1.1 The Long Beach City College Associate Degree Nursing Program mission and goals include preparation of nurses for entry level registered nurse positions. Reliable and prompt attendance at the assigned time and nursing unit is both a professional responsibility and a minimal expectation of employers of entry level registered nurses. Therefore, during the nursing program, students must demonstrate reliable attendance and promptness behaviors.

For each nine week course the following guidelines shall apply:

1.1.1 Overall Course Attendance: The college policy shall be enforced i.e., "Attendance is the student's responsibility. In the event of excessive absences, the instructor may drop a student from a course or lower a student's grade. Students who are absent more than twenty percent of the total class hours or for two consecutive weeks shall (emphasis added) be automatically dropped from the class."
See current college catalog.

1.1.2 Clinical and campus laboratory hours

1.1.2.1 Any combination of three episodes of absences and/or tardiness within a course shall result in the student receiving a Progress Report and a "Must Improve" rating in the appropriate area of the clinical evaluation. Any further absences and/or tardiness in the same course shall result in an "Unsatisfactory" rating in the appropriate area of the clinical evaluation and an overall clinical marginal rating for the course (approved 3/96)
Making up a clinical day is not always an option. If it is not possible to make up a clinical day, a written assignment may be required. See class syllabus for more specifics regarding this issue.

1.1.2.2 If a student misses ten percent of the total clinical hours in a course and is unable to meet the behavioral objectives for the course; the student shall be automatically dropped from the course. Students dropped pursuant to this attendance policy may be reinstated only at the discretion of the teaching team and only for extenuating circumstances.* Reinstatement is conditioned upon sufficient remaining time and clinical space to complete the course objectives.
Subsequent teaching teams will be alerted to students with attendance problems for assessment and follow-up. Recurrent attendance problems will be reflected on subsequent evaluations and in the letter of recommendation provided by the faculty at the time of graduation.

* Extenuating circumstances shall be defined as reasons for absences beyond the control of the student. Examples would be extended illness, hospitalization, court appearances, death in the immediate family, verified accidents or military assignments. See current college catalog. (approved 1/93)

1.2 Whenever an absence or tardy occurs, it is entirely the responsibility of the student to obtain any handouts or assignments. Any assignment due on the day of absence must be turned in the day the student returns to class or lab, or alternate arrangements must be made with the instructor.

1.3 Students are responsible for accomplishing all of the behavioral objectives for the course--regardless of absence.

1.4 Late written work is not acceptable. The student will receive a progress note indicating an individualized remediation plan to be determined by the teaching team. Failure to comply with the remediation plan will result in an incomplete for the course.

1.5 Students who have missed a quiz or test due to absence will be allowed to make up that test within 2 school days from the day of return to class or lab. It is entirely the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for a make-up test. The score received on a make-up test shall not exceed the class mean for the same test. Any test that is not made up within 2 school days from the day of return to class constitutes a zero. Make-up tests will be given in the Learning Center by appointment with the Learning Center Instructional Assistant.

1.6 It is the responsibility of every student to contact the instructors scheduled for the classes, campus conferences, and clinical laboratory missed in regard to make-up work, etc. Be sure you know the telephone number of the agency and unit to which you are assigned. A "Must Improve" will be checked on clinical evaluation form if a call is not received one hour before lab time or clinical time, or as otherwise specified by the clinical instructor.

1.7 No nursing classes will be canceled without prior notification of the students involved; therefore, if an instructor is unavoidably detained, the students are to remain in the classroom assigned until class is started. One student should leave to notify the office of the School of Health and Science that the teacher has not yet arrived