Performance Standards for Nursing Students

Applicants accepted into the Boise State University School of Nursing will need cognitive ability, emotional stability and physical endurance to successfully complete the Program. When determining suitability for professional nursing, the applicant must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, synthesize and evaluate in the context of undergraduate nursing study.

He/she must not pose a significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or others.

The following table lists and describes the performance standards for nursing students

Performance Requirement	Standard	Examples (Not inclusive)
Critical Thinking	Critical thinking ability for effective clinical reasoning and clinical judgment consistent with level of educational preparation.	Ability to collect data, analyze, integrate, and generalize information and knowledge to make clinical judgments and management decisions that promote positive outcomes.
Communication Skills	Communication sufficient for professional interactions.	Ability to explain procedures, initiate health teaching, document and interpret nursing actions and patient/client responses. Can effectively communicate with coworkers, clients, and members of the interdisciplinary team.
Interpersonal Skills	Interpersonal skills sufficient for professional interactions with a diverse population of individuals, families, and groups.	Identify needs of others, establish rapport with patients, families, and colleagues, engage in successful conflict resolution. Demonstrates the ability to delegate, maintain client confidentiality, receive constructive criticism, operate in different cultural settings, and can self-assess strengths and weaknesses.
Psychomotor Skills	Psychomotor skills sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing care.	Demonstrate or explain the use of equipment safely, perform or facilitate procedures necessary to safely admit, transfer, or discharge a client, prepare and administer medications and/or treatments.
Assessment Skills	Assessment skills sufficient to provide safe, effective nursing care.	Ability to perform target screening assessments, ability to respond to client distress calls, ability to observe a client’s condition and responses to treatment, assess the client’s condition, comprehend provider orders, identify, and comprehend information from patient monitors, medication labels, and other equipment accurately. Complete a physical examination and various therapeutic interventions.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

Upon admission, an applicant who discloses a disability and requests accommodation should contact the Educational Access Center (EAC). Students with pregnancy related conditions should contact the Title IX office. The school is not required to make modifications that would substantially alter the nature or requirements of the program or provide accommodations that present an undue burden to the school. To matriculate or continue in the curriculum, the candidate must be able to perform all the essential functions either with or without accommodation.

Gonzalez, H. C., & Hsiao, E.-L. (2020). Disability inclusion in nursing education. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15, 53–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2019.08.012