University of Southern Maine

Nursing Student Advising Bulletin

Spring 2010

| Graduate Students | Health Requirements | Background Checks | Insurance |
 May 2010 Grads | Portland Undergrad Pre-Registration | RN-BS Student | Registration Dates

Web page & Listservs

General Advising Information

Spring registration is fast approaching. This bulletin will provide information on what each group of students will need in order to register for appropriate classes. There is a section for graduate students, RN to BS students, students already in clinical courses, students beginning 300-level clinical courses and students in the first two years of the nursing program. After you read the General Advising Information, find your specific section and thoroughly read it.

Spring registration starts in November with graduate students and senior with 114 or more credits beginning registration on November 9, 2009. Spring registration will use MaineStreet. Please access the USM Registrar’s web site at http://www.usm.maine.edu/reg/  for specific registration information.

You will need to meet with your advisor to obtain a PIN number for registration.

Please call your advisor for a pre-registration appointment. Advising appointments should be made beginning  Monday, October 26, 2009.

Graduate students- please call your advisor to make an appointment.  Please see the graduate section of this bulletin.

RN to BS students (completing your undergraduate degree) at both Portland and Lewiston- please call Brenda Webster at 207 780-4802 for advising.

Portland undergraduate nursing students already enrolled in clinical courses- please sign up on the appointment sheet posted on your advisor’s door and see your section in this advising bulletin.

Lewiston students entering clinical courses in spring 2010 - Liz Elliott will visit on October 28, 2009 to discuss spring semester courses and the registration process.

Portland Accelerated students-your advisors are Linda Lamberson and Liz Elliott-an advising meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2009, one from 11:30-12:30 in Rm 241 Luther Bonnye.

Students entering clinical courses in spring 2010- if you are taking your first 300 level theory/clinical course spring 2010 (NUR 323/325, Introduction to Adult/Older Adult Nursing) you will be assigned to a new advisor.  You will receive an email from Brenda Webster with the name and contact information of your new advisor.  Please sign up on the appointment sheet posted on your advisor’s door and review your section in this advising bulletin.

Students in the first two years of the nursing program at both Portland and Lewiston- Karen Martel is your advisor. Please email Karen at kmartel@usm.maine.edu to schedule an appointment. Please provide several days and times that you are available.  Spaces full quickly so contact Karen ASAP!

(From the Registrar’s web site http://www.usm.maine.edu/reg/%20Springtabloid/Springinformation/RegistrationScheduleandInformation.html)

Students may start registering at 6:00 am on a day determined by the number of earned credit hours. (see schedule below).

You will be able to view the day you are eligible to register by logging into MaineStreet, click on Student Self-Service, Student Center, then Enrollment Dates.  This will give you the date you are eligible to register.  The date will be available by November 2, 2009. 

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*ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS-VERY IMPORTANT!!*

Health Requirements

All graduate and undergraduate students enrolling in a clinical course for spring: You must make sure that your health requirements are submitted to the School of Nursing and up-to-date.  Check the College of Nursing and Health Professions web page www.usm.maine.edu/conhp for information on Health Requirements. Call Brenda Webster at 207 780-4802 or E-mail Brenda at bwebster@usm.maine.edu  with questions. If you fax in your health requirements (Fax: 207 780-4381) please follow up with an email to Brenda to make sure all your documents have arrived.

Students in all graduate clinical courses and students starting undergraduate Fundamentals:

We are now tracking health requirements, CPR, and confidentiality agreements beginning with students who are STARTING clinical course work in the spring.

You will be receiving email communication directing you on how to post your records to our secure tracking site. There will be a fee for this service of $25.00 that you will pay to the company (American DataBank) when you register.  We will also require a COPY of your records which will be checked against your tracked data and kept on file.  An automatic audit process will inform you when requirements need updating.  School of Nursing staff will not contact students regarding late or missing documents; you will be notified that you are not in compliance and taken out of clinical courses.  Keep a copy for your record and be prepared to post them once the site becomes available. 

Students who started clinicals in the fall 2008 will not be required to use this service; your records are in and will be tracked according to the current system.  Students who started clinical courses (including Fundamentals) in the undergraduate program prior to spring 2009 will have their health requirement tracked by the current system and will be notified by SON staff regarding health requirements that need updating.   

