VN Attendance Policies

Class Hours

Students must refer to their schedule for the actual class dates.

VN Part-Time Program

Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. PST or Mondays and Wednesdays 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. PST; Clinical: Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. PST and/or Sundays 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. PST. All part-time class hours for the VN program are in effect for the Irvine Campus and the Los Angeles, Alhambra Branch Campus.

VN Full-Time Program

Mondays through Fridays 7:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. PST for Theory Classes and 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. for Clinical Education (Tutorial periods for theory classes are scheduled between 1:30 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. PST). All full-time class hours for the VN program are in effect for the Irvine Campus and the Los Angeles, Alhambra Branch Campus.

Note:  Alternate days or different shifts may be required for certain VN clinical education, due to clinical facility student census restrictions or facility availability.  Some clinical education or fieldwork may be offered on a 10 or 12 hour shift to match clinical facilities’ schedules.

Tutorial sessions occur after class from 1:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. PST for full-time students and before class from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. PST for part-time students. Students should plan to attend each tutoring session accordingly.  NCLEX Review is conducted Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. PST one week near the end of the program.  It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for a leave from work or other obligations to attend the NCLEX review.

Absence and Tardiness

In support of the state requirements for Vocational Nurse Programs, VN students may not graduate without completing the objectives for theory classes, performing the clinical objectives, and completing a minimum of 960 hours of clinical education.  Students not returning after 14 consecutive days of (starting from the last date of attendance) will be dismissed.

Theory Class Attendance

The following rules govern the theory and clinical absences that a Vocational Nurse student may acquire during his/her program.

Remediation and limit of Theory Absences

The student is permitted to remediate a maximum of twenty-four (24) hours of theory absences per term.  Documentation for an absence is no longer necessary and will not be collected as there are no “excused absences.” An absence will simply count towards the maximum allowable twenty-four (24) hours permitted. Each absence will stand alone with or without documentation.  All missed theory periods must be remediated by fulfilling course objectives through the completion of a specific assignment given to the student by his/her instructor, Director of Nursing, or other designated Stanbridge University staff member. Remediation assignments are due on the next class day, but in any case, not later than the 7th day after the assignment is issued to the student. Should the student not remediate each absence from theory sessions prior to the start of the new term, he/she will be dismissed from the program and will have the opportunity to request re-enrollment.

If the student accumulates greater than twenty-four (24) hours of absence, he/she will be dismissed from the program and will have the opportunity to request re-enrollment.

Tardiness for VN Theory Classes

Students are tardy when they arrive 5 minutes late at the start of class or are 5 minutes late returning from any break.  Students are tardy if they leave any class period prior to class being dismissed by the instructor.  Tardy students may remain in class for the lecture, but will receive an assignment (before leaving class if arriving late and via email if leaving early) to ensure any missed material is presented to the student.  The assignment is due at the next meeting for that theory class.  If the assignment is not handed in at the next meeting, an additional assignment will be issued.  Failure to turn in both assignments at the next session will result in issuance of a Notice of Deficiency, placement on Attendance Probation or, based on an accumulation of Notices of Deficiency, dismissal from the university.

Students are tardy when they arrive more than 5 minutes late at the start of class or after a break.  A Notice of Deficiency (NOD) will be given for each tardy.  Three (3) tardies constitute one (1) absence.

Remediation for VN Theory Classes

The length of the Vocational Nurse program renders retakes for remediation purposes impossible if the student is to continue in his/her program. Remediation actions for unsatisfactory academic progress are required to be allowed to continue in the program. The student will be expected to take an alternate exam on the material covered in the original course exam and will be considered to have successfully remediated the course when he/she has achieved a passing score on the alternate exam. Regardless of the score achieved on the alternate exam, the maximum grade that will be entered into the student’s grade record for any remediated course will be 75%.

Remediation of any failed course must be performed within twenty-one (21) days of the end of the course or prior to the start of the next term, whichever is shorter. Students may take up to three (3) remediation examinations (if necessary), one per week during the remediation period. If a remediation examination is not taken in one of the seven day periods after failing a course, the examination is forfeited and may not be taken. If a course is not successfully remediated, the student’s failing grade will be recorded as the grade for the un-remediated course and the student will be dismissed. An exception to this policy is the End of Program Examination for VN students. This exam has only one remediation attempt. Remediation of a Term Exit Exam must occur prior to the start of the next term. Students who fail to successfully remediate a failed Term Exit Exam will be dismissed from the Vocational Nurse program.

Students may not remediate more than three (3) courses in Term.  If a student fails a fourth (4) course, during Term 1, the student will be dismissed from the program. Term 1 course failure allowance resets at the beginning of Term 2. The student can only fail three (3) courses for the remainder of the program. Students are also required to make up any examination(s) missed because of an absence from class.  Any examination(s) missed due to absence from a theory class must be made up on the seventh (7) day that the student returns to school.  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%.  The Term Exit Exam is not counted as a course for the purpose of calculating the number of failed courses.

Makeup of Course Examinations Due to Absence

Any examination(s) missed due to absence from a theory class must be made up by the 7th day 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

Clinical Attendance Requirements for Term 4 Students

No clinical hours may be missed during term 4 due to the length and availability of the specialty rotations.  Students in the VN Program who are absent during any specialty rotation (i.e. Mental health/Psych, Obstetrics/Maternal Health, Pediatrics, and Medical Surgical) will be required to repeat the specialty rotation which, will likely result in a delay in graduation. Specialty rotations include pre-facility, laboratory and clinical days.  Students may continue with the remainder of their theory and clinical courses in the term.

Remediation and Limit of Clinical Absences

The student is permitted to remediate a maximum of twenty-four (24) hours of clinical absences during terms 1-3. Clinical absences include pre-facility, laboratory, and clinical days.  If a student accumulates greater than twenty-four (24) hours of absence, he/she will 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 and will be dismissed.

All clinical absences in a given term must be remediated within twenty-one (21) calendar days or prior to the start of the new term, whichever is shorter. Students may select and register to remediate a clinical absence within fourteen (14) days following the absence. If the student has not registered for the remediation date of their choice by the fifteenth (15) day, the remediation day will be scheduled for the student by their Student Services Officer and the student will be informed of the scheduled date by email. Should a student not remediate each hour of absence from clinical sessions prior to the start of the new term, he/she will be dismissed from the program and will have the opportunity to request re-enrollment, and will have to repeat the course(s) for which the clinical experience was not completed.

Non-attendance at Clinical Remediation Sessions

There is no charge for remediation of clinical absences. Students who do not attend a scheduled remediation 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 nonattendance at a scheduled remediation 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).

Tardiness for VN Clinical Sessions

Students are tardy when they arrive 5 minutes late at the start of a skills lab session or a clinical facility preconference or are 5 minutes late returning from any break.  Students are tardy if they leave any clinical session period prior to being dismissed by the instructor.   Students who are tardy at a clinical rotation may be sent home and given an absence for the day.

Clinical Objective Remediation

Students are required to complete remediation for any unmet clinical objectives:  clinical experience not demonstrated during the normal clinical schedule must be performed in the skills lab or in the clinical facility within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the original clinical absence.  In the event the objective cannot be physically performed (for example, the student is no longer in a Maternal or Pediatric environment), the Program Director will arrange for a suitable clinical environment (if available) or give a suitable assignment.

Students accomplishing technical clinical objectives but 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.