Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progression, and Graduation
Consistent with its mission and philosophy, the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is committed to providing educational opportunities to students. The School of Nursing programs prepare students to think critically and practice nursing competently and compassionately in rapidly changing practice environments. All efforts are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice and patient safety, foster professional integrity, and ultimately improve the health outcomes of individuals, families, groups and communities across the continuum of care.
In addition, certain functional abilities are essential for the delivery of safe, effective nursing care. Therefore, the faculty has determined that the following technical standards and skills are requisite for admission, progression, and graduation from the nursing program:
Communication Skills
Sufficient skills to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, family members and other members of the health care team.
Sufficient skills to convey or exchange information at a level allowing development of a health history, identifying problems, explaining alternative solutions; teaching, directing and counseling during treatment and post-treatment.
Sufficient skills to communicate in ways that are safe and not unduly alarming to patients, family members and other members of the health care team.
Cognitive, Conceptual and Quantitative Skills
Sufficient skills to read and understand written documents in English.
Sufficient skills in problem solving including measurements, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis.
Sufficient skills to comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships.
Motor Skills
Sufficient skills to execute movements required to provide general care and treatment to patients in all health care settings.
Sufficient skills include gross and fine motor skills, physical endurance, physical strength and mobility to carry out nursing procedures, perform basic laboratory tests and provide routine and emergency care and treatment to patient
Behavioral Skills
Sufficient skills to relate to patients, family members, other members of the health care team and colleagues with honesty, integrity and non-discrimination.
Sufficient skills for the development of a mature, sensitive and effective therapeutic relationship with clients.
Sufficient skills to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.
Sufficient skills reflecting an ethical behavior, including adherence to the professional nursing code of ethics and student honor codes.
Sensory/ Observation Skills
Sufficient skills to observe and learn from demonstrations in the clinical skill laboratory course, from demonstrations in the patient care areas and observations of the patient and the patient’s environment.
Sufficient skills to perform health assessments and interventions; observe diagnostic specimens; and obtain information from digital, analog and waveform representations of physiologic phenomena to determine a client’s condition.
Individuals unable to meet these technical standards will be counseled to pursue alternate careers.
Original 07/08