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Background Checks:

We began requiring background checks for all students starting and continuing in clinical courses after January 1, 2009. If you are beginning clinical courses in spring 2010 (NUR 323/325 in the undergraduate program) you must register for the background check by going to: http://www.usmnursingcompliance.com/

The first page of the link has a release form which you must sign in order for USM to release information about you to our affiliates (clinical agencies).  You will not be cleared to start clinical without printing a copy of that form and sending it to the Director of the School of Nursing at the address on the form.  The company will then conduct a background check on you.  If you so request, information that goes to the affiliates will also be sent to you.  If there is something on your background check that is incorrect you need to contact the company to have it corrected. The compliance officer at the SON will check that each student has completed the check, signed the release and will notify affiliates of any students who have been flagged.  The affiliates will have full access to the information in your background check (the compliance officer and the administration at the SON will not) and may or may not require an appointment with you to address issues raised by this check.  We will be notified if you are ineligible for clinical experiences according to the affiliate requirements.  We consider ineligibility at one institution as ineligibility for all which will stop your progression in the program. 

Background checks are transferable across institutions and generally are considered adequate for 12-18 months.  At this time we will require background checks at the start of your clinical course work and for any significant break in clinical progression.

Students will not be allowed into clinical if background checks are not completed and if all immunizations are not on file in our system(s).

Insurance Coverage:

If you are enrolling in a clinical course this spring, which includes Fundamentals (NUR 213) and Advanced Health Assessment (NUR 602), or Community Partnership for RNs (NUR 419), in addition to health requirements and professional level CPR certification, you will be required to bring a copy of your health insurance card to Brenda Webster, Masterton Rm 122.

Maine Medical Center Compliance

If this semester is your first semester at Maine Medical Center there are two more compliance requirements that you must meet:

• Basic orientation and safety modules are on our web page. You must review the Abbreviated Access Orientation and the Access Policy. Print out and sign the Agreement to Comply and the Confidentiality Agreement at this link: http://www.usm.maine.edu/conhp/nursing/resources.html (scroll down and you can link directly from there). You must know how to manage these confidentiality, safety and emergency issues at Maine Medical Center.
• Computer training class times will be sent to the School of Nursing list serves prior to the start of the semester. You must take a computer training class to receive access to the patient information system at MMC.

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Pre-Registration Advising Information:

Graduate faculty advisors will be available about two weeks before graduate registration becomes available for students to make appointments for pre-registration advising. Registration for graduate students begins on November 9th and it is a good idea to register early so that you have a better opportunity to get into the courses and the seminar sections you prefer. All clinical seminar sections for spring courses are listed in the registration bulletin.

Registration for Spring 2010 will occur in (MaineStreet). All clinical seminar sections for summer and fall courses are listed in the registration bulletin and on USM “Maine Street”. Remember to use the correct Course Section Number for each specific course/seminar and have your PIN number available (provided by graduate advisor) when registering. If you do not remember who your academic advisor is check you academic information in “Maine Street” or please contact Brenda Webster at 780-4802.

All graduate students are strongly encouraged to review their academic program, concentration specialty, and course availability so they are able to discuss with their graduate advisor a plan for registration. Please be sure that you receive a copy of your completed “Program Plan” from your advisor; the original will be maintained in your graduate academic file. Please remember that the Program Plan is open to change based on the students progression through their concentration and course availability.

Part-time matriculated graduate students are strongly encouraged to enroll in NUR 601 and NUR 602 during the spring semester before they are scheduled to enter their theory and clinical specialty courses the following spring. Full-time matriculated graduate students will be given priority for availability in both these courses for the fall semester since they will be scheduled to enter their theory and clinical specialty courses immediately the following semester.

RN-MS students: If you are in the undergraduate portion of your program please contact Brenda Webster at 780-4082 to make an appointment regarding pre-registration. If you are in the graduate portion of your program please see your graduate advisor for pre-registration.

