Technical Standards for Admission to and Retention in the Undergraduate Program

Nurses have an obligation not only to themselves and the profession but also to the public to provide safe, competent, and responsible care. The following is a list of examples of essential functions that a student must be capable of performing while in the nursing program at Valdosta State University. The examples are not intended to be exhaustive.

Core performance standards for admission and progression as recommended by the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB)

CORE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Requirements Standards Examples include but are not limited to...

Critical Thinking Skills

 Critical thinking ability for effective clinical reasoning and clinical judgment consistent with level of educational preparation.
  • Initiate, evaluate, and update the plan of care.
  • Organize workload to manage time effectively; prioritize the delivery of client care.
  • Use resources effectively to understand the evidence, context of situations, and perspectives (their own and others) in order to make logical and informed decisions.
Interpersonal Skills Interpersonal skills sufficient for professional interactions with a diverse population of individuals, families and groups.
  • Maintain client confidentiality/privacy.
  • Establish professional and ethical relationships with others; seek assistance when needed.
  • Ability to accept constructive criticism (respectively listening, avoid jumping to conclusions or making judgments).
  •  Display accountability and personal integrity understanding that student behavior impacts other.
  • Ability to delegate appropriately.
  • Ability to respond to stress and adapt to changing environments inherent in clinical practice; particularly anger, frustration, and excitement appropriately.
  • Ability to operate in different cultural settings.

Communication Skills

 Communication skills sufficient for verbal and written professional interactions.
  • Explain treatments, procedures, initiate health teaching, and verify client consents to care.
  • Document and interpret nursing actions and client responses.
  • Display the capacity to engage in successful conflict resolution and advocate for clients rights and needs.
  • Effectively communicate with co- workers, clients, and members of the interdisciplinary team.
  • Provide and receive report on assigned clients.
  • Use therapeutic communication techniques to provide support
Psychomotor Skills Psychomotor skills sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing care.
  • Move about client's room and/or work spaces to complete client assessment or promote circulation (ROM, positioning)
  • Administer rescue procedures- cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work for long periods of time.
  • Calibration and use of equipment safely.
  • Perform procedures necessary to safely admit, transfer, or discharge a client; such as from the chair to the bed safely.
  • Prepare and administer medications and/or treatments.
  • Perform basic skills (Foley, tube feedings, maintain orthopedic devices, perform post-mortem care)
Assessment Skills Assessment skills sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing care.
  • Ability to perform targeted screening assessments (e.g., vision, hearing, nutrition).
  • Ability to respond to client distress calls.
  • Ability to observe client's condition and responses to treatments.
  • Assess a client’s condition.
  • Read and interpret physician’s orders.
  • Read monitors, medication labels, and other equipment accurately.
  • Ability to palpate in physical examinations and various therapeutic interventions.

Reasonable Accommodations

If an applicant or student self-reports that he or she cannot meet one or more of the core performance standards without accommodations, the nursing program in consultation with the Student Access Office, will determine what accommodations can reasonably be made. Applicants and students are responsible for making disabilities known and formally seeking accommodations.

According to the SREB Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing Education the following are examples of reasonable accommodations.

  • Assuring that university facilities are readily accessible for use by individuals with disabilities
  • Restructuring or altering clinical experiences
  • Modifying academic program plans
  • Modifying examinations including location, timing and testing conditions
  • Giving supplementary learning materials
  • Providing qualified readers or interpreters

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), VSU does not base admission, acceptance or continued enrollment on the following core performance standards. Instead, the standards are used to assist applicants and students in the determination of need for ADA related accommodations. The core performance standards are intended to constitute an objective measure of:

1.   A qualified applicant’s ability with or without accommodations to meet the program performance requirements.

2.   Accommodations required by a matriculated student who seeks accommodations under the ADA.


ADA STATEMENT Students requesting classroom and/or clinical accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability should contact the Access Office for Students with Disabilities located in Farbar Hall. The numbers are 245-2498 (voice) and 219-1348 (tty). Website: https://


References:

NCLEX-RN Standards adapted from 2015 practice analysis (National Council State Boards of Nursing) Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). (2013). Sample Core Performance Standards. Retrieved from 


Marks, B. & Ailey, S. White Paper on Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Nursing Educational Programs for the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (CCEPD).Retrieved from