/Institutions/Catholic-University-of-America/json/2023-2024/Undergraduate-Announcements-local.json

/Institutions/Catholic-University-of-America/json/2023-2024/Undergraduate-Announcements.json

Undergraduate Announcements > Conway School of Nursing > Policies and Regulations > Eligibility Requirements for Placement in Clinical Settings > Student Responsibilities

Student Responsibilities

Communications

Catholic University email is the official form of communication from The Conway School of Nursing. All students are required to check their Catholic University email at least once a day. Students must also be cognizant of checking their "junk" mail, and always using their CardinalMail email address for correspondence. Faculty will not respond to personal email, since Cardinalmail is the official portal for student-faculty communications. Students are advised to allow 48-72 business day hours for email responses, absent a medical or serious family emergency. Students are expected to communicate with faculty and staff regarding all academic or clinical concerns to build their personal and professional communication and patient advocacy skills.

Electronic communications and HIPAA rules

Nursing students may not post any material that could potentially violate patient confidentiality or professional behavior guidelines on social media sites. Although BlackBoard and other online tools used in a nursing course are not considered social media sites, students are expected to observe professional standards for communication in all interactions. Students may be subject to disciplinary action by the school and the clinical agency for comments that are either unprofessional or violate patient privacy. HIPAA regulations apply to comments made on social networking sites and BlackBoard or other online tools, and violators are subject to the same prosecution and fines as with other HIPAA violations.

Guidelines:

1. Social media includes but is not limited to blogs, podcasts, discussion forums, online collaborative information, and publishing systems that are accessible to internal and external audiences (e.g., Wikis) through RSS feeds, video sharing, and social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
2. Postings on social networking sites are subject to the same professional standards as any other personal interactions. The permanence, worldwide access, and written and visual nature of these postings make them even more subject to scrutiny than most other forms of communication.
3. Restricted postings include but are not limited to protected health information – individually identifiable information (oral, written, or electronic) about a patient’s physical or mental health, the receipt of health care, or payment for that care.
4. Online postings or discussions of specific patients is not allowed, even if all identifying information is excluded. It is possible that someone could recognize the patient to whom you are referring based on the context. Remember, if you would not want YOUR own health information being posted to the Internet, do not post that of anyone else.
5. Under no circumstances may photos or videos of patients, hospital settings, or photos depicting the body parts of patients be taken or displayed online.
6. Statements made by you within online networks will be treated as if you verbally made the statement in a public place.
7. Some clinical agencies do not allow cell phones to be displayed at any time during student clinical experiences, and if the policy is violated a student may be asked to leave and not return to the facility. Another clinical placement cannot be guaranteed if the student violates an agency cell phone policy and may result in failure of the clinical course.

Transportation to Agencies: The student is expected to assume responsibility for transportation in connection with the clinical practice, community health practice, and field trips. Public transportation is available at many of these sites, but not all.

Insurance: All students in clinical programs are required to carry malpractice insurance, which is covered under their student enrollment fees. This insurance applies only to clinical practice while the student is enrolled in University courses. It does not cover students involved in personal employment. (See Fees and Expenses in the General Information section of the current Undergraduate Student Announcements, available on-line at http://announcements.catholic.edu).

Documentation: The student is required to submit Conway School of Nursing documentation prior to admission and entering clinical coursework via Castlebranch bridges website. If a student does not meet the identified deadline for required health and clinical agency orientation education, the student will not be allowed to begin their clinical rotation and will risk failure.