BSN Attendance Policies

Class Hours

Students should refer to their schedule for the actual class dates. BSN theory and clinical coursework may occur any day of the week (Monday through Sunday) during mornings, afternoons, or evenings.

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 BSN students and will result in disciplinary action.

Students may be absent one (1) day from each theory course in a 10-week term. Students who accumulate greater than one (1) day of absence from each theory course in a 10-week course 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 may request to re-enroll in the program, repeat the course from which they were dismissed, and continue with the sequence of other courses in the program provided space is available.

Leaving Early and Tardiness (Theory)

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 after the start of class or after a scheduled return from a break. Students must notify the instructor in advance when leaving early or arriving late at the start of class. Failure to provide advanced notification will result in a Notice of Deficiency.

Students who miss more than 5% of total class time for the course or have more than two (2) occurrences of leaving early or tardiness will meet with the Program Director, or designee, for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Make-up of Course Examinations Due to Absence

If the absence occurs on an exam day, a student must notify the instructor prior to the scheduled exam time that they will not be present for the exam. If the student does not notify the instructor, the exam grade will be a zero. Only one make-up exam per course, per term, will be allowed. The alternate make-up exam will be administered through the Office of Student Services. Regardless of the score achieved on the make-up exam, the maximum grade that will be entered into the student’s grade record for any make-up exam in a theory class will be 77%.

Clinical Attendance

Students are required to attend and complete all clinical hours.  Clinical hours refer to any skills lab, simulation lab, hospital rotation, or any required community rotations.

Students who are unable to attend clinical must do the following:

1. Call the clinical instructor at least one (1) hour prior to the scheduled clinical time. Failure to provide proper advanced notification may result in disciplinary action, up to and including being dropped from the course.
2. Give the clinical instructor a physician’s release prior to returning to the clinical area if the absence was due to a contagious illness or injury. Boots, slings or other support devices are not allowed in the clinical area.
3. Arrange for make-up of missed clinical time/clinical objectives on the scheduled day or by arrangement with instructor.
4. Submit satisfactory make-up assignment in a timely manner to the clinical instructor.

Students may be absent one (1) day from each non-specialty clinical course in a 10-week term. Students who accumulate greater than one (1) day of absence from a non-specialty clinical course in a 10-week 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 may request to re-enroll in the program, repeat the course from which they were dismissed, and continue with the sequence of other courses in the program provided space is available.

Students may not miss any hours in specialty clinical courses including Behavioral Health, Maternal Newborn, or Nursing Care of Children. Hospital rotations, skills labs, simulation labs, and any required community shifts are all counted as clinical hours. Students who accrue any absences from a specialty clinical course in a 10-week term will be dismissed from the program. Students may request to re-enroll in the program, repeat the course from which they were dismissed, and continue with the sequence of other courses in the program provided space is available.

Students must make-up any clinical absence before progressing to the next term or they will be dismissed from the program.

Extenuating Circumstances with Specialty Clinical Hours

Extenuating circumstances are unforeseen events or situations that are beyond a student’s control and may prevent the student from attending one, or more, scheduled class meetings.

If a student has missed clinical hours in any specialty course including Behavioral Health, Maternal Newborn, or Nursing Care of Children, due to extenuating circumstances, they may elect to submit an extenuating circumstances petition and request for a make-up exemption. Petitions should be emailed, with any supportive documentation, within three (3) business days after the absence(s) to exempt@stanbridge.edu. Petitions submitted after the third business day will not be accepted.

An Extenuating Circumstances Committee will evaluate the petition and provide a decision to the student, within ten (10) business days of receipt of the petition. Decisions may take the following actions:

• Deny the petition and continue with attendance dismissal
• Grant the petition and schedule make-up hours
• Grant the petition, schedule make-up hours, and include new sanctions

Any Stanbridge University student who believes that they have been subjected to an improper decision by the Extenuating Circumstances Committee is entitled to file an appeal and obtain an independent review of the decision.

If an excused absence is granted, the student will be required to make-up the missed day as scheduled by the program. A failure to attend the excused absence make-up day will result in course failure.

Only one (1) extenuating circumstances request may be submitted during a term. Students are not guaranteed clinical make-up opportunities as availability may not exist or have specific limitations that prevent completion.

Leaving Early and Tardiness (Clinical)

Students are required to attend all clinical hours. Failure to complete a clinical shift or leaving a clinical session prior to being dismissed by the instructor is considered an absence and subject to the same policy as a clinical absence.

Tardiness results in unsafe patient care due to lack of or a curtailed shift report. Students are considered tardy when they arrive later than the designated start time at the designated location as defined by each clinical instructor. Failure to notify the instructor of tardiness will result in disciplinary action and/or the student may be sent home and incur an absence if deemed unsafe by the clinical instructor.

Blended and Online Courses

Blended and online distance education courses are delivered through the university’s learning management system, Edverum, which provides students access to course instructions, syllabi, discussion forums, slides, and videos as well as exams and assignments for each course. Students participating in the university’s hybrid or online distance education courses are expected to be in attendance, and complete all course activities, in accordance with the syllabus.