Laboratory and Clinical Practice Regulation

Legal Basis

This regulation has been prepared on the basis of the Koç University Undergraduate and Associate Degree Education and Teaching Regulations which were renewed on 27.03.2017.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of these regulations is to specify the basic rules, principles, and methods that students will follow during all laboratory and clinical practice in the undergraduate courses of the Koç University School of Nursing program.

A student of Koç University School of Nursing will conduct all laboratory and clinical practice according to the provisions of these regulations.

A student will perform all required laboratory and clinical practice in accordance with the School of Nursing courses within the scope of the education and teaching programs.

Definitions

The definitions of some terms mentioned in the regulatory are given below.

Executive Council of the School: The Executive Council of Koç University School of Nursing.

Faculty: The faculty member responsible for the course.

Mentor Nurse: A nurse which facilitates a student’s learning in the clinical practice area, supports professional development, and successfully completes a training program that meets the standards.

Practice Area: Any healthcare institution for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation as well as any home, school, and workplace where students will be able to transform their professional knowledge into skills.

Clinical Practice: Practice concerning the following courses: (NURS 205) Nursing Practice: Health Assessment and Fundamentals of Nursing; (NURS 208) Nursing Practice: Medical and Surgical Nursing; (NURS 305) Nursing Practice: Women’s and Children’s Health Nursing; (NURS 306) Nursing Practice: Community Health and Mental Health Nursing; (NURS 210) Summer Practice; (NURS 310) Summer Practice; (NURS 312) Summer Practice; (NURS 401) Management in Health Services; (NURS 402) Internship.

Laboratory Practice: Practice in skill and simulation laboratories concerning the following courses: (NURS 102) Functional Anatomy for Healthcare Professionals; (NURS 201) Health Assessment; (NURS 202) Mechanisms of Disease; (NURS 205) Nursing Practice: Health Assessment and Fundamentals of Nursing; (NURS 207) Therapeutic Communication; (NURS 208) Nursing Practice: Medical and Surgical Nursing; (NURS 305) Nursing Practice: Women’s and Children’s Health Nursing; (NURS 306) Nursing Practice: Community Health and Mental Health Nursing.

Early Warning Form: A form used to inform the students who are at risk of not achieving sufficient academic criteria and to support the completion of their academic development.

Academic Advisor: The faculty member assigned to the student by Koç University.

Invasive Processing: Applications that disturb a patient’s skin integrity (intravenous opening, intramuscular injection, etc.) or are made by entering the patient’s body cavities (nasogastric tube, urinary catheter insertion, etc.).

Laboratory and Clinical Practice Rules

A student must:

