Academic Policies and Standards
Academic Policies and Standards
Academic policies and procedures are designed to promote student engagement, facilitate student learning, and achievement of intended learning outcomes.
Essential Qualification/Technical Standards:
In addition to mastery of theoretical and didactic content, preparation for the practice of nursing requires active engagement in a range of educational experiences. These include participation in supervised direct clinical practicum experiences; the learning, practice, and demonstration of role‑specific psychomotor and professional skills; leadership and interprofessional experiences; and indirect, self‑directed, and unsupervised learning activities designed to support the development of role‑specific competencies. To ensure achievement of program outcomes and readiness for professional practice, students are required to participate in all designated elements of the educational program.
All enrolled students must possess specific physical and mental skills and abilities necessary to complete key degree requirements. A set of specific minimum physical, mental, emotional, professional, and social abilities in the following domains have been deemed essential:
- Behavioral and social attributes
- Communication
- Cognitive
- Ethics and professionalism
- Motor
- Observation
These abilities and characteristics are defined as “technical standards” which together with academic standards for completing didactic and clinical courses as established by the faculty and adopted by the Committee on Admissions, form requirements for admission, progression, and graduation.
Nursing students must meet all Technical Standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, consistent with applicable Federal, State, and Local statutes to successfully progress through and graduate from their programs. Individuals interested in applying for admission are encouraged to review the Technical Standards to become familiar with the skills, abilities, and behavioral characteristics required to complete the programs. Depending on circumstances, students unable to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodations, may not be permitted to begin or continue in clinical or skills experiences and/or may earn failing grades in courses with such components.
Behavioral and social attributes
Students must demonstrate the maturity and emotional stability required for the full use of their intellectual abilities to ensure patient safety in clinical situations and an optimal learning environment for all. Students must be able to work effectively, respectfully, and professionally as members of the CUSON community and interact with faculty, students, staff, patients, families, and members of the healthcare team in a courteous, professional, and respectful manner. Students must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and long work hours, function effectively under stress, and display flexibility and adaptability to changing environments. Students must be able to contribute to a collaborative, constructive learning environment, engage in self-reflection, accept constructive feedback from others, and take personal responsibility for their actions.
Cognitive
Students must have sufficient cognitive abilities to effectively learn, retrieve, assimilate, analyze sequence, and organize complex details. Students must be able to adapt to multiple learning environments, including, but not limited to, classroom instruction, small group instruction, team, and collaborative activities, individual study, preparation and presentation of scholarly work and reports, self-assessment, peer review, and the use of computer technology.
Communication
Students must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, and efficiently speak, write, hear, read and use technology to communicate in the classroom, in the clinical setting, with faculty, students, staff, patients, families, and members of the healthcare team. Students must be able to document information accurately and clearly. Students must be able to communicate effectively in English with all members of the university, CUSON, and healthcare teams.
Ethics and professionalism
Students must care for all individuals in an effective and respectful, non-judgmental manner regardless of age, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other protected status. They must adhere to the professional code of ethics and all regulatory guidelines and demonstrate ethical and moral behavior during interactions with fellow students, faculty, staff, patients, families, members of the healthcare team, and the public. Professionalism, respect, tolerance, compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all qualities expected throughout the educational process. Self-awareness and self-reflection for professional development and growth are integral components.
Motor
Students’ motor and sensory functions must be sufficient to assess and deliver patient care by consistently, quickly, and accurately integrating all data gathered through whatever sense(s) employed and responding appropriately.
Observation
Students must demonstrate the ability to make observations to provide nursing care. They must be able to assess patients and develop a plan of care. These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch, or the functional equivalent thereof.
These Technical Standards are not all-inclusive and may be updated, revised, or withdrawn at the discretion of CUSON.
Adapted from:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021).
American Nurses Association Code of Ethics
Academic Integrity:
Academic Ethics and Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to university policies regarding academic integrity as well as the Code of Ethics, Professional Integrity, HIPAA, and other relevant professional guidelines. These expectations and guidelines extend into the clinical area. Students will adhere to examination and assignment guidelines set forth by the program and course professor and outlined in the syllabus. Potential breaches of academic integrity will be investigated and may result in various sanctions.
Students are expected to comply with university policies and guidelines regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence. Please refer to course specific policies in addition to the website.
Link: https://cssi.columbia.edu/content/academic-violations
Academic Dishonesty includes but is not limited to:
- Plagiarism: Failure to cite or otherwise acknowledge ideas or phrases used in any paper, exercise, or project submitted in a course but gained from another source, such as a published text, another person's work, or materials on the Web.
