Technical Standards
The faculty of the Solomont School of Nursing have developed guidelines to specify the essential functions students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (BS), Master of Science (MS) and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs must demonstrate in order to fulfill the requirements of the relevant Nursing program. Functions listed are required for the learning and practice of critical thinking, communication, and technical skills taught in the curricula. These functions may be required in clinical, classroom, and laboratory environments.
The faculty of the school maintain that certain minimal technical standards must be met in a timely manner by every applicant, with or without reasonable accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The school will consult with the Disability Services office to determine whether requested accommodations would fundamentally alter the program requirements. Applicants and students with relevant concerns are encouraged to consult with Disability Services staff.
The Solomont School of Nursing has established the following Technical Standards:
Critical Thinking
Student will be able to (with or without reasonable accommodations):
- Thoroughly, efficiently, and reliably:
- Recall, interpret, synthesize, evaluate and then apply information from written, verbal, and illustrated materials
- Implement the Standards of Care (include skills of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, intervention, and evaluation) through recall, application of measurement, interpretation, calculation, reassessment, analysis, judgement, and synthesis.
- Identify and communicate the limits of their knowledge to others when appropriate.
- Incorporate new information from clients, peers, teachers, and relevant literature.
Communication
Student will be able to (with or without reasonable accommodations):
Behavioral and Social
- Communicate in English effectively and sensitively with faculty, staff, allied health personnel, peers and clients.
- Be aware of and appropriately react to one's own immediate emotional response.
- Accept appropriate feedback from peers and faculty/staff and, if necessary, respond by modification of behavior.
- Develop professional relationships, providing comfort and reassurance when appropriate, while protecting confidentiality.
- Remain calm and able to make rational decisions under pressure and in the face of challenges or threats.
Receptive and Expressive
- Recognize and interpret verbal and non-verbal cues and communication.
- Complete reading assignments, and search and evaluate the literature.
- Complete written records and documentation where appropriate.
- Demonstrate the use of therapeutic communication, such as attending, clarifying, coaching, facilitating and touching.
- Present to small and large groups, as needed, according to predetermined guidelines.
Technical Abilities
Student will be able to (with or without reasonable accommodations):
Sensory Observation
- Observe demonstrations and participate in laboratory experiences.
- Obtain appropriate health history directly from the client, while maintaining professionalism and confidentiality.
- Observe a client at a distance and close at hand, noting nonverbal as well as verbal signs.
- Detect and identify subtle changes in colors of fluid, skin, and laboratory.
- Discriminate numbers and patterns associated with diagnostic instruments such as glucometers and electrocardiograms (ECGs).
- Use instruments such as stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, otoscopes, microscopes, and syringes.
Motor Skills
- Have sufficient sensory and motor function to perform a physical examination.
- Provide general care and emergency treatment to clients including, but not limited to, CPR.
- Manipulate, dials, knobs, electrodes, syringes, intravenous therapy materials, and other small or larger pieces of equipment with dexterity.
- Demonstrate sufficient manual dexterity and visual acuity to perform nursing functions including, but not limited to, the safe administration of medications and fluids via a variety of routes.
- Demonstrate abilities to safely move a client or assist a client in ambulation, transportation, positioning, and transferring.
- Have the capacity to work effectively in the student clinical role for 8-12 hours in a variety of settings (hospitals, clinics, homes, etc.)