Dismissal Policy

Berkshire Community College

Nursing Division

Dismissal Policy

Students in the BCC Nursing Programs are expected at all times to strive to maintain the highest standards of patient care, safe practice, professionalism, honesty, integrity, accountability and responsibility. The National Student Nurses Code of Ethics https://www.nsna.org/nsna-code-of-ethics.html , as well as the program’s learning outcomes, serve as the basis for expectations of professional and safe clinical behavior.  A student enrolled in the College’s Nursing Programs may be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal, in accordance with this policy for engaging in unprofessional or unsafe clinical behavior. 

Unsafe clinical behavior is defined as any behavior that is actually or potentially detrimental to the physical and/or emotional well-being of a patient, staff, student, and/or self.  Unsafe clinical behaviors may include, but are not limited to:

• causing or contributing to a patient’s physical injury or mental distress;
• performing an act without appropriate staff or faculty supervision, outside of the scope of the nursing practice, or for which a student has not demonstrated competency;
• failure to seek staff or faculty assistance when needed;
• lack of preparation to ensure effective clinical practice;
• deficits in problem solving and/or decision making skills;
• providing patients with inappropriate or incorrect information;
• administering medications incorrectly and/or without appropriate supervision; and/or
• ·violating clinical agency and/or nursing program policies that impact patient safety.

Unprofessional behavior is defined as actions or inactions by a student that negatively impact their ability to function satisfactorily with others to the extent that the behavior interferes with, or is likely to interfere with, the delivery of quality health care. This behavior may compromise contractual agreements and/or working relations with clinical agencies, and/or violate legal/ethical standards. 

Unprofessional behaviors may include, but are not limited to:

• breach of patient confidentiality;
• ·violating standards of personal hygiene/dress;
• failure to be accountable for clinical deficiencies and engage in effective remediation;
• failure to respond to or contradicting a directive issued by staff or faculty;
• failure to maintain a professional manner and demeanor toward patients, faculty or staff;
• repeated attendance policy infractions requiring a fourth academic concern form;
• repeated attendance policy infractions including two “No Call No Show” incidents for clinical and/or simulation experiences;
• failure to pass drug screening indicating impairment due to drugs or alcohol;
• academic dishonesty such as proof of plagiarism or cheating
• ·not working collaboratively or co-operatively with others; and
• inappropriate use of cell phone or other devices;
• physical violence or the threat thereof and/or any conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person;
• sexual misconduct or harassment misconduct and harassment as outline in Title IX. This includes sending uninvited e-mails, making phone calls or transmitting documents that are uninvited and unwanted;
• incivility or bullying including communications that are hostile, demanding, accusatory or threatening;
• disruptive behavior – This includes obstructing or disrupting classes, team projects, talks or other presentations.

 Consequences of unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior include, but are not limited to:

• immediate removal from the clinical setting, lab/SIM or class setting pending further review under this process, if a student’s continued presence poses a risk to the health or safety of patients, other students, faculty and/or staff (this time will need to be made up according to attendance policy);
• issuance of unprofessional and/or clinical warnings utilizing formal documentation of behavior with a Critical Incident Form;
• failure of the course due to attendance policy infractions;
• development and implementation of a remediation plan; and/or
• disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the nursing program.

  Remediation/Disciplinary Action

  The process for remediating and/or imposing disciplinary actions for unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior is as follows:

  • Within two (2) business days of unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior incident, a student will receive an email stating the alleged behavior and requested to attend a meeting.
    • The meeting will be held with the student, faculty who observed the unprofessional and/ or unsafe clinical behavior, and the Dean and/or Director of Nursing.
    • Nursing leadership will determine if any other college official should be present at the meeting.
    • The student may be accompanied at the meeting by a person of his/her choice.The role of this person is to directly support the student, but does not include direct participation in the meeting.
• Student shall be informed of the unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior and provided an opportunity to respond to the concerns raised;
• If found responsible, program representatives shall develop a remediation plan, with the opportunity for student input, to address the unprofessional or unsafe clinical behavior which shall include a timeline for completion; or disciplinary consequences may include immediate dismissal.
• Once finalized, the remediation plan shall be signed and dated by the student and the Dean and/or Director of Nursing. The student may decline to sign the Critical Incident Form, but this declination does not negate the remediation/disciplinary decision;
• Pursuant to the timeline, follow up meetings with the student shall be conducted to assess progress and completion of the remediation plan.Once completed, the Remediation Plan shall be signed by the student and the Dean and/or Director of Nursing;
• The Dean of Students, or designee, shall determine in their professional judgment whether the student’s conduct was sufficiently severe or pervasive to warrant disciplinary action, up to and including immediate dismissal from the program due to unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior; and
• The findings and decision of the Dean of Students, or designee, shall be conveyed to the student in writing, and shall include the process for appealing the decision.
• Further disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from a nursing program, may occur when: (1) a student fails to comply with a remediation plan; or (2) engages in further unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior.

Students who are dismissed from the Nursing program, at Berkshire Community College, or any other program, for unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior are not eligible to apply for readmission into either nursing program per nursing program policies.

The Dean and/or Director of Nursing, will notify the Registrar, in writing, of the student’s dismissal using the Student Dismissal Form.

Documentation of a student’s dismissal from the Nursing program for unprofessional and/or unsafe clinical behavior identified only by the student’s college ID number, is recorded in the College’s SIS system as DSM (Dismissal), and maintained permanently, by the Registrar’s office.

Created Nursing Faculty Committee – 5/1/23, revised 5/8/23; Revised 10/2/23, 12/4/23, 5/6/24