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Student expectations in classroom, clinical, and skills-lab settings (PREL-04)

Effective Date

Fall 2025

Last Revision Date

8/17/2026

Responsible Party

Students, faculty, and administrators in the School of Nursing.

Scope and Audience

Students enrolled in the Pre-Licensure Program in the School of Nursing.

Additional Authority

Nursing Practice Act for the State of Idaho 

Administrative Rules of the Idaho State Board of Nursing 

American Nurses Association Code of Ethics with Interpretive Statements 

Boise State University:

 College of Health Sciences:

1. Policy Purpose

In addition to complying with all Boise State University policies, students in the School of Nursing are also held to the ANA Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice (2021) and ANA Code of Ethics (2025), as well as to the standards for registered nurses in the clinical agency while completing clinical experiences. To ensure professional conduct, patient safety, and appropriate legal-ethical behavior on the part of all nursing students, the School of Nursing has established the following expectations and requirements for all pre-licensure nursing students.

2. Policy Statement

Student Responsibilities

  1. Students are required to attend ALL scheduled classes, including on-campus and off-campus clinical experiences, unless an absence is  approved in advance. Students are not allowed to miss the first class or orientation to a class and may be dismissed from the program if this occurs. See Boise State University Policy 4190: Faculty Initiated Withdrawal. 
  2. Students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from ALL classes, including on-campus and off-campus clinical experiences. 
  3. Students must  notify their faculty member prior to any absence from a scheduled class or on-campus/off-campus clinical experience. Failure to notify the faculty member prior to any absence may result in the student failing  the course/clinical experience. 
  4. If a student is absent from a scheduled class or on-campus/off-campus clinical experience, the student is still responsible for meeting the course/ clinical experience objectives. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with faculty for the course/clinical experience to discuss the possible need for makeup or alternative assignments for missed classes or on-campus/off-campus clinical experiences. If the student misses more than 10% of the hours for scheduled classes or on campus/off-campus clinical experiences, the student may fail the course/clinical. 
  5. To protect student and patient safety, students may not work within 8 hours before or after any scheduled lab or clinical experience. (Example: a 0700 clinical start time requires the student to stop working by 2300 the prior evening.)
  6. All School of Nursing communication with students will be through Canvas and the student’s Boise State University email account. 
  7. Conduct that violates School of Nursing policies may, in the professional judgment of the faculty, be determined to be unsafe or unacceptable practice. Conduct in violation of these policies will lead to a faculty evaluation of the student’s performance and possibly failure of a course and/or dismissal from the Nursing Program.

Student Responsibilities Regarding Injury/Illness

It is understood that sometimes surgery, injury or illness may prevent a student from attending class, an on-campus/off-campus clinical experience, or may impair a student’s ability to fully function in these settings. When this is the case, the following are applicable: 

  • As of March 1st, 2024, the University’s Public Health department no longer reports and tracks COVID-19 cases. Students who test positive for COVID-19 are no longer required to inform the Public Health department of a positive COVID-19 test result and students and are not required to stay home and isolate. For current COVID-19 guidance and guidelines, please visit the Boise State Respiratory Virus Resource page. COVID-19 testing is offered in the Public Health department. The Public Health department may provide separate housing for students during a COVID infection, If requested by the student. 
  • In the event of a diagnosis with any other communicable disease or limitations related to surgery or injury, it is highly recommended that students contact the Education Access Center to request an accommodation, as outlined here:
    • To begin the accommodation process with the Educational Access Center (EAC), click on the link to Establish Services then select the Academics tile to seek an academic accommodation. When filling out the form, please check the box indicating you are affiliated with the School of Nursing to ensure you are assigned to the appropriate Access Coordinator.
    • Once your information has been submitted, the EAC will assign you to an Access Coordinator and will reach out to you to schedule an appointment. 
    • You will also be asked to provide documentation to support the need for an accommodation. After you have completed the form to request an
    • accommodation, you will be prompted to upload documentation. If you do not have documentation readily available, please submit the form anyway, and work on getting your documentation submitted as soon as possible. Information regarding supporting documentation can be found in the Documentation Guidelines. Your assigned EAC Access Coordinator can also discuss documentation requirements with you. 
    • If you have any questions or concerns you may email eacinfo@boisestate.edu or call (208) 426-1583.
  • For pregnancy-related accommodation requests, it is highly recommended that students contact Boise State University’s Office of Compliance and Ethics (208) 426-1258.
  • Students must also conform to the policies of the institution where their current off-campus clinical experiences are based.

Student Responsibilities Regarding Communicable Disease

Students must adhere to Boise State’s Communicable Disease Policy (Policy 9270), local, state and healthcare facility communicable disease reporting and clinical practice requirements.

Student Expectation for Understanding HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act)

Students must read and comply with all federal HIPAA requirements throughout their School of Nursing educational experiences.

Student Expectations Regarding Clinical Compliance

Students who do not meet deadlines given for completing health requirements, background and drug testing, clinical agency forms, and other requested documentation or information will not be allowed to attend classes nor clinical experiences until such clinical compliance is achieved. See Undergraduate Clinical Compliance Policy UG-07 for additional details.

Student Expectations for Classroom Experiences

Students must behave at all times in a professional manner toward all clients, staff, faculty and other students. This includes demonstrating at all times courtesy, honesty, ethical actions, and responsible interpersonal communication skills, including on all digital platforms. Behavior that interferes with agency/University/staff/faculty relationships or inhibits learning may be cause for dismissal from the program. 

