If you're a student at Cal State Long Beach's School of Nursing, we don't have to tell you that you're treated differently than other undergraduates. You've already been through the culture shock that happens when you enter the SON. Classes are tougher, and instructors are more demanding. Maybe the biggest change, though, is that your personal conduct matters in ways it never did before.
College should be tough, especially if you're planning to go into the health sciences. No one wants to worry that the nurse who sees them isn't fully educated or hasn't been trained in patient confidentiality. There's tough, though, and there's unfair. You don't deserve classroom mistreatment. You shouldn't wind up punished for an offense you didn't commit or over-punished for a minor offense.
Whether you're struggling to keep your GPA up or you're facing an allegation of dating violence, we're here to help. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team has worked to get justice and fair treatment for hundreds of university students. We know the law. We also know how CSULB SON operates. Most important of all, we believe in you. Nursing is a noble profession, and we want to make sure you earn your degree and have every opportunity for a successful career.
What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686 to find out, or take time right now and fill out our online questionnaire.
Nursing Standards at CSULB School of Nursing
Let's start with the basics: what does the Long Beach School of Nursing expect from you as a student?
We won't sugarcoat things: you face some difficult courses. You've already had to deal with subjects like chemistry and biology. Things only get tougher once you're accepted into the SON. Now, you face nursing-specific courses in subjects like Foundations of Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, and Perspectives on Gerontology.
Ultimately, the SON expects you to meet eight distinct learning objectives before you graduate (see the Nursing Handbook 28-32).
- Acquire a general skill base in subjects like communication, critical thinking, social sciences, and cultural sciences.
- Develop basic nursing competencies such as the ability to conduct a comprehensive patient assessment, an understanding of evidenced-based care, and a familiarity with essential healing techniques.
- Learn to work within the context of healthcare systems.
- Attain research skills necessary for providing evidence-based healthcare solutions.
- Gain facility with healthcare technology to maintain patient data and access healthcare solutions.
- Understand how healthcare policy and regulation shape the practice of nursing.
- Develop skills in inter-professional communication and collaboration.
- Practice promoting positive health choices and outcomes both for individuals and communities.
You won't find a list of outcomes like this attached to English or physics degrees. There's simply more expected of you. Keep in mind, though, that you're subject to the same academic standing policy as any other CSULB undergrad. A GPA below 2.0 means an academic warning, and should you continue to struggle, you can be disqualified from continuing at the university.
Issues of Misconduct
The expectations on you aren't limited to academic achievement. You're also held to rigorous standards when it comes to your behavior.
Of course, like all CSULB students, you're responsible for upholding the Policy on Academic Integrity, the Standards of Student Conduct, and the Title IX policy on sexual misconduct.
However, the School of Nursing has its own behavioral policies (Nursing Handbook Appendix 5).
- Professional Behavior: These standards have to do with how you treat patients, colleagues, supervisors, and other healthcare stakeholders. You're expected to communicate effectively and to treat others with respect.
- Ethical Behavior: Standards here relate more generally to the choices you make. For instance, you are expected to put patient health above all other concerns, to deal honestly with patients and colleagues, and to maintain patient confidentiality.
Finally, beyond these policies, nursing students can also be required to submit to criminal background checks and drug tests.
Sanctions
The School of Nursing has the authority to implement the same sanctions as the university. These can include a wide range of punishments.
- Warnings
- Formal ensure
- In-course punishments such as lowered grades on assignments and lowered course grades
- Special educational assignments
- Disciplinary probation
- Attendance at a workshop or class
- Restorative justice
- Community service
- Mandated counseling
- Restitution
- Suspension of privileges
- Suspension
- Dismissal
- Denial or revocation of degree
Because you're held to higher standards as a nursing student, you can generally expect more severe sanctions for misconduct than the average undergraduate might receive. All sanctions, though, carry extra weight for you. Graduate schools and nursing employers have zero tolerance for misconduct of any kind, and it doesn't generally matter what the sanction might have been. Even a warning for cheating can cost you your shot at a career.
As a result, you must take every allegation seriously. That means contacting the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm to help you build a strong defense.
Administrative and Judicial Processes at CSULB SON
Defending yourself at CSULB SON can be a daunting prospect. For one thing, different offenses are handled by different offices. You could be dealing with an individual instructor, the university's Office of Student Affairs, the Title IX Coordinator, or members of the SON chain of command. Each one of these options involves its own processes and procedures. That's why it's so important to have a Lento Law Firm attorney at your side from the moment you're accused. They can help you navigate the system no matter what the charges are.
In all cases, though, you should have some basic due process rights.
- You should be treated as Not Responsible (innocent) until proven Responsible.
- You should be fully investigated and given a chance to defend yourself at a hearing.
- You should be allowed to submit evidence and to suggest witnesses.
- You should have the opportunity to review the evidence against you and raise questions about it.
- You should have a right to unbiased decision-makers.
- Decision-makers must be more than fifty percent convinced of your guilt before finding you Responsible for an offense.
- You should have the right to appeal the outcome of your hearing if you were not given your due process rights.
Even with all of these rights, it's not always easy to protect yourself from a sanction. Your Lento Law Firm attorney knows how CSULB judicial systems work, though, and can help you use your rights to your best advantage.
Trust the Lento Law Firm to Handle Your Case
The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team has defended hundreds of students from all types of issues—from rape charges to cheating scandals. We are always on your side, ready to fight for your rights, and determined to get you the best possible resolution to your case.
For more information on what we can do for you, call us today at 888-535-3686 or click on our online form and tell us about your problem.