Advanced Registration Date for Graduate Students: November 9, 2009:

Graduate Courses for Spring 2010:

NUR 559          Genetics of Human Health & Disease (graduate elective)

NUR 601          Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics

NUR 602          Advanced Health Assessment

NUR 603          Nursing Theory & Knowledge Development

NUR 604          Nursing Research

NUR 606          Leadership, Health Policy & Role

NUR 608          Applied Theories of Communication for Advanced Interpersonal Skills (APN and CNL students)

NUR 618          CNL Clinical Project III (CNL students only)

NUR 623          CNL Clinical Seminar III (CNL students only)

NUR 650          Primary Care of the Adolescent

NUR 651          Primary Care of Women

NUR 652          Primary Care of the Well Child

NUR 654          Primary Care of the Well Prenatal Woman

NUR 658          Graduate Clinical Project

NUR 664          Primary Care of the Adult I

NUR 666          Primary Care of the Adult III

NUR 667          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I (3 sections)

NUR 669          Clinical Practicum & Seminar III (3 sections)

NUR 673          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I

NUR 674          Advanced Mental Health Nursing I

NUR 681          Child & Adolescent Psychopathology

NUR 683          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I/Child & Adolescent

NUR 690          Role Seminar

NUR 695              ndividual Directed Study

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Graduate Program Policies:

As a graduate student it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the policies that pertain to graduate students at USM, in general, and those policies that pertain to graduate students enrolled in the College of Nursing & Health Professions, School of Nursing in particular. The sections you may find helpful are the USM Admissions and Academic Policies for all graduate students and the specific policies for graduate students in the School of Nursing listed under the section titled “degree programs”. This section will provide information on admission/transfer of credit(s), program grade policies, continuous enrollment requirements, leave of absence procedures, inactivation policy, time limits for program completion, and licensure requirements. Below are three examples of policies important for matriculated graduate students.

Continuous Enrollment:

Once matriculated into the graduate program, students must be continuously enrolled in the program unless a written, formal request for a leave of absence has been submitted to and approved by the Coordinator of the Graduate Nursing Programs or the chairperson of the Graduate Curriculum, Admissions, & Advancement Committee (GCAAC). Continuous enrollment requires that every graduate student must earn at least 6 credits toward his or her degree every calendar year from the time of the first registration until completion of all requirements for the graduate degree.

Leave of Absence:

Students may request a leave of absence. The leave of absence waives the continuous enrollment policy for a period of one calendar year. Note that when a request for a leave of absence is made at midterm, USM’s current grading policies apply. Approval of the leave of absence is the responsibility of the Coordinator of the Graduate Nursing Programs or the chairperson of the GCAAC. Once a decision has been made regarding the leave of absence, a letter will be sent from the Coordinator to the student, the advisor, the Office of Graduate Studies, and the registrar. To request a leave of absence, the student must:

• Meet with his or her advisor to discuss the potential impact of the leave of absence on progression

• Collaborate with the advisor and describe the terms of the request

• Submit a written request to the Coordinator or chair of the GCAAC with a copy to the advisor

• Confer with Coordinator prior to the end of the leave of absence to ensure that the student can register

Inactivation Policy:

Student admission, matriculation, and/or progression will be inactivated under the following conditions:

• Failure to maintain continuous enrollment as outlined above

• Absence of written communication with the advisor and/or Coordinator regarding matriculation/progression plans (e.g., no request for leave of absence)

 

The USM Graduate Catalog is currently only available online at

http://www.usm.maine.edu/catalogs/graduate/index.htm

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Check your “MaineStreet” Academic Record:

You are strongly encouraged to check your academic record every semester to make sure there are no unresolved grade issues. Have a temporary incomplete? Work on it before it computes as an “F”. Get in touch with the faculty and make a plan to complete the course as soon as possible. You are your own best advocate when it comes to your academic record.

Preparation for Graduation:

If you are ready to graduate in May, remember to apply during spring semester. Make sure you complete and send in the “Application for Degree” form to the Registrar’s office. It is this application that initiates all the paperwork that is necessary to get you graduated. Complete this form by April 1 if you wish to have your name in the May commencement booklet. The application is available online at: http://www.usm.maine.edu/~reg/applicationfordegree.pdf

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RN-BS Students

Spring 2010 Registration

Spring courses include: CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health; CON 308, Professional Communication and Technology; NUR 309/310, Health Assessment  and Health Assessment Lab for RNs.

Brenda Webster will plan each RN’s initial grid for academic planning and do the advising for all course registration. Please contact Brenda at 207 780-4802.

