No credit or quality point are given for grades of “CR”, “E”, “P”, “W”, “WP”, or “W-F”.

INCOMPLETE GRADES
The designation of the grade “I” (incomplete) may be assigned by faculty with approval of the Dean when a student is unable to complete the course work because of illness, serious injury, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. An “I” may be assigned if at least three quarters of the course has been completed within the term grading period and the student has maintained a consistent rate of progress in the course. Failure to appear for a final exam or to complete course work in the time allowed is not justification for an incomplete.

An incomplete grade must be removed no later than six weeks into the following semester. If at the end of six weeks, the incomplete has not been removed, a grade of “F” will be awarded. An extension of the time to remove the incomplete may be granted if recommended by the instructor and approved by the Dean or a leave of absence is granted. An “I” grade is not included in any grade point computation.

A “Work Incomplete Form” is to be completed by the student, signed by the instructor, and the Dean, and filed with the Student Affairs Office prior to the ending date of the semester.

A grade of "TI" (testing incomplete) will be assigned by faculty when a student fails to attain the required score on a content mastery examination.  The student will then have three weeks to complete a remediation of the materials and pass an approved, supplemental examination.  Upon completion of the testing requirement, the faculty member will submit a grade change to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs.  If the student does not meet the testing requirement within three weeks of the end of the class, the "TI" grade will automatically become an "F."

REPETITION OF COURSES
Permission to repeat a course is at the discretion of the Academic Standards Committee. If a student repeats a course and the final grade earned is A, B, C, D or F, only the final grade of the repetition will be calculated in the grade point average (GPA). All attempts will appear on the student’s transcript, but a notation will be made to indicate those courses not included in the GPA.

RECOGNITION AND ACHIEVEMENT
Dean's List
The College recognizes exceptional achievement at the end of each semester by including students' names on the Dean's List. The Dean's List will include full-time students (12 semester hours or above) with a GPA of 3.50 or higher (excludes P/F courses) and no course grade below “C”. Any student on probation is not eligible.

Graduation
A candidate for a degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.50-3.79 will graduate cum laude. 3.80-3.89 GPA merits magna cum laude status; and 3.90-4.0 GPA will be awarded the highest academic award of summa cum laude. NOTE: Transfer credits are excluded from GPA calculated for honors.

CPR REQUIREMENTS
Evidence of current cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) must be provided to the Student Affairs Office annually. Only American Heart Association Healthcare Provider training is acceptable and may be obtained through local hospitals, fire departments and other community agencies. If a student has difficulty locating a CPR course, they may contact the Student Affairs Office for assistance.

Verification of current CPR training is mandatory to attend any clinical experience. If a student misses clinical time due to failure to provide CPR documentation, there may be deduction in the grade as denoted in the course syllabus.

Find an American Heart Association Healthcare Provider Class

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

All students are required to be protected by health and accident insurance.  Proof of current coverage must be presented to the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs annually.  Students not in compliance with this policy will not be allowed in the classroom or clinical site. 

Professional liability insurance will be required of all BSN students through a group policy obtained by the College.  Costs of this policy will be assessed to each student annually.  MSN students must meet the professional liability insurance requirement established by the agency where they attend clinical/practicum.

EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
The College uses an assessment plan for student academic achievement. It begins with assessment of prerequisite courses to the upper-division courses and is continuous throughout the student program of study at the College. It consists of various exam results reflective of general education, nursing, and other related courses, written student portfolio materials, and other assessment exhibits.

All assessment activities are required. Select assessment materials become a part of the College's permanent files. Results of assessment are used for student advising, program evaluation, and improvement of the College. Changes in the plan may result as the plan's implementation is evaluated further.

CORE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS POLICY
All students will be expected to demonstrate the following Core Performance Standards to complete the BSN program of Saint Anthony College of Nursing. Reasonable Accommodation will be considered in accordance with the Reasonable Accommodation policy.

COMPETENCY	STANDARDS	EXAMPLES (Not all included)
Motor Skills	Gross and fine motor skill abilities sufficient to function safely and effectively. Ability to lift 50 pounds.	Manual dexterity to grasp, push, pull, twist, pinch, and cut. Ability to operate and calibrate equipment. Ability to prepare and administer medications.
Communication	Ability to write and speak English. Ability to operate information technology.	Teach clients. Document, interpret actions and interventions and client responses. Ability to communicate in a professional manner.
Interpersonal Relationships	Ability to interact with individuals, families, and groups in a variety of settings.	Assertiveness and sensitivity. Able to work effectively in large and small groups.
Vision	Sufficient ability to observe and assess.	Assess skin color, pupillary response. Read graphs, charts, and monitoring devices. Observe client responses to interventions. Prepare and administer medications.
Hearing	Sufficient ability for assessment and response	Detect alarms and calls for help. Hear heart, lung, and other body sounds.
Touch	Sufficient ability to discriminate normal and abnormal findings upon palpation.	Detect temperature and perform palpation.
Mobility	Ability to maneuver in confined spaces.	Ability to move around in small spaces. Ability to perform CPR.
Critical Thinking	Ability to problem solve and demonstrate sound clinical judgment.	Identify problems and potential solutions. Predict outcomes and interpret situations.