  1. Pursuant to University Policy 3240: Maintaining Effective Learning Environments,  faculty may remove a disruptive student temporarily at their discretion, or seek a student’s permanent removal by following the procedure in Policy 3240. 
  2. Cell phones may only be used on silent or vibrate mode, and should only be utilized during breaks, unless the faculty member for the course or clinical experience designates otherwise. School, faculty and staff telephones cannot be used by students absent an emergency. 
  3. Children are not  allowed in the classroom except in extreme circumstances and only with prior permission of the faculty. 

Student Expectations for Online and Asynchronous Classroom Experiences

The following are additional requirements for students in any online and asynchronous learning experience: 

  1. Participation as outlined in  each course syllabus is essential to the success of the student in these learning environments. This may include specific timelines for participation, a specific number of times per week that students must participate, etc., and how  students must participate/engage with course materials. Failure to meet any of these course requirements  may be grounds for a student’s course failure. 
  2. If a student is experiencing any external challenges impacting their course activities, they should reach out immediately, or as soon as logistically possible, to the course faculty to explore  available options   to assist in facilitating the student’s academic success.

Additional Student Requirements for On-campus/Off-campus Clinical Experiences 

The following are additional requirements for students in  all on and off campus clinical experiences: 

  1. Students will perform nursing care only under the direction of the faculty or assigned agent of the faculty. In a preceptorship class, the student may only perform nursing care under the supervision of the preceptor or the assigned agent of the preceptor. 
  2. Students should seek the assistance of the faculty to clarify expectations regarding the scope of the student’s clinical experience, or when faced with new or unique clinical situations. 
  3. Students participating in any clinical experience must be prepared to provide responsible, safe nursing care or they will be asked to leave the clinical area. Performance that endangers a patient may be cause for dismissal from the Program. 
  4. Students must comply with the clinical agency’s policies regarding the use of cellular telephones or other mobile electronic devices. 
  5. To protect patient privacy, maintain academic integrity, and ensure a safe learning environment, students are prohibited from using AI-enabled wearable technology during any nursing clinical or laboratory experience/activity, unless a student has an approved accommodation through the Educational Access Center (EAC), and the School of Nursing has received written notification of the approved accommodation. This includes, but is not limited to, smart glasses (e.g., Meta Ray-Ban glasses), AI-enabled headphones or earbuds, smart eyewear, wearable cameras, and any other device capable of recording, transmitting, analyzing, or generating information through artificial intelligence. Students must remove or disable these devices before entering the clinical or laboratory environment.
    This prohibition applies to all clinical learning environments, including:
    1. Off-campus clinical experiences
    2. On-campus simulation laboratories
    3. Skills laboratories
    4. Any other patient care or clinical learning setting 
  6. At no time are children allowed in an on-campus/off-campus clinical experience 
  7. Falsification of records, including but not limited to clinical logs, or patient charts/records, may result in dismissal from the Program. 
  8. Students entering a clinical site and believed to be under the influence of a substance that could endanger patient safety or the safety of clinical personnel will be asked to leave the clinical area. A substantiated instance of being under the influence of such a substance  will jeopardize the student’s ability to successfully complete the Program. 
  9. A single egregious incident, or a pattern, of noncompliance with this policy’s course or clinical expectations or requirements will be cause for dismissal from the Program. 
  10. If a student witnesses behavior in the clinical setting by another student or by staff that is illegal, unethical or unprofessional, the student must report it immediately to the faculty. The faculty has the responsibility to assist the student with planning the proper course of action in response to the situation. 
  11. Students are not permitted to be in the clinical setting in the role of a student except during assigned clinical hours or by permission of the faculty 
  12. Students are not permitted to participate in any unsanctioned photography or video recording of themselves, each other, clinical staff, health partner staff, and/or patient, family, and visitors within any on-campus or off-campus clinical experience. Photographing any health partner location and/or room during a clinical experience is also not permitted. Official photography by faculty and other University personnel may be approved on a case-by-case basis. 
  13. Regardless of the reason for the absence, all missed clinical hours (clinical site, lab, and simulation) must be made up. This includes University-recognized and University-approved absences. Make-up opportunities are at the direction and discretion of the Clinical Course Coordinator. 

Unsafe, Unethical or Other Unprofessional Practices in Clinical or Internship Patient Care Settings 

  1. Any student may be temporarily and eventually permanently dismissed from the Program for conduct involving the student’s attitude or competency that jeopardizes patient care or safety, or when the student’s unprofessional  behavior interferes with the working and/or learning environment within the health care facility or the School of Nursing. 
  2. If a licensed student (LPN or RN) is dismissed from any School of Nursing program for unsafe practice, the incident may be reported to the Idaho State Board of Nursing.

4. Forms

N/A

Nursing Practice Act for the State of Idaho

American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics 

Boise State University: Student Code of Conduct (Policy 2020),University-Recognized Student Absences (Policy 3120),Academic Probation and Dismissal (Policy 3000),Faculty Initiated Withdrawal (Policy 4190) 

CHS: Dismissal (Policy 315) 

SON: Undergraduate Clinical Compliance (Policy UG-07)

Student Behaviors and Actions (Policy SON-06) 

Last Review Date

7/22/2026

Revision History

8/8/2025, 8/17/2026, 7/22/2026