Undergraduate Students in Clinical Courses

Spring 2010 Registration

The most up-to-date information on spring 2010 courses will appear in MaineStreet by November 2, 2009. Spring courses include: CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health; NUR 311/312, Reproductive and Sexual Health lecture and clinical; NUR 315/NUR 316, Child Health lecture and clinical; NUR 330/331, Mental Health lecture and clinical; NUR 332, Older Adult in the Community; NUR 423/425/413, Management of the Critically Ill Adult and Older Adult lecture, clinical and lab; NUR 470, Leadership, Management and Ethics; NUR 480, Practicum/Care Management, as well as some Community Partnerships. As a reminder, undergraduate students should plan on graduation in either May or December. Summer graduation is for students in the Accelerated Baccalaureate program. When you meet with your advisors please plan your course work for completion in either May or December.

If you are graduating in May 2010, please contact Brenda Webster so that your name is on a list for the course/or courses you need in order to complete your undergraduate nursing studies spring semester. You must take:

NUR 470                   Leadership, Management, and Ethics

NUR 480                   Practicum/Care Management (last 7 weeks of the semester)

Graduating seniors may also take one clinical/theory course combination (NUR 315/316, Child Health Nursing lecture and clinical), (NUR 330/331, Mental Health Nursing lecture and clinical) or (NUR 423/425/413, Management of the Critically Ill Adult/Older Adult lecture, clinical and skills lab); however, the clinical must be taken during the first 7 weeks. Students cannot request placement for NUR 480 in the same clinical area (pediatrics, med/surgical, mental health, or obstetrics) as the content of the clinical/theory course they take that semester.

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Clinical Course Registration

Spring registration for clinical courses will require you to register for one large clinical section. Placement in the smaller clinical groups will occur when we receive confirmation from clinical agencies about availability of sites. At that time, you will be assigned a clinical day and time. The majority of clinicals will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but we will have some Monday evening, Thursday evening and Friday clinical groups. We generally do not know clinical availability until late December. If you have absolutely necessary requests, please contact Liz Elliott via email at elliott@usm.maine.edu. There are no guarantees that requests will be accommodated, but every effort will be made.

When you register you will see listings for the large clinical sections. At this point, clinical courses are not yet divided by first or second seven weeks.

Several clinical courses have two listings; one listing is for Portland area students, one listing is for students north of Portland, as follows:

NUR 312 Reproductive & Sexual Health clinical

Class Number 22385-north of Portland

Class Number 22389-Portland

NUR 325 Adult/Older Adult Health clinical

Class Number 22399-north of Portland-Lewiston students will have first priority

Class Number 22403-Portland

NUR 331 Mental Health clinical

Class Number 22405-north of Portland-Lewiston students will have first priority

Class Number 22409-Portland

Two clinical courses have one listing, as follows:

NUR 316 Child Health clinical

Class Number 22395

NUR 425 Management of the Critically Ill Adult/Older clinical

Class Number 22417

Please make sure that you register for both lecture and clinical courses.

Summer 2010

Registration for summer (and fall) courses will occur next March or April. The following courses will most likely be offered in Portland in the summer: CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health; NUR 315/NUR 316, Child Health lecture and clinical; and NUR 332, Older Adult in the Community.

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USM Graduation and Nursing Convocation are Saturday, May 15, 2010

Following USM Graduation at the Cumberland County Civic Center Saturday morning, the Nursing Programs’ Convocation is held on campus.  Convocation includes both a pinning ceremony and the hooding of those receiving their master’s degree.  Students are encouraged to go to both graduation and convocation. More details will be available in spring semester.

Students Beginning 300 Level Clinical Courses, Spring 2010,

Both Portland and LAC

Please check your advisor’s office door for available appointment times. Spring courses include CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health; NUR 323/325, Introduction of Adult and Older Adult Health lecture and clinical; NUR 330/331, Mental Health lecture and clinical; NUR 332, Older Adult in the Community; as well as some Community Partnerships. Students registered for NUR 323/325 must have completed CON 302, Pharmacology.

Please be sure your name has been added to the CONUNDER list serve as information concerning spring clinical courses will come to you through this list serve.  If you did not receive this bulletin through email (e.g. a friend let you know about it), you need to email Brenda Webster with your USM email address and set your spam detector so you receive CONUNDER email.  Brenda’s email is bwebster@usm.maine.edu.

