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with other colleagues and healthcare personnel in a professionalmanner using the APA format.Communication and Teamwork – communication involves a clearmessage for both patients/clients and nurses while working togetherwith colleagues and other healthcare personnel to providecontinuity across disciplines.Nursing Knowledge and Science – a nurse uses the nursing processto provide nursing care to patients, families, communities, andpopulations and utilizes this knowledge to think critically.Simulation – simulation involves using realistic scenarios that providea learning benefit to students without the potential for harm in theclinical setting. Pre-scenario work along with debriefing strategiesassist the student to learn clinical practice.Informatics and Technology – informatics and technology assist insimulation and didactic areas including Blackboard. An ElectronicHealth Record (‘EHR) software program simulates authentic medicalrecords that students are required to document in for simulation andclinical practice.Quality and Safety – safety is the outcome of every patient encounterand providing quality care means that students are aware and utilizeevidence to make safe decisions.Personal and Professional Development – students are taught to takeownership for learning and to work with faculty to improve the processof learning. Students are expected to provide faculty with feedback toidentify strengths and opportunities for improvement in each courseand as a program overall.Cultural, Physiological, Psychosocial, Spiritual, and Developmental(Holistic) Perspectives-these perspectives repeat throughout thecurriculum and apply to every patient’s health. Faculty provide manyopportunities to teach and review the application of these principlesbased upon the developmental assessment of the patient throughdidactic, simulation, and clinical learning.Nutrition- basic nutritional principles repeat so that students canadequately learn how the patient can improve healthy eating. Studentsteach nutrition concepts using educational principles.Medical Vocabulary – medical vocabulary is important for learning tocare for patients. The application of this vocabulary is evident in thetest questions that students are required to answer and thesimulation/clinical areas that students practice skills in. Critical thinkingrequires the understanding and analysis of these words as they apply4

to nursing practice.C O U R S ES T U D E N TL E A R N I N GO U T C O M E SEach course provides knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary todemonstrate competency and increased rigor throughout the program.The course learning outcomes are measures to determine howsuccessful nursing students are in meeting the knowledge, skills, andabilities necessary to apply concepts to classroom, simulation, clinical,and laboratory activities.Faculty review these outcomes on a course-by-course basis eachsemester. Students meet the course learning outcomes to progress in theprogram. The course learning outcomes are shared with students eachsemester in the course syllabus.G U I D E DP A T H W A YA A SO N L Y5

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2ChapterThe Program of Study or Guided Pathway describes the program andthe courses students’ need to graduate. The first pathway is theAssociate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Students take courses insequence. Progression in the program is dependent on the sequencingof courses. While a student can take general education courses alongwith nursing courses, most students take all the prerequisites andcorequisites prior to the program start to concentrate solely on thenursing courses.C O N C U R R E N TE N R O L L M E N TP R O G R A M SThe Concurrent Enrollment Programs at CAC allow students to earn theAAS with CAC and the BSN with either Northern Arizona University (NAU)or Arizona State University (ASU). Students who take the CEP tract andwho fail a course in the CAC or University pathway are automaticallywithdrawn from the University CEP. The student can continue with CAC inthe AAS pathway if only one course is failed (CAC). Readmission to theAAS program is contingent upon classroom space and available clinicalsites.If you are in the CEP program and have questions, please contact theDirector of Nursing or Program Assistant, Jean Halloran for questions aboutthe AAS portion of the program. If you have any questions about CEP, youmust contact the appropriate program (NAU/ASU).CEP programs are subject to change based the requirements of ourUniversity partners. For examples of CEP maps please go to the followingwebsites:Northern Arizona with-concurrent-enrollment-to-nau/Arizona /10/ASU-CEP-Nursing-Map21-22-1.pdf7

3N U R S I N GP R O G R A MP O L I C I E SA N DP R O C E D U R E SG E N E R A LNursing Program Policies may differ from College Policies and areaddressed in the following pages.Orientation Policy:All nursing students are required to attend orientation, which isscheduled by your instructor before the first. Please check in with theProgram Assistant the day of orientation or proceed to the room given toyou by the Director or faculty member.Orientation gives students a chance to meet others from each block andto network among peers. Faculty review coursework, clinical work, andsimulation work required for each course in addition to reviewing thesyllabus. It is also a day to become familiar with your Professor andreview the expectations of the course. Additionally, a mandatory mathtest occurs on orientation day for second and third block students. Ifstudents do not attend and take the math test, a reduction in points islikely. Remediation in math is mandatory prior to attending clinical forany score less than 100%.Background Check and Drug Screen:Students admitted to the program are required to have a negativebackground check and drug screen. The student pays for the testthrough Core Screening (or American Databank). A student whosebackground check and/or drug screen is positive must meet with theDirector to determine eligibility to stay in the program. A positive on oneof the screenings could result in dismissal from the program and isevaluated on a case-by-case basis using existing guidelines andpolicies.Insurance Requirement:Clinical affiliating agencies require that students have their own healthinsurance. During the first semester, the student is required to submit acopy of insurance coverage. The student is required to keep the nursingoffice updated of any change in insurance carriers. Insurance isavailable from various agencies. Information is available throughStudent Services on campus, the National Student Nurses Association,and information through educational pamphlets located in the nursingoffice.8

