The College is founded upon a commitment to learning on the part of both faculty and students. When students accept membership in the educational community of this College, they also accept responsibility and accountability to be present for all required teaching and learning activities.
Clinical experience includes time scheduled in a designated patient care area, clinical post-conference, interprofessional education, or an alternative clinical experience.
Students will attend clinical experiences as scheduled. Good work habits must be formulated early and practiced. Proper attendance in the medical imaging program allows students the opportunity to learn at the designated level and reinforces good work habits of accountability to patients and future employers. Medical Imaging students demonstrate enthusiasm in their education by being ready and available when scheduled.
Students are scheduled for a specific number of educational hours each semester as part of their clinical practicum. Clinical competencies are assigned each semester, as outlined in the Medical Imaging Student Handbook. Students must complete the required clinical competencies assigned during the semester.
Students document clinical attendance by clocking in and out of clinical rotations through the online clinical documentation platform Trajecsys (www.trajecsys.com). When the student is clocked into the clinical site, they must be in the clinical area actively participating in the clinical rotation (aside from scheduled breaks).
Clinical Absences
Students will be allotted clinical absences each semester as follows:
- 240 hours or fewer scheduled clinical hours/semester = 8 hours of clinical absence
- Greater than 240 clinical hours/semester = 16 hours of clinical absence
For Example:- RAD 160 requires 240 clinical hours; therefore, a student is allotted 8 hours of clinical absence
- RAD 180 requires 360 clinical hours; therefore, a student is allotted 16 hours of clinical absence
- DMS 415 requires 480 clinical hours; therefore, a student is allotted 16 hours of clinical absence
Clinical absences above the allotted time must be made up to complete the clinical course. Excessive clinical absences cannot be made up until after the semester has ended and will result in an incomplete grade for the clinical course.
Students are responsible for notifying the clinical site and clinical coordinator of a clinical absence before the scheduled rotation. Students must follow the program-specific clinical absence notification process.
Scheduled Time Off
Students should strive to schedule appointments outside of program hours. Any absences without one week's notice will be classified as unscheduled. Refer to the unscheduled absence section below for more information.
Students may be scheduled for weekend clinical rotations. Due to these rotations' unique nature and limited frequency, students may not use their allotted clinical absences for weekend rotations.
Unscheduled Absence
An unscheduled absence is defined as an absence without one week's notice. Documentation of three or more absences within one semester will result in a written conference.
Late Absences or Early Departure
Students are expected to be on time for clinical rotations and fulfill all scheduled hours. Late absences and early departures of five minutes or more will be monitored to track poor attendance trends. Documentation of three or more late absences or early departures will result in a written conference.
Long Term Clinical Absence
Once during the duration of the program, in the case of extended illness or family catastrophe resulting in five or more consecutive calendar days missed, the student will be excused from clinical during this period (up to five clinical days). In the case of extended illness, the student must present a note from the provider to the Dean justifying the need for the excused absence. For requests for excused absence due to a family catastrophe, the student should request leave from the Dean.
Inclement Weather
Students will abide by the College's Inclement Weather Policy.
In addition to college closures, Medical Imaging Students will be allotted 16 hours annually to be used for clinical time missed due to extreme inclement weather. Students determine that travel is unsafe and follow the procedure for notification of absence to the College and the clinical site. Use of inclement weather time includes missing an entire clinical day, arriving late, or early departure due to inclement weather. Any hours not used will be forfeited.
Unauthorized Absence
An unauthorized absence results when a student fails to notify the College and the clinical site of their inability to report as scheduled for a clinical experience. Any unauthorized absence will result in disciplinary action. Unauthorized absence for five continuous days may result in the student's immediate dismissal.
Notes:
- Students will document any absence from the clinical experience in Trajecsys, stating the reason for the absence.