Advising Bulletin

Nursing Student Advising Bulletin

Spring 2013

PDF version of the Bulletin

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 5, 2012.  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 22, 2012.

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

Portland Accelerated students-your advisor is  Liz Elliott -an advising meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2012, from 11:30-12:45  in Rm 311, Masterton Hall.

Portland students entering clinical courses in spring 2013- if you are taking your first 300-level theory/clinical course spring 2013 (NUR 323/325, Introduction to Adult/Older Adult Nursing lecture and clinical) 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 or email your advisor for an appointment 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 fill quickly so contact Karen ASAP!

Students may start registering at the day and time determined by the number of earned credit hours: Registration Schedule From the Registrar’s web site (pdf)

You will also be able to view the day you are eligible to register by logging into MaineStreet, click on Student Self-Service, Student Center and then Enrollment Dates.  The date you are eligible to register will be listed. 

               ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS-VERY IMPORTANT POLICIES!!

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 School of Nursing web page http://usm.maine.edu/nursing/health-and-immunization-requirements-nursin... for information on Health Requirements. Call Brenda Webster at 207 780-4802 or E-mail Brenda at bwebster@usm.maine.edu  with questions.

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

We track 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 for the Immunization Tracking Data Base. 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 removed from clinical courses.  Keep a copy for your immunization record. Please be aware that the flu vaccine has been added to the required list of immunizations.

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 2013 (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. This form allows us 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 Brenda Webster (compliance officer) 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.  At this time we will require background checks at the start of your clinical course work and for any significant break in clinical progression.

Please be advised that in order for us to place you in a clinical section for spring 2013, you must be in compliance with all of your health and immunization requirements, INCLUDING FLU VACCINE. The deadline is November 1, 2012; you must have all materials entered into the immunization tracking system and have all documentation submitted to Brenda Webster by this date.

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

 Health 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:

1)   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 (and bring to the nursing office) at this link: http://www.usm.maine.edu/nursing/nursing-clinical-information (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 in EPIC. Class times will be sent to the School of Nursing list serves prior to the start of the semester. You must take a training class to receive access to the patient information system at MMC.

GRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS

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 matriculated graduate students begins on November 5^th and for graduate students in certificate programs registration begins on November 12^th; both at 6:00AM. 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.

Registration for Spring 2013 will occur in (MaineStreet). All clinical seminar sections for spring 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 your 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 student 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 780-4802 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 5, 2012:

Graduate Courses for Spring 2013: Advanced Practice Concentrations

NUR 601          Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics – Wednesday 8:30-11:30

NUR 602          Advanced Health Assessment – Tuesday 1:00-5:00 (includes both lecture & lab)

NUR 603          Nursing Theory & Knowledge Development – Wednesday 8:30-11:30

NUR 604          Nursing Research – Wednesday 1:00-4:00

NUR 606          Leadership, Health Policy & Role – Wednesday 1:00-4:00

NUR 608          Applied Theories of Communication for Advanced Interpersonal Skills – Wednesday 4:30-7:30

NUR 650          Primary Care of the Adolescent – Tuesday 2:30-4:30 (2^nd 7 weeks)

NUR 651          Primary Care of Women – Tuesday 6:00-8:00 (1^st 7 weeks)

NUR 652          Primary Care of the Well Child – Tuesday 2:30-4:30 (1^st 7 weeks)

NUR 654          Primary Care of the Well Prenatal Woman – Tuesday 6:00-8:00 (2^nd 7 weeks)

NUR 658          Graduate Clinical Project – Wednesday 4:30-7:30

NUR 664          Primary Care of the Adult I – Tuesday 8:30-11:30

NUR 666          Primary Care of the Adult III - Tuesday 12:00-3:00

NUR 667          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I (4 sections) – Tuesday 12:00-2:00

NUR 669          Clinical Practicum & Seminar III (3 sections) – Tuesday 8:30-10:30

NUR 681          Child & Adolescent Psychopathology – Tuesday 8:00-11:00 (only for students graduating in May 2013)

NUR 683          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I/Child & Adolescent – Tuesday 11:00-1:00 (only for students graduating in May 2013)

NUR 685          Advanced Psychiatric/Mental Health Care of Children, Adolescents, & Families - Tuesday 8:00-11:00 (only for students starting their 1^st clinical semester)

NUR 686          Clinical Practicum & Seminar I – Tuesday 11:00-1:00 (only for students starting their 1^st clinical semester)

NUR 690          Role Seminar – Tuesday 3:30-5:30

NUR 695          Individual Directed Study

BIO 545           Advanced Pathophysiology – Tuesday 8:45-11:30

 

Graduate Courses for Spring 2013: Master’s Generalist Concentrations

 

NUR 604          Nursing Research – Wednesday 1:00-4:00

NUR 608          Applied Theories of Communication for Advanced Interpersonal Skills – Wednesday 4:30-7:30

NUR 637          Methods of Education in Nursing – blended – meeting times 2 Saturdays at LAC campus – 02/02/13 and 04/06/13 from 9:00-3:00.

NUR 624          An Interprofessional Approach to Population-Based Health – Wednesday 8:30-11:30

NUR 617          Clinical Project II – Wednesday 4:30-5:30

NUR 622          Clinical Seminar II – Wednesday 1:00-4:00

BIO 545           Advanced Pathophysiology – Tuesday 8:45-11:30

HRD 631          Adult Learner (2-on-line sections both open to graduate nursing students)

 

Graduate Courses for Spring 2013: Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education

NUR 637          Methods of Education in Nursing – Blended – 2 Saturday meetings at LAC

DNP Courses for Spring 2013: (open only to matriculated students in the doctoral program)

NUR 701          Ethical Approaches to Practice Dilemmas - blended – meeting on Wednesday 8:30-11:30 for 7 scheduled dates.