The student is responsible for all health care costs including requesteddrug screen or titers upon admission and while attending the nursingprogram. In the event of student injury suffered during clinical practice,emergency medical treatment occurs at the clinical facility per policy andprocedure. However, such treatment will be at the students’expense. Central Arizona College does not cover students injured ortaken ill while on the College campus or on College business.Professional Liability Insurance is necessary for each student.Immunization and BLS Requirements:All students must provide upon admission and maintain currentimmunization records through My Clinical Exchange (MCE).Immunization requirements are set by the college's clinicalpartners.TB testing is required on an annual basis upon admission and while inthe program. A student must have a two-step TB test if this is their firstTB test. A two-step TB test is one in which the student receives theintradermal test, has the results verified by an RN or designee 48 to 72hours later and repeats the test one week after the first test. Once thetwo-step is complete the first time, a student only requires one testannually. If a TB test has been positive in the past, a chest x-ray isrequired every two years in place of the annual TB Mantoux test. AnAlpha QuantiFERON serum test is available in place of the TB Mantouxtest (began SP 2019).If the student does not have previous immunizations documented, bloodwork (titers) can determine immunity. Students obtain the blood resultsfollowing an appointment with their provider. If immunity is positive,students can upload the documents to the portals requested to meet therequirements. If the result shows a lack of immunity, students may needadditional vaccines or testing. A list of all immunizations required by theNursing program is available in the Nursing office.Students must be BLS certified through the American Heart Association(AHA) as a health care provider. Certification expires two years from thedate of completion of the course. Students must submit a copy of theircurrent certification card and be in possession of it during clinicalrotations. If a student’s BLS certification is due to expire within thesemester that the student is in clinical, the student must renew so thatexpiration does not occur DURING the semester.Annual flu shots are required for Maricopa and Pinal County clinicalagencies. No student can attend clinical without current immunizationsas required by clinical agencies. The flu shot is seasonal and thereforerequired during flu season (generally between October and March).9

LNAAll students are required to possess a current LNA license or LPNlicense upon admission and throughout the program. The LNAdesignation requires the same training as the CNA course but requires afee to obtain the license.Enrollment in a nursing program satisfies the maintenance requirementfor LNA licensure for renewal. A student requests a letter from theDirector of Nursing to verify the clinical hours completed to renew theLNA license with the Arizona State Board of Nursing. An LPN licensefulfills the requirement. If a student requires additional informationregarding the LNA license, please contact the Arizona Board of Nursing(AZBN) for further information at http://www.azbn.gov.Essential Skills and Functional Ability Forms (Physical Exam):Students must be able to enter the Program and be physically andemotionally able to meet program requirements upon admission andthroughout the Program. The student is responsible for notifying theclinical instructor of conditions that impact the student’s ability to meettechnical standards.Students must meet all physical requirements as outlined on thefunctional abilities form during the entire length of the program.If a student is injured during the program they must be revaluated bytheir provider. Based on the injury the program reserves the right to askthe student to be cleared by a specialist prior to returning to theprogram. Detailed examples of how these physical requirements affect astudent during labs and clinical were supplied to you when you applied.If a copy is needed for you or your medical provider, please see theDirector of Nursing or Program Assistant, Jean Halloran.10

C O L L E G ER E S O U R C E SF O RS T U D E N T SReasonable Disability Accommodations:Central Arizona College welcomes students with disabilities into theCollege’s educational programs. If you have a documented disability,including a learning disability, and would like to discuss possibleaccommodations, please contact the Central Arizona CollegeAccessibility Resources and Services Office at 520-494-5409 or emailCheryl.Hernandez@centralaz.edu. Students must keep in touch withthe Accessibility Coordinator to review accommodations each year.Accommodation for physical disability cannot put any patient, student, orfaculty member at risk for physical injury. The student must be able todemonstrate any nursing skill frequently an autonomously withoutassistance. Physical accommodations cannot conflict with the jobdescription of a nurse’s duties defined by our clinical partners.Learning Center:The Learning Center provides a variety of services to students. Anystudent enrolled at CAC may obtain free tutoring from the cooperativeLearning Center. Tutoring referral forms are available from the NursingProgram Assistant.Students who need accessibility accommodations to take exams cantake their exams at the learning center. For more information, pleasereview the Testing Policy reviewed later in this manual.Library:The main college library is located on the Signal Peak campus. CACstudents have access to library resources. Remember that professionallibrarians are there to help you if you need guidance in finding or usingresources in the library. Students enrolled in non-nursing online courseswill have access to library materials and other online resources throughthe course site.Financial Aid:Many sources of financial assistance are available for CommunityCollege students. Consult your College Catalog for details. TheFinancial Aid Office is in the Student Services Building (M). There arenursing-specific scholarships and application information in the Collegecatalog. Please contact Mag

CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE . NURSING STUDENT HANDBOOK . NURSING DIVISION . 8470 N. OVERFIELD RD. COOLIDGE, AZ 85128 . W BUILDING . 520-494-5330 . centralaz.edu . The Central Arizona Nursing Program is approved by: The Arizona Board of Nursing (AZBN) 1740 W. Adams Street, Suite 2000 . Phoenix, AZ 85007 . Phone: 602-771-7800 . Fax: 602-771-7888 .