hour of out of class engaged effort and work per student) each week during a 15-week semester. (MSU Catalog). Observational and direct patient care experiences are limited.
American Association of College of Nursing (AACN), 2021. The Essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education.