A student in nursing assumes responsibility and accountability for nursing care personally delivered to individuals, families and communities. Responsibility refers to the execution of duties associated with a particular role assumed by the student (e.g., primary care provider for client experiencing surgery or community health nurse providing care for abusive parents). The student is responsible for using the nursing process to help clients promote, maintain, and/or restore health. A responsible student prepares thoroughly in order to be competent in knowledge and skills. The responsibility of the student also involves a willingness to perform ethically within the guidelines of the profession. See American Nurses Association: Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. 2001.
Whenever students in nursing perform care, they must be accountable. Accountability refers to being answerable for one's own actions. A student in nursing is accountable to self, the client (s), the nursing profession, the University of Southern Maine School of Nursing, the faculty, clinical agency and to society. Accountability is achieved when a student assumes responsibility for professional competence and uses a systematic process to care to client (s).
Required Accountability and Responsibility Behaviors:
Preparation for client care: Each student must obtain the clinical assignment as designated by faculty. Prior to providing direct client care, the student is expected to read key sections of the client’s medical record. The key sections will include, but are not limited to, admission information, history and physical exam, recent lab and diagnostic reports, recent nursing notes and charting, medical orders, notes from other disciplines (such as medicine, OT, PT, nutrition, etc.), code status, and discharge planning.
Safe and effective nursing care: Each student is responsible for providing safe and effective nursing care to client (s). This is accomplished by thorough preparation and utilizing input from faculty and staff nurses. Additionally, should an error occurred while providing care, it is the student's responsibility to report the problem immediately to the faculty.
Attendance at laboratory and clinical experiences: Attendance is mandatory at all assigned laboratory and clinical experiences.
Tardiness: Students will arrive on time to laboratory and clinical experiences. If a student is going to be late, s/he should notify the faculty member personally via phone as soon as possible to explain circumstances.
Absences: Faculty recognize that an absence may be necessary due to extenuating circumstances. If a student needs to be absent, the faculty must be notified personally via phone before the laboratory/clinical experience.
Make up: The student is responsible for attaining the objectives of the course. Based on what the student has missed during an excused absence, the faculty will delineate the method (s) of making up the laboratory and/or clinical experience. The student must complete this requirement. Failure to do so will result in failure in the course.
If at any point in the semester, if you encounter difficulty with the course or feel that you could be performing at a higher level, consult with your instructor. Students experience difficulty in courses for a variety of reasons. The following are resources on campus for students.
For writing skills or time management, you can make an appointment to see a student tutor at the Learning Commons located in both libraries in Portland and Gorham. For more information, visit http://www.usm.maine.edu/learningcommons.
If you need accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Disability Services Center for confidential assistance and accommodation authorization. Timely notification of accommodations is essential. For more information, visit, http://usm.maine.edu/dsc.
University Health and Counseling Services is a student resource that promotes the health and well being of the USM community. More information can be found at www.usm.maine.edu/uhcs.
Students are expected to maintain professional confidentiality regarding clients' identities and sensitive information by not including identifying information (client initials, address, employment, etc.) in coursework or course notes; guarding any notes carefully; limiting discussions of clients to clinical instructor/seminar faculty, fellow students during clinical conference and with appropriate staff members of the clinical agency. This expectation is required by federal law with fees and punishment for disclosure of a patient's personal health information. It is also important to treat any sensitive information related to peers and faculty with confidentiality, accountability, and responsibility. The University of Southern Maine is committed to ensuring the privacy and security safeguards set forth under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) along with the recent changes imposed by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). For more information, please visit https://usm.maine.edu/orio/hipaa-resources
The School of Nursing subscribes to the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) Guidelines for Ethical Practice. All students should read the full guidelines with interpretive statements here: https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
In summary, these guidelines state that:
The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.
The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether as an individual, family, group, community, or population.
The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.
The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care.
The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth.
The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.
The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy.
The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.
The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organizations, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy.
All students at USM must follow the policies in the Student Code of Conduct.
All members of the School of Nursing USM must follow the policies in USM's Title IX Policy.
All members of the School of Nursing USM must follow the policies in USM's Acceptuable Use of Information Policy.
All members of the School of Nursing USM must follow the policies in Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, Stalking and Retaliation Policy