  1. Meet all prerequisites for laboratory and/or clinical practice courses. In the decisions to be taken regarding the prerequisites, Article 11, Paragraph 5 of the Koç University Undergraduate and Associate Degree Education and Teaching Regulations is valid.
  2.  
  3. Abide by the “Koç University School of Nursing Laboratory and Clinical Practice Regulations.”
  4.  
  5. Sign the “Koç University School of Nursing Code of Professional Conduct Rules Form for Clinical Practice” and the “Koç University School of Nursing Code of Conduct Contract for Laboratory Practice” before the clinical practice begins.
  6.  
  7. Prepare any relevant documents (identity card, vaccination certificate, occupational health and safety training certificate, etc.) and present them to the requesting institution before the clinical practice begins.
  8.  
  9. Perform the laboratory and clinical practice within the dates and hours announced by the instructors.
  10.  
  11. Act according to the policies, procedures, and instructions of the institution.
  12.  
  13. Conform to the dress code (cap, gown, mask, etc.) required in the practice area in accordance with the conditions specified in Article 12.
  14.  
  15. Make any preliminary preparations in the knowledge and skills required for laboratory and clinical practice as requested by the faculty/mentor nurse.
  16.  
  17. Have his/her own personal equipment (skills checklist, stethoscope, light pen, pen, notepad, etc.) and resources (books, articles, etc.) as requested by the faculty.
  18.  
  19. Establish and maintain professional communication with instructors, colleagues, health team members, patients, and patients’ relatives in the laboratory and clinical practice areas.
  20.  
  21. Perform all laboratory and clinical practice tasks requested by the faculty/mentor nurse in full and in a timely manner.
  22.  
  23. Not perform any invasive procedure without the full permission of the faculty/ mentor nurse in the clinical practice areas.
  24.  
  25. Inform the faculty of any accident during laboratory and clinical practice and fill out the “Koç University Accident and Occupational Disease Reporting and Investigation Record Form” with the faculty.
  26.  
  27. Not enter the laboratory with any food and beverage.
  28.  
  29. Keep cell phones turned off or on silent mode in laboratory and clinical practice areas.
  30.  
  31. Not take any photos nor make, publish, or share any audio and video recordings without permission in the laboratory and clinical practice areas. Students must not violate the confidentiality of any data related to the institution where the clinical practice is conducted or any data related to the institution’s staff, patients and patients’ relatives.
  32.  
  33. Not leave the laboratory and clinical practice area without the permission of the faculty/mentor nurse and must not change nor abandon the practice location at any time.
  34.  
  35. Provide any clinical- and laboratory-related forms, reports, or assignments required by the faculty on time. Whether or not any late work is accepted depends on the decision of the faculty. In case of health problems, students must deliver an original health report in person or submit a scanned copy by e-mail to the Koç University Health Center (healthcenter@ku.edu.tr) no later than its expiration date during business hours within 5 (five) business days. The reports submitted electronically must be delivered to the Health Center within 10 (ten) business days no later than its expiration date. Otherwise, the report will not be processed. Acceptance of a health report is based on the “Koç University Student Health Report Application Regulation”.

The principles specified in Article 24 of the Koç University Undergraduate and Associate Degree Education and Teaching Regulations shall apply when it is determined that a student has cheated or copied another student’s work or attempted to cheat or copy another student’s work in the laboratory or clinical practice courses.

A student in laboratory and clinical practice courses must:

  1. Participate in any and all practice activities on the specified days and hours.
  2.  
  3. Make a plan with the relevant faculty member and comply with it in order to follow up and make up any missing practice tasks.
  4.  
  5. Present a valid reason in case of absences that total up to 15% of the total practice time of the relevant course; the absence(s) may be made up on a day and time determined by the faculty. In case of the absences exceeding 15%, a final decision on the student’s status will be given by the School of Nursing Executive Council.
  1. Use all tools and equipment in a careful manner.
  2.  
  3. Return all tools and equipment taken from the laboratory to the clinical area (stethoscopes, protective goggles, training mannequins, etc.) back to the on-site laboratory specialist whole, clean, and complete.
  4.  
  5. Pay for any damage to or loss of tools and equipment.
  6.  
  7. Leave the laboratory clean and tidy after the practice.
  1. The assessment of laboratory and clinical practice will be conducted as described in the curriculum.
  2.  
  3. When it is determined that a student has not achieved the learning objectives specified in the laboratory and clinical practice courses, the student will be given an “Early Warning Form” by the course instructor no later than half way through the total clinical practice period, and the student’s academic advisor will be informed.

A student must:

  1. Abide by the routes and timetables that are planned by the relevant administrative unit of all service vehicles used for transportation to and from the clinical practice
  2.  
  3. Inform the administrative staff in advance when he/she plans to come to the clinical practice site by his/her own means.

During clinical practice, a student must:

  1. Abide by the uniform dress code set by the School of Nursing.
  2.  
  3. Wear his/her student ID card in a visible manner.
  4.  
  5. Wear white coats in clinical sites such as family health centers, schools, and home visits.

During laboratory practice, a student must:

  1. Wear white coats in the skills laboratory practice areas.
  2.  
  3. Wear nursing uniforms in the simulation laboratory practice areas.

Enforcement

A student who fails to comply with the required behaviors in the laboratory and clinical practice as specified in these regulations may face failure and/or disciplinary action.

Validity

These regulations took effect on the date of its adoption by the Koç University Academic Council on 01.10.2018.

Execution

These regulations are executed by the Dean of Koç University School of Nursing.