If you're a student at SDSU's College of Nursing, you've probably already discovered that you're not treated the same as other university students. Nursing students face some of the most rigorous coursework at SDSU, and instructors can be unforgiving. More importantly, your personal and professional behavior is under far more scrutiny than the average undergrad. And even small academic slips and minor disciplinary offenses can put your nursing career in jeopardy.
Of course, all that hard work is worth it in the end: you're going into a career that pays well and that gives you the satisfaction of helping people each and every day. That doesn't mean, though, that you couldn't use some help getting there.
The Lento Law Firm was built to help students succeed. Our Student Defense Team understands the unique challenges that nursing students face, and we're always on your side. You can count on us to protect your rights and to make sure you have the very best chance to earn your degree and go on to a rewarding career.
What can we do for you? Call 888-535-3686 to find out, or take time right now and fill out our questionnaire.
Nursing Standards at SDSU's College of Nursing
Training for the healthcare professions is never easy, and nursing can be a particularly arduous path. You need some pretty serious courses, like anatomy and physiology. Courses focused on the practical side of nursing can sometimes be even more difficult. It's no easy matter mastering healthcare systems, pharmacology, and HIPAA.
In addition, you're held responsible for mastering several specific outcomes before you graduate.
- Integrate theories and skills from your liberal education into the practice of nursing
- Integrate effective leadership skills to help improve the quality of healthcare
- Utilize evidence-based practices
- Demonstrate proficiencies in patient-care technologies
- Evaluate the impact of healthcare policies on the nursing environment
- Integrate professional communication skills into nursing practice
- Provide patient-centered healthcare
- Improve population health through health promotion and disease prevention
Finally, the undergraduate nursing program handbook lists several practical standards you must meet in order to progress through SDSU's nursing program. First, you must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5. Most SDSU undergrads need only a 2.0. You also have to earn at least a C in every nursing course. Anything less means repeating the course and could put your participation in the program in jeopardy. In fact, you also need to maintain at least a 76% average on exams in each nursing course you take.
Issues of Misconduct
Many nursing students are surprised to learn that their personal and professional conduct can get them into as much trouble as low grades, if not more. Nurses are held to high moral and ethical standards, and meeting those standards starts now, in nursing school.
Of course, you're responsible for all the same rules and regulations as any other SDSU student, though in your case, violations can have more severe consequences.
- Academic Misconduct: As you might expect, cheating, plagiarism, and all other forms of classroom dishonesty are explicitly forbidden at SDSU.
- Disciplinary Misconduct: Outside the classroom, your behavior is subject to the university's Student Conduct Code. This policy governs things like theft, trespassing, and underage drinking, as well as more serious offenses such as hazing, weapons possession, and drug use.
- Sexual Misconduct: Like all colleges and universities, SDSU is required under Title IX to maintain a strict policy against sexual misconduct. Such offenses are considered especially serious. The minimum penalty is usually suspension.
As a College of Nursing student, you're held to additional conduct standards. Any unsafe behavior, even just showing up unprepared, can get you into trouble. You're expected to maintain patient confidentiality and to meet all requirements under HIPAA. And your personal life can lead to sanctions and dismissal. You must meet a dress code, for example, and you must report any time you are facing criminal charges, whether misdemeanor or felony.
Sanctions
The College of Nursing utilizes all the same sanctions as the university. However, because nurses are held to particularly high standards of conduct, College sanctions are often more severe than other majors face.
- Verbal warnings
- Written warnings
- In-course punishments such as lowered grades on assignments and lowered course grades
- Special educational assignments
- Disciplinary probation
- Dismissal from the College of Nursing
- Mandated counseling
- Restitution
- Suspension of privileges
- Denial of degree
- Suspension
- Dismissal
- Revocation of degree
The fact is that any sanction can have long-term repercussions for your academic and professional careers. If an allegation of plagiarism should show up in your permanent file, for example, you'll have trouble getting into graduate programs and applying for jobs in the healthcare industry. Schools and employers can be reticent to hire students with a history of dishonesty. In addition, most state licensing boards require you report any misconduct allegations from your past, including those that may have occurred in school.
As a nursing student, you must take every accusation seriously. There's just too much on the line not to. That means knowing how administrative and judicial processes at SDSU work. It means, carefully preparing your defense. It means getting help from the Lento Law Firm.
Administrative and Judicial Processes at SDSU College of Nursing
You always have the right to defend yourself from academic and disciplinary sanctions. How you do that, though, can depend on the particular type of sanction you're facing.
- Academic Sanctions: These sanctions are usually dealt with administratively through offices in either the university or the College of Nursing. In most cases, there are no formal procedures for defending yourself, but the Lento Law Firm attorney can suggest options such as grade appeals and negotiating directly with faculty.
- Disciplinary Sanctions: These cases are based on unproven allegations. That means you always have the right to an investigation and a hearing. You're also entitled to several due process rights, such as the right to a presumption of innocence. However, should you be found Responsible for (guilty of) an offense, the sanctions tend to be harsher than academic sanctions.
Even within these two categories of sanctions, processes and procedures can be complicated and difficult to navigate. A Title IX sexual misconduct defense, for instance, can be very different from a drug use defense. You can count on the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm to help you deal with any problem, though. They understand SDSU's administrative and judicial systems, and they know your rights under the law.
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.
