Information for 1st Semester Nursing Students

Congratulations on your acceptance into our nursing program.

The following information is provided in order to prepare you to begin your course of study. Please read all the information carefully and follow the directions as specified.

CNSA Welcome Letter (.pdf, 17 kb)

Important Notice: N206 Students-Do NOT order your books through Aztec Shops Online Service. You must purchase books in the store, to carry books out with you. You need your books for scheduled assignments.

N296 Informatics for the Nurse, requires the purchase of a Palm TX PDA and accompanying software. This is also available through Aztec Shops.

New Student Orientation

• New student orientation will be held Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 at 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM in Hardy Tower, Room 140. This new Student Orientation, conducted by the California Nursing Student Association (CNSA), is mandatory for both first time nursing students and students repeating a first semester nursing course. Due to the immense amount of information presented, the processing of the picture ID for admittance to the hospitals, and the ordering of the School of Nursing uniform and course materials, the orientation will not be repeated for anyone unable to attend.

Professionalism Ceremony

• Mandatory!! Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Celebrate your future in nursing! For more information contact Elena Jarin at mjarin@mail.sdsu.edu 619-594-1021

Nursing Course Registration

• Only students who have received an official letter of acceptance from the School of Nursing are allowed to register for nursing classes. The School of Nursing does not allow auditing or "crashing" of its classes.
• Register immediately for the following courses.
  1. N 202 Client Assessment, 4 units
  2. N 206 Nursing Practice I, 5 units
  3. N 296 Section 1- Informatics for the Nurse, 1 unit
  4. N 296 Section 2- Pathophsiology I, 3 units
• If you experience difficulty in registering for these classes, do not be alarmed. There is space available for you as long as you received an acceptance letter. You will be given an add code by the course coordinators before the University Add/Drop Deadline.
• Any student repeating N 206 cannot pre-register for that course. You will be assigned to a lab by the N 206 course coordinator.

Campus and Hospital Labs

• Most nursing courses have a lecture and laboratory time. All N 202 labs are held on campus. N 206 has a combination of campus lab and hospital patient care days. N 206 labs will be held on campus the first half of the semester. Hospital orientation begins mid- semester. You must keep your N 206 lab day free from 7 am to 3 pm.
• All afternoon campus labs in N 206 change to a morning time once the hospital rotation begins.
• You will be required to select your hospital patient the afternoon before your N 206 lab day. Therefore, you cannot have an N 202 lab the day before your N 206 lab. For example, do not enroll in a Friday N 206 lab if you are in a Thursday N 202 lab; do not enroll in a Saturday N 206 lab if you are in a Friday N 202 lab.

Nursing Skills Practice Lab

• Nursing skills practice sessions for material taught in N 206 are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays following your nursing class lectures. Keep either of these days free for several hours following N 202 and N 206 lecture times to take advantage of skill practice sessions.

Dress Code for Hospital Agencies

• Adherence to the clinical attire and uniform guidelines will be strictly enforced. Please familiarize yourself with these guidelines. See undergraduate handbook (.pdf, 192 kb) under clinical attire and hygiene guidelines.

Compliance Policy & Procedure

Important Information: - Spring 2008 Compliance Info

• Before going to your first clinical, several requirements must be completed:

  Health Requirements

  1. A physical exam must be completed by your health care provider or through Student Health Services. The Health Clearance Form is to be completed by your health care provider at the time of your physical and returned to Student Health Services. If you have had a physical within the past year, you must provide documentation of such.
  2. SDSU Medical History Form is to be completed by the student and returned to Student Health Services.
  3. Medical documentation of childhood immunizations or illness must be provided to Student Health Services. Documentation must include Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR); Polio series; Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT), and/or Tetanus/Diphtheria (Td). If unable to provide this information, you are required to begin the necessary immunizations immediately or present evidence of immunity through titers.
  4. Hepatitis B series must be started upon starting the nursing program. You must have the first in a series of three immunizations followed by a Hepatitis B Titer.
  5. Documentation of PPD (TB) skin test, Rubella and Varicella Titers (antibody levels) are required.
  6. Students who have not met the health requirements will not be allowed in clinical classes. All immunization documentation must be provided to SDSU Student Health Services at the following address:

     Tessy Reese, LVN
     Immunization Clinic
     SDSU Health Services
     5500 Campanile Drive
     San Diego, CA 92182-4701
     Phone: (619) 594-7339
     Fax: (619) 594-7469
     

  7. See the complete list of health requirements from SDSU Student Health Services.

  CPR

  • Proof of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training must be current and renewed yearly while in the School of Nursing Program. The only approved programs are the American Heart Association, "Healthcare Provider" course and the American Red Cross, "Professional Rescuer" course. A copy of your current CPR card must be provided to the School of Nursing Office. Maintaining an up to date CPR certification is your responsibility. You will not be allowed to go to clinical labs if this requirement is not fulfilled.

  Background Check & Drug Test

  • Read Background Check and Drug Testing (.pdf, 29 kb) Procedure/Instructions.

  Additional Compliance Information

  • Supplemental Compliance Information (.pdf, 13 kb)
    Abuse reporting, National Patient Safety Goals, Corporate Integrity Policy

  • HIPAA Privacy and Security Guidance Self-Study Module (.pdf, 475 kb)

    Print Certificate at end of Self-Study Module and bring in to Orientation.

Student Responsibilities

• Please bring the Student Responsibilities Form (.pdf, 6 kb) to orientation having read the necessary documents (ie- Undergraduate Handbook) (.pdf, 192 kb) and signed that you understand your responsibilities as a SDSU nursing student.

E-mail address

• Students must have a valid e-mail address. If you do not have an email address, you can obtain a free email account from the SDSU Student Computing Help Desk, which is located at the Love Library, room LL-200. You can also call them at (619) 594-5261 for more information.

• Your e-mail address should be placed on file at the School of Nursing a week before the start of the semester. Not having a valid e-mail address will prevent you from receiving emails sent by the course coordinator and your clinical instructor.

last updated: 1/15/08