Purpose | Policy | Procedure: Technical Standards | Visual Acuity
Auditory Ability | Olfactory Ability | Tactile Ability | Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills | Strength and Mobility | Physical Endurance
Ability to Communicate, Comprehend, Read, and Write in English | Behavioral Stability
Cognitive Ability and Critical Thinking Skills
Purpose
Clear academic and technical standards assure that decisions concerning admission for all students are based upon nondiscriminatory criteria. Federal law requires the provision of reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities who possess “the academic and technical [nonacademic] standards” for admission or participation in the Nursing program and courses. In courses where enrollment is limited and based on selective criteria, having clearly spelled out academic and technical standards assures the absence of discrimination against qualified persons with disabilities who could have succeeded with reasonable accommodations. Having technical standards available also assists potential applicants with or without disabilities to assess their ability to succeed in the program/courses and the Nursing profession. Technical Standards for admission are all nonacademic criteria that are essential to participate in the Nursing program/courses. These technical standards include personal and professional attributes, skills, knowledge, physical, medical, safety, and other requirements that an individual must meet in order to be eligible for admission to and retention in the Nursing program/courses.
Policy
In order to be admitted and to progress in the Nursing Program/Course one must possess a functional level of ability to perform the duties required of a nurse. At admission, the individual must sign a statement confirming that he/she is able to perform all of the technical standards with or without reasonable accommodations. Admission or progression will be denied if a student is unable to demonstrate the technical standards. If an individual experiences a change during the program/course, so that the technical standards cannot be met with or without reasonable accommodations, the student will be withdrawn from the Nursing program/course. The Nursing faculty reserves the right at any time to require an assessment by a qualified healthcare provider at the student's expense in order to assist with the evaluation of the student's ability to perform the technical standards.
Disclosure of a Disability. Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know, should make an appointment with the Team Coordinator as early as possible, no later than the first week of the term. Students may also wish to contact the COCC Disabilities Services Office in Boyle Education Center/Redmond School district 2J ADA officer. Individuals will be asked to provide documentation of the disability in order to assist with the provision of appropriate reasonable accommodations. The College/School will provide reasonable accommodations but is not required to substantially alter the requirements or nature of the Program/Course or provide accommodations that inflict an undue burden on the respective College/School. Students who disclose a disability and request accommodation after the educational program/course begins may experience a delay in Program/Course progression, although all efforts will be made to promptly accommodate the student.
Procedure: Technical Standards
Technical standards for admission to and retention in the Nursing Program/Courses include the following:
Visual Acuity
1. Visual acuity sufficient to assess clients and their environments and to follow the Nursing care plans that are developed by the licensed nurse.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Detect changes in skin color or condition
- Collect data from recording equipment and measurement devices used in client care
- Detect a fire in a client area and initiate emergency action
- Read fine print in varying levels of light
Auditory Ability
2. Auditory ability sufficient to assess clients and their environments and to follow the Nursing care plans that are developed by the licensed nurse.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Detect sounds related to bodily functions using a stethoscope
- Detect audible alarms e.g. monitors, fire alarms, call bells
- Communicate clearly in telephone conversations
- Communicate effectively with clients and with other members of the healthcare team
Olfactory Ability
3. Olfactory ability sufficient to assess significant client and/or environmental odors, and to follow the Nursing care plans that are developed by the licensed nurse.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Detect odors of bodily fluids or spoiled foods
- Detect smoke from burning materials
Tactile Ability
4. Tactile ability sufficient to assess clients and to implement the Nursing care plans that are developed by the licensed nurse.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Detect changes in skin temperature
- Detect unsafe temperature levels in heat-producing devices used in client care
- Feel vibrations such as palpate pulses
- Feel differences in sizes and shapes in order to identify proper landmarks
- Feel differences in skin surface characteristics such as skin turgor or rash
Fine Motor Skills
5. Fine motor skills sufficient to perform psychomotor skills integral to client care.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Accurately place and maintain position of stethoscope for detecting sounds of bodily functions
- Record data with a pen on graphics and other flow sheets
- Operate a computer
- Handle small, delicate equipment/objects without extraneous movement, contamination, or destruction
- Coordinate hand/eye movements
Gross Motor Skills
6. Gross motor skills sufficient to provide the full range of safe and effective Nursing assistant care
activities.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Stand and maintain balance while transferring patients
- Reach below the waist and overhead while providing patient care procedures
- Walk without a cane, walker or crutches in order to ambulate patient patient and provide bedside care
- Maneuver in small areas such as patient rooms and Nursing work stations
Strength and Mobility
7. Strength and mobility sufficient to perform client care activities and emergency procedures.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Transfer clients safely in and out of bed
- Lift or move clients or objects, pull or push objects, and maintain a “medium activity level” as defined by the State of Oregon Department of Insurance Index of Occupational Characteristics. This includes occasionally lifting 50 pounds and frequently lifting or carrying objects weighing 25 pounds.
