Reviewed Aug 2001, Feb 2002, March 2003, Aug 2003, Jan 2004, Mar 2004, Feb 2005, Apr 2006, May 2007, Aug 2007
Successful completion of the program requires a substantial time commitment. This commitment averages 50-60 hours a week, year round, assuming that two hours of study are required for each class hour. This commitment figure includes time spent in the classroom, in clinical, and in study.
Throughout the program the student will be scheduled on duty for each of three shift rotations, including weekend experiences. Students will be granted eight (8) holidays per year, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter. Vacation requests during holiday weeks will be limited to 50% of the student body. A random selection will be utilized to determine which students are eligible for vacation.
* hours are per week and are subject to change
Students who qualify will be considered for flexible scheduling. Program administration reserves the right to cancel flexible scheduling as necessary if it does not meet the needs of the clinical site, if abuse of the privilege occurs, or for presently unforeseen reasons. Students eligible for participation will be chosen based on performance in their didactic curriculum and on their clinical evaluations. All students may not be eligible. The weekly time commitment for flexible scheduling will not exceed 40 hours, class and clinical. Class days will count as 8-hour days whether they exceed or are less than 8 hours actual class time. The two 12 hour shifts will be on days (7a-7p) or afternoons (11a-11p). Program administration would like to ensure that all involved understand that the purpose of a flexible schedule is to add to student's convenience and allow them more time to study.
Personal leave time of twenty (20) days will be granted during the program. Requests for days off must be in writing, submitted to program administration before the deadline, and approved in advance. Students will be scheduled for didactic and clinical experiences by program administration. Requests are due for the upcoming month on the CAC of the second preceding month (3rd Wednesday of the month). For example, September requests are due not later than the third Wednesday of July. Vacation request forms are located in the program office (this and selected forms are also available on Blackboard http://knowledge.udmercy.edu). Finals week is not subject to requests (i.e. for sequencing of exams) since that week's schedule is determined by instructor availability. Students will be scheduled in the clinical area during finals week.
Student requests are limited to vacation requests and may include two weekend requests per month. Students may switch assignments in the current month with another student only with prior approval of the director/assistant director. No vacation time will be approved during the final two weeks of the program.
All students will take 10 days of their personal leave time in one week blocks. Students must take a one week block of vacation each year that they are matriculated in the program. Clinical begins in January of the first year. Vacation weeks will be approved during:
The balance of the student’s personal leave time (10 days) may be taken as individual vacation days.
Students will be scheduled in class based on instructor availability and University schedules. Beginning in January of the second year of the program, the class day will be Wednesdays. Program business such as student meetings, certification exam review, and evaluation conferences will be held on these days. Any other days off must be scheduled as vacation time.
Personal illness or family emergencies necessitating extended absences will be counted as personal time. Students will notify and/or request such absences from the assistant director or the director. Students are not permitted to request personal or conference time on class days, while on probation, or during clinical research data collection. Vacations while rotating to affiliation sites are also discouraged. The Children's Hospital rotation is exempt from vacation requests. Special circumstances that require class time off must have prior approval of the director/assistant director and the classroom instructor. Any day missed, (whether class day or clinical day) will be counted as personal time.
Students are allowed not more than five of their 20 total days as unscheduled absences (call-in's) during the program. Students must call in at least one hour before their scheduled arrival time when they are ill. While on rotation, students must call the clinical site as well as the program offices at the university (313-993-3291) by one hour before your scheduled shift. Call-in's on weekends or off shifts must be made up and re-scheduled at the discretion of the program director. The maximum amount of time to be made-up is 5 days. Personal time in excess of 20 days or patterned absences are grounds for dismissal. Documentation of all unscheduled absences will appear in letters of recommendation required by future employers. Two days will be deducted from a student's vacation bank for
Students are required to complete the Self Evaluation Examination offered by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists in their senior year. Students are registered following the April monthly meeting. A day will be deducted from the personal leave time bank of any student who does not have SEE results on file in the program office on September 1. A second day will be deducted if these results are not on file October 1. A third day will be deducted if these results are not on file by November 1.
Requests for bereavement leave may be granted, at the discretion of the program director. The amount of time granted, will be decided on the basis of the following guideline:
Should additional time be required, students may request to use time from their personal leave time, or request a leave of absence.
Students who are members of the armed forces of the United States who are called to active duty or required to meet reserve training obligations will be granted leave for those purposes. Students must notify the program director of their military status and anticipated obligations upon enrollment in the program.
When UDM is closed due to inclement weather, students are not required to attend classes (held on campus), however, they are still required to attend scheduled clinical experiences or classes that are held at the hospital. If you do not feel that you can travel safely, please call in as usual and the day will be deducted from your time bank.
Attendance and participation is required at:
Special permission for an excused absence from any of the above must be requested prior to the required commitment from the director or designee. Absence from any of the above conferences or meetings will result in a day being subtracted from your vacation bank.
Conference time may be granted to students to attend the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) annual meeting, or Certification Exam review courses. Students are discouraged from taking time off the week of the annual meeting if they are not attending the meeting. Time off shall not exceed the duration of the meeting. To extend time off either before or after the scheduled meeting, you must use days from your vacation bank. Additional requests for conference time must be approved by Program administration.
Students will receive three (3) days maternity or paternity leave. If additional days are required, the student may request to use personal leave time, or request a leave of absence. Due to the rigorous nature of graduate education in nurse anesthesia, students may wish to consider postponing child bearing until after graduation.
In the case of an illness that depletes the student's personal time bank, requires more than a two-week absence, or for other reasons, a personal leave of absence may be granted at the discretion of the program director. A leave of absence is designed to cover a short and unexpected illness or emergency. Due to the cumulative nature of the curriculum, in the case of longer illnesses or elective procedures it may be necessary for the student to resign and reapply to the program. Criteria for returning to the program after a leave of absence will be determined by the program director and the student's treating physician. However, the leave of absence shall extend no longer than a single calendar year. A student will normally be readmitted to the Program at the end of his/her leave of absence if the faculty believes the purpose of the leave of absence has been achieved. The student may be required to do preparatory work before reentry after a prolonged leave, or demonstrate current knowledge through examination or through other means upon re-entry. A leave of absence will require additional class and clinical days to meet graduation requirements. Therefore, the student does not graduate on time or participate in the Program graduation ceremony. The student must deplete their vacation bank prior to beginning a leave of absence. All missed time will be made up at the end of the program.
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