Guidelines Governing Student Nurses at UTMB
Standards:
Student nurses will be held to the
standards of competent professional nurses when performing all nursing duties.
Uniform:
The school of nursing student will wear appropriate uniform and name tag while
on duty in this hospital. Lab coats are permitted and name badges are required
when the student is picking up an assignment. Students are expected to follow
other dress code policies of the hospital.
Reporting on and off duty:
The charge nurse is responsible for the unit during the shift. Upon arriving on
the unit, report to the charge nurse and primary nurse. If unable to come to
clinical, call your unit and ask for the charge nurse. Give your name, school,
and instructor’s name and reason for absence.
Clinical
Responsibilities:
Students
must receive a patient report. During that time you will find out your
patient’s needs, scheduled events, and status. Utilizing the "UTMB
Hospital Student Assignment Sheet" as an adjunct, communicate your clinical
responsibilities as a student to the nurse clinician assigned to your patients.
Also discuss any issues, problems, or questions with any aspect of your
patient’s care with him/her. It is imperative you notify this person when
there is a decline in the patient’s condition, or if a problem with the
patient, equipment, or medication arises. You must report off to
this person when leaving the floor for any reason, or at the end of your duty.
Clinical
Technical Skills/Procedures: the instructor/nurse clinician must be present
if the student has not attained clinical competency in a procedure or technical
skill. Your instructor will provide guidance about which skills may be performed
independently.
Medications:
Students
are to demonstrate safe medication practices. This
includes knowledge of the six rights, medication action, safe dosage for
adults, seniors and children, side effects and special considerations for
administration. Students are
expected to read Pharmacy
Policy 07.10 Medication Administration Documentation and
referenced policies prior to administering medications.
Nursing instructors or nurse clinicians will check ALL medications prior
to student administration. Select
medications must be double checked by two licensed individuals prior to
administration. These include intravenous
Digoxin, intravenous or subcutaneous insulin, anticoagulants and intravenous
potassium.
ALL intravenous medications are to be prepared and administered under the
direct supervision of a licensed nurse. Preparation
includes reconstitution, aspirating medication from vials and confirming
premixed pharmacy doses. Direct
supervision is defined as being in immediate proximity.
Blood
glucose monitoring and Point of Care Testing (POCT): Performance of blood
glucose monitoring and any point of care testing are limited to employees of
UTMB. Students may not perform POCT using access codes of UTMB employees.
Students may observe POCT and study on-line training modules as a learning
activity.
Students
may NOT hang blood or blood products. They are allowed to monitor vital
signs during the transfusion and sign the Blood Transfusion Record Tag as the
second person to verify the blood component.
Students
may NOT hang IV Chemotherapy, but may monitor patients receiving it.
Documentation:
Documentation must be approved prior to entry in the medical record by the
clinical instructor or nurse assigned to the patient. Student’s signature shall include the first
initial and full last name, student status and school affiliation, e.g., S.
Jones, GCSN. (Refer to UTMB Nursing Practice Standards Policy
7.2.32, p.2)
Doctors Orders:
Students are not permitted to receive telephone/verbal orders. Transcription of
orders is permitted only in supervised preceptorship or management courses.
Photocopying:
Students may NOT photocopy any part of the patient's medical
record or have in their possession any individually identifiable health
information belonging to a patient of UTMB. Individually identifiable data
elements include but are not limited to name, address, birth date, name of
employer, telephone number, e-mail address, social security number, medical
record number, and health plan number.
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