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
It is consistent with the mission of Saint Anthony College of Nursing and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Illinois Human Rights Act for Saint Anthony College of Nursing to provide a “reasonable accommodation” to qualified individuals with disabilities who are otherwise qualified to enroll in and graduate from the nursing program.

When a qualified individual with a disability believes that he/she may be able to perform the essential functions required of him or her as part of the College of Nursing coursework, but cannot do so without a “reasonable accommodation”, the individual should address such a request in writing to the College of Nursing. Once such a request for a “reasonable accommodation” has been made, a process is initiated whereby the College of Nursing will consider the appropriateness of the requested accommodation and whether such an accommodation may be granted without creating an undue hardship.

The process to be followed in determining whether a “reasonable accommodation” may be granted includes, but is not limited to:

•	Consideration of the requested “reasonable accommodation” by others within the College of Nursing.
•	Discussions with the otherwise qualified individual concerning ideas that he/she may have that would allow him or her to satisfy the essential functions and requirements of the particular coursework or the nursing program curricula as a whole.
•	Consultation with appropriate health care professionals and/or disability constituent organizations for assistance in reviewing and exploring possible “reasonable accommodations” that would allow otherwise qualified individual to perform the essential functions and requirements of the particular coursework or the nursing program curricula as a whole.

A “reasonable accommodation” will be granted by Saint Anthony College of Nursing where the individual can otherwise satisfactorily complete the particular coursework or the nursing program curricula as a whole, unless such results in an undue hardship and/or a direct threat or serious harm to the individual or to others (and that threat cannot be reduced to an acceptable level or eliminated altogether through the provision of a “reasonable accommodation”).

STUDENT-AT-RISK POLICY
The faculty is committed to assisting each student to achieve success in the nursing program. The faculty will measure student academic achievement, monitor student progress, and communicate concerns at midterm and more frequently as needed. Students who may be at risk for academic failure will be identified and offered assistance in resolving the problem.

Procedure:
The following steps outline the process to assist students-at-risk:
1.	The course coordinator will submit a Progress Report Form to the Dean as notification of the midterm progress of all students enrolled in the course.
2.	Students with a midterm grade below a “C” will be considered at risk for failure and will be notified by the course coordinator.
3.	The course coordinator will inform the student’s advisor of the student’s status in the course.
4.	The Dean will send a Letter of Concern to the student and a copy to the advisor.
5.	The student and course instructor will collaboratively develop a plan of action to promote resolution of academic difficulties.
6.	The Dean and/or advisor may also meet with the student to assist in the resolution of academic difficulties.

RETENTION POLICY
The Student Retention Program at Saint Anthony College of Nursing is defined to include the various methods supported by the College to enhance student’s completion of the BSN program.

Students-at-Risk are those students whose future learning could be negatively affected by previous or existing problems; identification of such students is based on history of past or present assessment parameters and/or expressions of concern by the student.

The purpose of this program is to retain qualified students who are motivated to achieve the knowledge and skills essential to practice professional nursing. The retention program consists of the following components:

1.	Student-at-Risk Policy
2.	Faculty advising program
3.	Student Orientation program
4.	Ongoing monitoring of student's academic progress
5.	Counseling referrals for students who are in academic jeopardy due to problems other than academic in nature
6.	Achievement awards
7.	Student Organization, which attempts to provide socialization
8.	Group study and peer tutoring

Students identified as experiencing academic/professional difficulties may access these components by contacting their advisor. The student and advisor will develop a plan of action.

AUDITING A COURSE
With permission of the instructor, a student may register to audit the theory portion of any course. As an auditor, the student will be a listener and will not be permitted to take examinations or do class reports or projects. The student will not receive a grade for the audited course. The auditor cannot displace a student who is taking the course for credit. The auditor will be charged regular tuition, which is non-refundable. An auditing student may not attend during clinical or laboratory exercises, test reviews, or test preparation.

The student wishing to change from audit to credit will follow the Add/Drop policy.

DROP/ADD PROCEDURECOURSE ADD/DROP PROCEDURE
The student may add a theory course with permission of the course instructor, the student's academic advisor, and the Dean no later than the first week of the course. Clinical courses must be added before the first day of the semester.

The student who wishes to add or drop a course(s) during the semester must fill out a registration form available from the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain the signatures of both the student's academic advisor and course instructor on this form.

continued on next page >