AOSVN Attendance Policies

Class Hours

Students should refer to their schedule for the actual class dates. Pre-core general education, nursing theory, and clinical coursework may occur any day of the week (Monday through Sunday) during mornings, afternoons, or evenings. Students should be prepared for alternative days or diversified shifts for certain clinical education courses. Clinical hours are commonly offered in 8- or 12-hour shifts any day of the week, 7 days a week and include clinical facility rotations, skills lab, or any required community shifts.

Nursing Theory Class Attendance

Regular and timely attendance in the classroom is necessary for students to meet the stated objectives of each course.  Regular attendance demonstrates professional and responsible behavior.  Patterns of tardiness, early outs, and absences are not consistent with the professional standards expected of AOSVN students and will result in disciplinary action.

Students may be absent one (1) day from each theory course within a term. Documentation for an absence will not be collected, as there are no “excused” absences.  An absence will simply count towards the maximum allowable absences.

Students who accumulate greater than one (1) day of absence from a theory course within a term will be placed on Attendance Probation by the Office of Student Services.  Students who violate the stipulations of their Attendance Probation will be dismissed from the program.

Students must makeup any theory hours missed due to an absence before progressing to the next term.  The course instructor will determine the makeup assignment appropriate for the hours missed. The student will have seven (7) days to complete the makeup assignment and submit to the instructor for grading. Failure to complete the assignment by the deadline will result in a Notice of Deficiency and/or placement on Attendance Probation. Failure to follow the stipulations of Probation may result in dismissal from the program. No makeup assignments will be accepted after the final due date.

Nursing Theory Early Leave and Tardiness

It is required that students attend all classroom hours.  Early leave is when a student leaves class prior to the instructor dismissing the class.  Tardiness is when a student arrives more than five (5) minutes late to the start of a class or are more than five (5) minutes late returning from any break. Students must notify the instructor in advance when leaving early.  Failure to provide advanced notification can result in a written warning.

Tardy students may remain in class for the lecture but will receive a makeup assignment to ensure any missed material is presented to the student.  See Nursing Theory Class Attendance policy for details.

Makeup of Course Examinations Due to Absence

If the absence occurs on an exam day, the student will need to schedule an alternate makeup exam through the office of Student Services and complete the makeup exam within seven (7) days after the student returns to school or a grade of zero will be assigned to the examination.  Regardless of the score achieved on the makeup exam, the maximum grade that will be entered into the student’s grade record for any makeup examination in a theory class will be 75%.

Clinical Attendance

Non-Speciality Courses

Students may be absent one (1) day from each clinical course. Students who accumulate a second (2) absence from a clinical course within a term will be placed on Attendance Probation by the Office of Student Services. Students who violate the terms of attendance probation may be dismissed from the program.

Students must make-up any clinical absence before progressing to the next term or they will be dismissed from the program.  Failure to attend a clinical makeup day will count as a second clinical absence and will result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the program.

Speciality Courses

Specialty rotations include Mental Health Nursing, Maternal/Newborn Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, and Leadership.

Students may not miss any lab or clinical hours in the clinical component of the specialty rotations. Students who are absent may be dismissed from the program.

Some clinical facilities have limited capacity to orient the student to the facility (which occurs only once per facility rotation). Students absent from such orientation may not attend clinical education at that facility. If an alternate facility or orientation opportunity cannot be obtained, the student may not attend clinical education, all attendance policies apply.

Clinical Early Leave and Tardiness

It is required that students attend all clinical hours.  Early leave is when a student leaves class prior to the instructor dismissing the lab class or clinical rotation.  Tardiness is when a student arrives more than five (5) minutes late to the start of a lab class or clinical rotation or are more than five (5) minutes late returning from any break.

Students who are tardy for a lab class may remain in class for the lab experience but will be given an absence for the day. All attendance policies apply.

Students who are tardy for a clinical rotation will be sent home and given an absence for the day. All attendance policies apply.

Make-Up and Limit of Clinical Absences

Students must make-up any clinical absence before progressing to the next term or they will be dismissed from the program.  A missed clinical make-up will count as a second clinical absence and will result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the program.

Blended Courses and Online Theory and Lab Hours

Students participating in all blended or online courses are expected to be in attendance, and complete all course activities, in accordance with the syllabus.

All blended or online courses require a set number of online academically related activities (ARAs) for each instructional week. ARAs designated as attendance ARAs are declared in the course syllabus.

A student’s failure to participate in the designated attendance ARA, such as contributing substantively to a discussion forum post and/or completing a virtual assignment, will be required to make-up the post or assignment within seven (7) days after the post or assignment due date. All late work policies apply.

Pre-Core General Education Online Courses

Students are expected to be in attendance in accordance with the online course syllabus. All online courses require a set number of online academically related activities (ARAs) for each instructional week. ARAs designated as attendance ARAs are declared in the course outline.

A student’s failure to participate in the designated attendance ARA, such as contributing substantively to a discussion forum post and/or completing a virtual assignment, will be required to make-up the post or assignment within seven (7) days after the post or assignment due date. All late work policies apply.

Non-Attendance at Clinical Make-Up Sessions

There is no charge to make-up a clinical rotation absence. Students who do not attend a scheduled make-up session will be deemed a “No call, no show.” “No call, no show” students will be charged a fee of $50. A second (and subsequent) occurrence(s) of non-attendance at a scheduled make-up session during the remainder of the program will incur a fee of $100. These fees must be paid prior to the university forwarding the student’s Record of Nursing Program form to the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT).

Clinical Objective Remediation

Students are required to pass all clinical objectives outlined on the clinical and skills lab evaluation log. If the student is unable to pass any of the objectives, as designated in the scoring rubric, the student must remediate the objective and will receive a written warning. Remediation for clinical objectives is to be scheduled by the department of Student Services, which can include a clinical makeup day, demonstration of skills, or simulation evaluation as determined by program administration. All clinical objective remediations must be completed within 14 days or before progressing to the next term, whichever is shorter. Failure to demonstrate proficiency can result in dismissal from the program.

Students accomplishing technical clinical objectives but who are deficient in professional objectives, such as manner/attitude, effort, or respect for others, may be placed on probation as specified in this catalog. Probation requires written notification to the student of the deficiency, outlining actions necessary to be removed from probationary status and a date by which the actions must be completed.