- Turn and position clients as needed to prevent complications due to bed rest or minimal movement
- Read the volumes in body fluid collection devices hung or placed below bed level
- Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Move body and all extremities quickly
Physical Endurance
8. Physical endurance sufficient to complete assigned periods of clinical practice e.g. 5, 8, 12 hour
shifts on days, evenings, nights, or weekends during the Nursing Program/Course. Must perform
with acceptable speed reflected by ability to carry out the usual client care assignment for a
particular point in the Program/Course within the allotted clinical time.
Note: Pregnancy may pose special problems for women students. While the student's continuation in the Program/Course during pregnancy is encouraged, it is necessary that the faculty be informed of the pregnancy as soon as possible. When a student becomes pregnant, she must notify the Team Coordinator/Primary Instructor. The student will be required to obtain a signed statement from the primary health care provider verifying that the student may safely participate in the Program/Course, including meeting relevant technical standards. Changes in condition must be reported and further documentation may be required. A student who is less than six weeks post partum must also have written documentation from her primary health care provider that states the student can meet the technical standards of the Nursing Program/Course in order to return to clinical practice. A student who suffers an injury, or has a surgical procedure during the Nursing Program/Course, will be required to provide written documentation from their healthcare provider that states the student can meet the technical standards of the Nursing Program/Course in order to return to clinical practice.
Ability to Communicate, Comprehend, Read, and Write English
9. Ability to communicate, comprehend, read, and write in English at a level that meets the need for accurate, clear, and effective communication with individuals, families, and groups respecting social, cultural and spiritual diversity.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Give clear oral reports
- Read graphs
- Read and understand English printed documents
- Write legibly or type in English in client charts
- Be able to communicate effectively on the telephone
- Discriminate fine/subtle differences in medical word endings
- Report findings to the licensed nurse
Behavioral Stability
10. Behavioral stability The student must exercise good judgment and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the care of patients. The students must function effectively under stress, and adapt to an environment that may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways; and follow through on assigned client care responsibilities and accept accountability for actions. The student must be willing and able to examine and change his or her behavior when it interferes with productive individual or team relationships, or care of patients. The student must possess skills and experience necessary for effective and harmonious relationships in diverse learning environments.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Deal with the unexpected e.g. frequently changing client status
- Handle strong emotions
- Be flexible with changing environments and schedules in both class and clinical settings
- Be able to work in close quarters with clients, healthcare team members and Nursing faculty
- Focus attention on task
- Monitor own emotions and be able to keep emotions under control in clinical environment
- Establish a therapeutic relationship and communicate in a supportive manner
Note: It is essential that students meet this technical standard as they progress through the Program/Course. Faculty members may find that a student does not meet this technical standard if they observe the following: diminished judgment; labile mood; emotional outbursts; exhibiting signs of increasing restlessness, easily irritated, or overly sensitive to criticism; and disruptive/inappropriate/inconsistent behavioral patterns.
Cognitive Ability and Critical Thinking Skills
11. Cognitive ability and critical thinking skills to collect, analyze, and integrate information and knowledge to make clinical judgments and management decisions that promote client outcomes.
Examples of relevant activities:
- Carry out the Nursing process in the care of patients
- Identify cause-effect relationships
- Sequence or cluster patient findings
- Process information thoroughly and quickly to prioritize tasks
- Demonstrate skills of recall using both long and short term memory, inferential reasoning, predicting possible outcomes, application of knowledge, and evaluation of predicted outcomes at appropriate level for point in program/course, or scope of duties.
* Technical standards are a compilation/adaptation based on Nursing Program Student Handbooks from the following colleges: Blue Mountain Community, Chemeketa Community, Portland Community, Rogue Community Colleges, and Western Washington University.
References:
"A Process for Developing Essential Components and Technical Standards" by Patricia L. Anderson, University of Connecticut was drawn upon for definitions and guidance in preparing this document.
"Validation Study: Functional Abilities Essential for Nursing Practice:. Yocom, Carolyn, J. National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. 1996.
Katz, J. R., Woods, S. L., Cameron, C. A., & Milam, S. (2004). Essential qualifications for Nursing Students. Nursing Outlook, 52, 277-88.