Clinical Placements and Onboarding Policies

1. Clinical hours are determined by the state curriculum.  Students are expected to prioritize clinical attendance as part of their professional responsibility. 

2. The nursing program cannot guarantee any special accommodations for students’ work schedules, where you live, childcare, vacation plans or other personal matters.  

3. The need for additional personal background documentation (criminal and/or health related) prior to and during clinical/field placement may delay and/or prevent clinical/field placement.  Our clinical partners typically require sufficient lead time to review student records.  Please respect this requirement.  You have an obligation to complete requirements by the deadline date, so you need to plan accordingly.  

4. Any student who fails to complete necessary onboarding (e.g. CastleBranch, MyClinicalExchange or other hospital based) requirements will be automatically withdrawn from their clinical course.  Deadlines for completion will be published each semester.  

5. A special note regarding clinical placements at Advocate Aurora - AdvocateAurora uses an onboarding platform called MyClinicalExchange or MCE.  MCE will serve as a point of entry for nursing students and a repository of training information and a way to ensure student compliance.  There is a nominal fee (non reimbursed by MATC) attached to MCE.  Students must sign up for an MCE account and complete the requirements by the aforementioned/published deadline.  

6. The Clinical Coordinator or HealthCare Pathway staff will not send repeated email reminders to individual students to complete their requirements (i.e. CastleBranch, MyClinicalExchange or other onboarding requirements).  Lack of attention to school communications is a violation of the Civility Standard (as stated in the Healthcare Pathway Student Handbook) and places an undue burden on the program's administrative staff.  Students must check their school email daily, as this is the primary mode of communication amongst faculty, staff and students.  

7.  When a student does not fulfill CastleBranch requirements that fall due during the semester, the student will be notified one time via email by the clinical coordinator.  The clinical instructor will be included in the email.  For every day of non-fulfillment, the student will not be permitted at the clinical site, counting as an absence.  The student will receive a “7” for SLO1 on their clinical evaluation tool (the usual policy applies for CET scores, two "7's" will count as a failure in the course).  

8. Direct communication by students with clinical/field placement facilities to inquire about their clinical/field placement is not allowed.

9. MATC reserves the right to move any student from one section to another based on section enrollment.  

10. There will be space available in all courses for students in good standing to continue in the program but you must register by the deadline. 

11. Students who have any expired requirements or requirements not uploaded onto Castle Branch will not be able to attend any clinical nursing courses.  All records contained in Castle Branch must remain current throughout the semester. Therefore, take the time prior to the start of the semester to update any requirements due to expire.

12. Students enrolled in the nursing program may not be assigned to clinical rotations on the same unit where they are currently employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or in any other paid role.  If a student gains employment at a clinical site after a rotation has been scheduled, the student must notify faculty immediately so that an alternate clinical placement can be arranged.