Clinical
Students will have clinical experiences caring for patients in acute, post-acute, and ambulatory care settings. The students are expected to prepare for clinical.
According to USI policy, students are not permitted to:
- enter physician orders
- witness consent forms or legal documents
- witness or hang blood or blood component products (Students may monitor vital signs and complete assessments while blood products are infusing.)
- administer chemotherapy
- remove central lines
- perform venipuncture for blood draws
All other clinical activities may be performed at the discretion of the clinical faculty and as directed by the nursing unit or agency.
Safe Medication Administration
and Medication Administration Safety Exam
Regardless of the student course or level, all medications must be directly supervised by a registered nurse. Students must know: the action, indication, classification, safe dosage range, route of administration, required assessment if indicated, and safety monitoring of all administered medications. If the student is unable to articulate the medication information, they shall not administer the medicine. Students must follow the medication administration policy of the facility. The student will be expected to communicate this knowledge to the registered nurse overseeing medication administration.
The following guidelines will be implemented concerning medication administration safety in the undergraduate courses.
A medication administration safety exam will be administered in the following courses:
- Pharmacology (NURS 356)
- Introduction of Patient Care (NURS 357)
- Nursing Care of Adults I (NURS 358)
- Nursing Care of the Adults II (NURS 368)
- Mental Health Nursing (NURS 363)
- Care of Children and Families (NURS 364)
- Nursing Care of Women and Families (NURS 456)
- Care of Adults through Lifespan (NURS 461)
- Nursing Care of Adults III (NURS 468)
- Leadership in Care Delivery (NURS 488)
Other nursing courses may include a medication administration safety exam. The number of points on the exam will be at the course faculty’s discretion. Other exams in the courses listed above will have a minimum of 5% medication administration questions independent of the medication administration safety exam.
- The score received on the first medication administration safety exam will be the score included in the course exam average.
- The student must obtain a minimum of 90% on the medication administration safety exam. A student who is unsuccessful on the medication administration safety exam will be required to complete remediation designated by the course faculty.
- Students who do not obtain a 90% on the medication administration safety exam or complete remediation prior to clinical will be unable to administer medication during clinicals. Failure to complete these requirements could result in a course failure.
- Students should refer to their course syllabus for information regarding medication administration safety exam information and remediation.