MPH 670          Quality Improvement – students in 2^nd year of program need to take this course this spring if not previously completed.

MPH 525          American Health System

AMS 535          Introduction to Epidemiologic Research

**Graduate level statistics course (required by end of 1^st semester as matriculated student) – all students matriculated to date need to have completed this requirement by the end of spring 2013 in order to progress in the program

  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 School of Nursing 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 DNP and Graduate Nursing Programs or the chairperson of the DNP Curriculum, Admissions, & Advancement Committee (DNP/CAAC) or 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 DNP and Graduate Nursing Programs or the chairperson of the DNP/CAAC or 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 DNP/CAAC or 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 School of Nursing Graduate Handbooks for both the Master’s and Doctoral students are available on-line at the SON website under the respective students’ resource page.

The USM Graduate Catalog is currently only available online at http://usm.maine.edu/catalogs

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: https://usm.maine.edu/sites/default/files/Office%20of%20the%20Registrar/applicationfordegree.pdf

RN-BS Students

Spring 2013 Registration

Spring courses include: BIO 345, Pathophysiology; CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health; NUR 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 as well as the advising for all course registration. Please contact Brenda at 207 780-4802.

 Undergraduate Students in Clinical Courses

Spring 2013 Registration

The most up-to-date information on spring 2013 courses will appear in MaineStreet by October 22, 2012. Spring courses include: CON 321, Health-Related Research; CON 356, Concepts in Community Health;  NUR 323/323, Introduction to Adult/Older Adult Health Nursing 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 (first seven weeks); NUR 421/422, Reproductive and Sexual Health lecture and clinical; NUR 427/NUR 428, Child Health lecture and clinical; 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.

Clinical Course Registration

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. We are given clinical times every day of the week except Sundays.  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 by November 15, 2012. 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 325 Adult/Older Adult Health clinical

Class Number 5623-north of Portland-Lewiston students will have first priority

Class Number 5622-Portland

NUR 331 Mental Health clinical

Class Number 5625-north of Portland-Lewiston students will have first priority

Class Number 5624-Portland

NUR 413 Advanced Skills Lab

Class Number 5626

 NUR 422 Reproductive & Sexual Health clinical

Class Number 5619

NUR 425 Management of the Critically Ill Adult/Older clinical

Class Number 5627

NUR 428 Child Health clinical

Class Number 5620

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

Summer 2013

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 332, Older Adult in the Community (first seven weeks) and NUR 423/425/413, Management of Critically Ill Adult/Older Adult Health Nursing (first seven weeks- limited enrollment).

USM Graduation and Nursing Convocation are Saturday, May 11, 2013

Graduation and Convocation for the School of Nursing will take place on the Gorham campus. Convocation includes both a pinning ceremony and the hooding of those receiving their master’s degree.  Students are encouraged to attend both graduation and convocation. More details will be available in spring.

Students Beginning 300 Level Clinical Courses, Spring 2013,

Both Portland and LAC

Please check your advisor’s office door for available appointment times or send your advisor an email. 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 (offered in Portland only in spring); as well as some Community Partnerships. Students registering 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. 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 School of Nursing web page:  http://usm.maine.edu/nursing/community-nursing-partnerships .  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 2013, some start fall 2013.  Be sure to check that your choice is available on Course Search in MaineStreet. The Partnerships available in Portland this spring are Casco Bay Community Partnership with Dr. Jan Burson and Jill Colton-Spina; Healthy Aging/Elder Life Program with Noreen Byrne Vincent; Sagamore Village Partnership with Helen Peake-Godin; Bayside Community Partnership with Dr. Susan Sepples and Dr. Judy Spross and International Nursing: The USM Health Outreach Project (Dominican Republic) with Whitney Lutz. Lewiston has two partnerships: one with Karen Zuckerman and one with Cynthia Randall.

If you select the Dominican Republic partnership, please note that there is an application process. Check the following partnership web site http://usm.maine.edu/nursing/international-nursing-usm-health-outreach-project for information. Partnership course numbers for the DR are different from the other partnership numbers. The semester before you go to the DR, you will be enrolled in NUR 326 for 1 credit. When you travel to the DR, you are enrolled in NUR 327 for 3 credits. Again, please be aware that a special application for the DR partnership is done prior to enrollment.  All applicants are reviewed and are registered for the courses when selected.

Partnerships run over two semesters and you 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.

Students in the First Two Years of the Nursing Program

Attention 1^st and 2^nd Year Students or Students not going on to Nursing Clinicals!  Please email Karen Martel at kmartel@usm.maine.edu  to schedule a pre-registration appointment.

Advising is particularly important related to when you take the following nursing courses:  NUR 300/301, Total Health Assessment and Lab; NUR 306/307, Nursing Arts and Sciences and Fundamentals of Nursing Lab; and CON 302, Pharmacology.  NUR 300/301 and NUR 306/307 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

The following grading policies are required for all undergraduate nursing students:

          Minimum GPA 2.75 overall

          Minimum GPA 2.67 in required sciences in order to start NUR 323/325

          Minimum grade of C (73) in all prerequisite courses

          Minimum grade of C (73) in all required NUR and CON courses

C- or below is a failing grade

Clinical courses (including partnership) are graded High Pass, Pass, Low Pass or Fail.

If a student receives more than one Low Pass grade in a clinical course, the second Low

 Pass grade becomes a Fail.

Failure in any NUR course stops progression in the nursing program.

          A course may be repeated only once.

A student may repeat a maximum of two NUR or CON required courses, clinical or theory. An unsatisfactory grade in a third NUR or CON course will result in dismissal from the nursing program.

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 becomes an “F”. Get in touch with the course professor 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:

http://www.maine.edu/system/mainestreet/infoforcurrentstudents.php