The Catholic University of America

School of Nursing H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Plan

Students with flu-like symptoms are responsible for reporting their illness to all instructors (via telephone or email).

Introduction

The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 influenza pandemic to be at phase 6 (worldwide infection) on June 11, 2009. In the United States cases of H1N1 influenza have persisted throughout the normally influenza free summer months with significant outbreaks at summer camps and other gathering places of youth and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides valuable information on the pandemic on its website.  The Catholic University School of Nursing provides the following preparedness plan to augment the University general plan in recognition of the unique situation of student nurses and the professional nursing community.

Objectives

There are four objectives that should be considered when making decisions about potential H1N1 cases at the School of Nursing:
  1. Patient safety is the primary objective. CUA nursing students and faculty should consider this objective as paramount when making decisions.
  2. Student and faculty safety and wellness.
  3. Integrity and preservation of the CUA School of Nursing educational mission and goals.
  4. Cost-effectiveness and preservation of student and University resources as far as is possible without compromising the safety of students, faculty, and patients.

General Principles

Consistent with CDC guidelines for the prevention and treatment of H1N1 and its spread throughout communities and the professional obligation of nurses to minimize risk to patients, any student, faculty member or staff member who reports or exhibits signs or symptoms consistent with H1N1 is expected to absent themselves from the SON until asymptomatic and to follow any CDC recommendations for treatment and minimizing the spread of H1N1 to other individuals. Further, an instructor has the authority to dismiss a student from class or clinical if she/he suspects infection.
The current SON policy and behavioral expectations regarding absence from classes and clinical reflects the expectations of our professional accrediting organizations which specify the distribution and number of clinical and didactic hours for licensure and program accreditation. Therefore, the existing SON policies regarding absences and missing/late assignments remain in effect. These policies are articulated in the Academic Announcements. This policy for undergraduate students is summarized below (http://announcements.cua.edu/2008-2009/undergraduate/page8.cfm) (NB 2009-2010 Academic Announcement have not yet been published).

 

SON Administrative Oversight

In addition to faculty and student illness, in the event of widespread illness, it is probable that one or more faculty administrators and members of the professional staff may also fall ill. Each academic administrator will have an assigned “shadow” who can assume responsibilities in the event of illness.
  1. The Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will shadow each other.
  2. The Director of the MSN and DNP programs will shadow each other.
  3. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and The Director of the MSN program will shadow the Director of the BSN program.
  4. In terms of the professional staff, the alternate administrative assistant in the two major units (Office of the Dean; Academic Support Unit) will shadow each other.
  5. There is no clear “shadow” for the Director of Health Technology and, in the event of her illness, faculty will be responsible for running their own clinical simulations or for working with CPIT for computer and other technology issues. Similarly, there is no clear shadow for the Graduate Recruitment and Clinical Outreach Coordinator and in the event of her illness, it is anticipated that recruitment activities will temporarily decline.
  6. In the event of widespread illness and with the approval of the Dean, administrators, faculty and professional staff may be allowed some limited opportunity for telework. In this event, individuals who telework must be prepared must have reliable email and access and must monitor and respond to emails during regular working hours. They must also have a mechanism for prompt telephone response.

Student Responsibility

Attendance. The faculty and administration in the School of Nursing consider attendance in class necessary to master the body of knowledge needed for safe clinical practice and adequate preparation for licensure. Therefore, class and clinical/lab attendance is mandatory. The responsibility for prompt and regular class and clinical/lab attendance rests upon the individual student. Professors are responsible for establishing and communicating policy regarding documentation and consequences of absenteeism in their individual classes. This may include requiring authentication of unavoidable absences and the inability for a student to receive a passing grade.
 

Clinical/Lab Attendance

1. Clinical/Lab attendance is mandatory.
2. Unexcused absences will not be accepted. The composite course grade will be lowered by one (1) grade level for each unexcused absence (i.e., A to A-). Excused absences are defined in the course syllabus and examination policies of the relevant clinical courses.
3. One excused absence, while accepted, will necessitate a make-up assignment at the discretion of the faculty. Failure to complete the assignment will lower the composite course grade by one (1) grade level (i.e., A to A-). Further excused absences may affect the student grade and possibly progression in the program.
4. The student is expected to notify the appropriate persons, as identified in specific courses, of an emergency requiring an absence or tardiness prior to the beginning of the clinical/lab experience. The student is responsible to be aware of the specific requirements for each course and to follow those procedures.
5. Habitual tardiness to clinical/lab, defined as more than one occurrence, will result in lowering of the composite course grade by one level (i.e., A to A-) for each occurrence.

 

Faculty Responsibilities

Lecture Classes

All SON faculty who teach didactic nursing courses in the fall semester must have a plan for students who become ill and miss class. This plan should include some alternative assignments that can be completed outside of the classroom, provision for late assignments due to documented illness, and provision for make-up examinations when a student has a documented illness. Additionally, the faculty member should consider a plan to cover at least two classes if they are unable to teach due to illness. Use of technology is also encouraged such as providing students access to taped class lectures, use of Powerpoint slides, provision of class summaries or narrated Powerpoint presentation. These contingency plans should be summarized and submitted to the Program Director by Monday, September 28th. Since the specific classes which a faculty member may potentially miss cannot be predicted in advance, it is strongly recommended that faculty plan their classes at least two weeks in advance.
 

Clinical Classes

Each clinical coordinator should have a plan that will provide students with the capacity to make-up 24 hours (4 clinical days). This plan can include lengthened clinical days, Saturday clinicals, alternate clinical activities such as attendance at immunization clinics or other appropriate clinical skills activities. Activities such as patient teaching, outpatient clinics, and other appropriate clinical events are quite acceptable. Provided it is academically acceptable, “front end” loading or banking of clinical hours is also acceptable. In the event that a student earns an incomplete in clinical due to late-semester illness, the University has agreed to allow faculty and students to come in during the intersession to make-up clinical days, or to arrange that they be made-up. There is currently no additional compensation for potential intersession activities.  Clinical coordinators are reminded that they must be available by cell phone if CUA students are in a clinical activity with a preceptor. As per the District of Columbia Board of Nursing regulations, skills lab activities cannot substitute for clinical activities. However, skills lab exercises can supplement clinical or be used to prepare students for a clinical experience. However, the resources to support these supplementary activities are severely limited and Program Directors and the Associate Dean of  Academic Affairs together may need to establish priorities in resource allocation. These clinical contingency plans should be summarized and submitted to Program Directors no later than Monday, September 28th.