- Self-plagiarism: The submission of one piece of work in more than one course without the explicit permission of the instructors involved.
- Misrepresentation of authorship: The submission of work as one's own which has been prepared by or purchased from another.
- Cheating on examinations or tests: To give or receieve assistance from written material, another person, his or her paper, or any other source during an examination or test, to hire or attempt to hire someone to taje your exam for you.
- Falsification or misreprensentation of information in coursework or lab work, on any application or materials submitted to the University for administrative or academic review.
- Fabrication of credentials, in materials submitted as part of an admissions application or materials submitted to the University for administrative or academic review.
- Violating the guidelines of acceptable collaboration in coursework set by a faculty member or department
- Removing, hiding, or altering library materials to hinder the research of other students.
- Facilitating academic dishonesty by enabling another to engage in such behavior.
- Lying to a faculty member, dean, or advisor about circumstances related to your academic work or failure to complete academic work.
- Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools: Absent a clear statement from a course instructor granting permission, the use of Generative AI tools to complete an assignment or exam is prohibited. The unauthorized use of AI shall be treated similarly to unauthorized assistance and/or plagiarism. More information and guidance around the use of Generative AI tools can be found on the Generative AI Policy page of the Office of the Provost and CTL.
Code of Ethics and Professional Behavior:
Professional Integrity
Professional integrity in nursing is the consistent application of moral principles, honesty, and accountability in all clinical practices. It involves adhering to ethical standards, complying with regulations, and prioritizing patient safety to build trust with patients, colleagues, and the public. This sense of honor is an integral part of personal identity and influences thinking so that one can understand and exhibit respect for others and assume responsibility for one’s actions as a professional nurse. Accordingly, students are required to comply with University/Clinical Agency policies, standards of ethical and professional behavior, HIPAA and social media guidelines, and CUSON technical standards. Confidentiality of patient information and individual rights to privacy and safe care are also included under the subject of this code, as well as in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Testing and Examination Policies
Students are expected to adhere to academic integrity policies for all exams, whether administered in person or remotely.
Students are expected to arrive and be prepared to begin the exam on time, to avoid disruption to peers. Students who arrive late risk not being permitted to sit for the exam. Personal items may not be within reach during the exam, and all electronics (cell phones, watches, ear buds, etc.) must be turned off and put away.
Students are required to be present for exams, unless they have received prior approval from their professor. Please refer to program specific policies on requesting an exam make-up and examination procedures.
Many courses use computerized programs for exam administration and exam monitoring. Students are required to have a functional computer, with a working camera, for those courses utilizing those exam administration platforms. Students are required to adhere to all pre-testing and validation instructions for online exams.
Failure to comply with academic integrity policies, including exam administration policies, may result in a grade of zero for the exam and additional disciplinary sanctions.
Students are expected to report potential breaches of academic integrity to the proctor and/or faculty.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Columbia University is dedicated to advancing knowledge and learning and embraces generative AI tools. The landscape of Generative AI is rapidly changing, and will change the way we teach, learn, and work. Please refer to the University, School, and course specific policies related to the use of AI in coursework.
Students are not permitted to use “open” AI platforms due to the risk of compromising HIPAA and FERPA related information. The link below provides detailed information on responsible and acceptable use of AI.
Social Media and HIPAA Policies:
Columbia Nursing students, faculty, and staff are required to follow the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) Social Media Policy and the Columbia University Social Media and HIPAA Policy when using social media for either personal or business purposes.
The use of social media by workforce members is subject to the restrictions outlined in these policies. These restrictions are in place to protect the privacy of patient information and to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, including the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
Carefully review ALL policies and guidance provided; violations and/or potential violations may result in disciplinary action.
Social Media and HIPAA Policy (See Appendix II)
Additional CU Communications Social Media Guidelines (See Appendix III)
CUSON Social Media Policy (See Appendix IV)
Columbia University Social Media and HIPAA Policy (See Appendix II)
Policy and Procedure Violations and Student Disciplinary Actions:
Violations or suspected violations of policies and procedures may be referred to the Center for Student Success and Intervention (CSSI), for evaluation and determination, or may result in “Dean’s Discipline.”
*The University-wide Rules of University Conduct govern conduct incident to demonstration, rallies and picketing and supersede “Dean’s Discipline" in cases of violations.