Spring semester may start with a clinical day for some students. Clinical Letters, which include information on where to meet faculty, what to wear, where to park, and other information related to the first day, are posted to Blackboard.  The announcement that the information is available and posted comes through the CONUNDER list serve. Many students also need to visit their clinical facility for ID badges and computer training prior to the start of classes. Announcements with this type of information come through the Clinical Letter and the CONUNDER list serve.

Descriptions of Community Nursing Partnerships are available on the College of Nursing and Health Professions web site:  http://www.usm.maine.edu/conhp under Students, Nursing Resources.  Community Partnerships engage students in partnership-building, risk identification and health promotion within a community-based context. Over the course of two 2-credit semesters you will work with one community. Not all of the partnerships on the web site are offered starting in spring 2010, some start fall 2010.  Be sure to check that your choice is available on Course Search in MaineStreet. The Partnerships available in Portland this spring are Clifford School with Janis Childs; Casco Bay Community Partnership with Maggie Fournier and Jan Burson; Healthy Aging/Elder Life Program with Noreen Byrne Vincent; Southern Maine Area on Aging with Linda Samia; Sagamore Village Partnership with Helen Peake-Godin and International Nursing: The USM Health Outreach Project (Dominican Republic) with Carol Doane. Partnerships in Lewiston are in development.

If you select the Dominican Republic partnership it has different course numbers from the other partnerships.  The numbers are NUR 326 and NUR 327.  You should enroll for the first partnership course, NUR 326, the semester before you go to the Dominican Republic.  If you plan to go to the Dominican Republic in August 2010, register for NUR 326 spring 2010. You take NUR 327 in August 2010.  Please be aware that a special application for the DR partnership is done prior to enrollment since we generally have more students interested than can be accommodated on the trip.  All applicants are reviewed and selected prior to enrollment.

You will stay with the same Community Partnership for the entire Partnership sequence. If you decide to leave your partnership you will have to start over with a new partnership in

NUR 339.

College of Nursing and Health Professions Web Page and Listservs

This web page is a wealth of information and we occasionally add new items.  It makes sense to check it out from time to time!  www.usm.maine.edu/conhp

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rst Two Years of the Nursing Program

Attention 1st and 2nd Year Students or Students not going on to Nursing Clinicals!  Please email Karen Martel at kmartel@usm.maine.edu or call 207 228 – 8182 to schedule a pre-registration appointment.  Spaces fill quickly so call ASAP!

Advising is particularly important related to when you take the following nursing courses:  NUR 212/213, Nursing Arts and Sciences and Fundamentals of Nursing Lab; NUR 209/210, Total Health Assessment and Lab; and CON 302, Pharmacology.  NUR 212/213 and NUR 209/210 must be taken within 1 year of starting the upper division nursing courses (NUR 323/325, Introduction to Adult/Older Adult Health Nursing and clinical).  If they are taken more than 1 year before starting NUR 323/325 they will have to be repeated, regardless of the grades received the first time the courses were taken.  Pharmacology, CON 302 must be taken  prior to enrollment in NUR 323/325.  It will have to be repeated if taken more than two academic semesters before enrollment in NUR 323/325.

Grading Policies

You must have an over all GPA of 2.75 and a GPA of 2.67 in required science courses in order to start upper division clinical/theory courses that begin with NUR 323/325 Introduction to Adult/Older Adult Health Nursing lecture and clinical.  Students must attain a grade of C (73) or above in all prerequisite courses and all required CON and NUR courses or the course/s will have to be repeated. If a student does not attain a C or higher in one or two nursing courses, these courses can be repeated.  If a student receives a third grade of C- or lower, his/her record will be reviewed and the student may be dismissed from the nursing major.  A grade of fail in a clinical course is considered the same as a grade of C- or below in a theory course.  If a student receives more than one low pass in a clinical, the second low pass is considered the same as a failure.  When students attain a C- or lower in a theory course or a second low pass or fail in a clinical course, their progression in NUR required courses stops until an acceptable grade has been achieved in that course.

Check your MaineStreet Record:

You are strongly encouraged to check your academic record every semester to make sure there are no unresolved grade issues. Have a temporary incomplete? Work on it before it computes as an “F”. Get in touch with the faculty and make a plan to complete the course as soon as possible. You are your own best advocate when it comes to your academic record. Need help accessing MaineStreet? Check out this handy guide: www.usm.maine.edu/erp

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updated 10/09