Academic Standing and Advancement Policy

To be in good standing and to register unconditionally, students must meet the requirements of the College Academic Standing and Advancement Policy, as well as the Program requirements.

College Policy

Academic Standing

Please refer to Bylaw 8: Concerning the Promotion of Academic Success in English or French.

Nursing Program Policy

Specific Education discipline numbers in the Nursing Program are: (180) Nursing, (101) Biology, (350) Psychology and (387) Sociology.

Academic Standing

The following circumstances will result in expulsion from the Nursing Program:

• Failure of both a Biology (101) and a Nursing (180) course in the same term.
• Failure in more than 50% of Specific Education courses (180, 101, 350, 387) in any one term for terms 1 through 5.
• Two clinical component failures.
• Failure of the same Nursing (180) course twice.
• Failure of 2 sequential Nursing (180) courses.
• Failure of the same Biology (101) course twice.
• Failure to complete the Nursing Program within five years of being first admitted to the Program.

Students who do not satisfy the criteria of this Academic Standing Policy will be expelled from the Program and the College. The expelled student has the right to appeal the expulsion to the College Academic Standing Appeals Committee.

Advancement

Students may not advance to the next term if they fail a Specific Education course (180, 101, 350, 387).

3 Year Option

• To proceed to term six, students must have passed all term five Specific Education courses and all General Education courses;

4 Year Option

• To proceed to term eight, students must have passed all term seven Specific Education courses and all General Education courses;

Students in the Program who are prevented from advancing in their Specific Education courses may continue taking General Education courses and must either:

1) Submit an “Intent to Continue in Current Program” form to the Registrar’s Office by March 1 or November 1, as appropriate, in order to resume taking Specific Education courses in the following semester.

OR

2) Submit an online Program Transfer request by March 1 or November 1, as appropriate, in order to enroll in a different program.

Students not taking any courses in a semester must reapply to the College by the application deadline in order to be part of a program of study.

Exceptional Circumstances

The Program Coordinator may recommend an exception to standing and advancement decisions in extenuating circumstances.

Professional Conduct

Students are expected to exhibit appropriate behaviour referred to as “professional conduct”. Students who are studying nursing are being educated for a career in which there are standards of ethical and professional behaviour established by the Ordre des Infirmières et Infirmiers du Québec.

All patients are entitled by law to have the right to confidentiality. In addition, the respect for patients’ right to privacy, both overt and covert, is a principle of nursing ethics. Overt communication refers to information exchanged between patient, student, clinical instructor or peers, and must occur in private and in a professional and respectful manner. Covert communication refers to the obtaining of knowledge about the patient from medical charts, and in discussion with the health care team.

Any knowledge about the patient must remain confidential, and must not be communicated through any form of social media, or by the use of electronic devices such as cell phones.

Students must display consistent courtesy, teamwork and cooperative behaviour towards faculty, staff, and fellow students. Professional conduct must be displayed in all activities associated with the Program including classes, labs and external placements.

Students who exhibit behaviours that are inappropriate to the profession may be expelled from the Program. The procedure for expelling students from the Program, on the basis of professional conduct, will be applied in accordance with the College’s Institutional Student Evaluation Policy (ISEP).

Some examples of inappropriate behaviours are:

• Use of profane and/or inappropriate language
• Exhibiting rude behaviour
• Dishonesty
• Unsafe behavior towards self and/or others
• Abusive behaviour (physical, psychological, financial, sexual & neglect)
• Disrespect for cultural and ethnic diversity
• Demonstration of violent, malicious, or destructive behaviours
• Demonstration of impaired judgment in relation to social norms
• Exhibiting impaired performance
• Disregard of limitations established by teacher or courses
• Endangering self and/or others
• Inappropriate interpersonal behaviours
• Attempting to derive personal gain from clients
• Breaching confidentiality of patient information
• Falsifying documentation in the clinical setting

Students expelled on the basis of inappropriate professional conduct retain the right to appeal the expulsion to the Academic Dean.