College Closure/Cancellation for Class and Clinical
Introduction: Goldfarb School of Nursing (GSON) policy for classroom and clinical cancellations or delays.
Purpose: This policy is intended to provide guidance for students and faculty with regards to class and clinical attendance during events that may impact travel and campus operations.
Policy Statements: Safety of our community members are of upmost importance. The importance of attending clinical is an essential requirement of the curriculum used to meet course objectives. Goldfarb School of Nursing provides a solution that facilitates students’ meeting individual program outcomes.
Summary: Goldfarb School of Nursing monitors local and regional weather and events to determine if it is safe for travel before making the decision to close the college campus or cancel classes. If the campus is closed, clinical assignments led by clinical instructors (i.e. faculty) are cancelled for the duration of the campus closure. If a delay or early dismissal is indicated, clinical instructor led clinical will be cancelled and students and clinical faculty are dismissed.
Students who are assigned preceptors, where students schedule and manage their clinical schedule, are empowered to make the decision to attend, remain at, or reschedule a clinical assignment as long as the required communication to mentors, preceptors, instructors and/or program administrators occurs.
Students and faculty/staff should practice good judgement when making the decision to attend class and clinical during unsafe conditions from their travel location. Deliberate and prompt communication between clinical faculty and students must take place.
Policy-Related Procedures:
Communication for closing/cancellation:
The recommendation to close, cancel or delay scheduled classes and clinical is proposed to the President of the college by the Director for Administration and Finance. If accepted, the Director for Administration and Finance sends out two methods of communication; an internal email and a Rave system alert. The Rave alert system alerts students, faculty and staff using communication via text message. GSON also uses the News Channel 5’s Storm Watch automated system service offered by KSDK for all local schools and organizations to announce weather-related closings/delays. Communication is time sensitive with the safety of our students, faculty and staff members being our priority.
Campus classes (classroom/labs): When determined that conditions are unsafe for student and employee travel to campus, a message will be generated and distributed by the RAVE emergency response and notification system. The message will be sent with the intent of notifying community members before they drive to campus. The RAVE message will indicate if the campus has a delayed opening, is closed, or is closed the next day.
Faculty-led Clinical: If GSON campus is closed, clinical assignments led by clinical instructors for the entirety of the assignment, are cancelled. If a delay or early dismissal is indicated, the clinical instructor-led clinical will be cancelled and students and clinical faculty are dismissed.
Preceptor-led Clinical: Students who are assigned preceptors, where students schedule and manage their clinical schedule and clinical instructors make periodic visits, are empowered to make the decision to attend or remain at a clinical assignment as long as the required communication to clinical educators/instructors and program administrator occurs. This includes times when campus classes are cancelled.
Students are advised to practice good judgement when making the decision to attend or leave a preceptor assigned clinical from and to their travel/home location during inclement weather. Communication between clinical faculty and students must take place prior to and after the clinical experience.
Preceptor - A GSON preceptor is an experienced and competent advanced practice nurse, registered nurse, or physician assigned by GSON faculty to assist the students with meeting course clinical objectives to an assigned population of clients/patients. Preceptors, in collaboration with GSON faculty, determine student achievement of clinical objectives.
Online Classes: Classes online are not impacted by the college closure/cancellation policy and will continue as scheduled.
Information about class, clinical, and labs are to be directed to the course faculty for follow-up information.