Title: 02.04.006-Clinical Documentation

Policy Number: 02.04.006

Policy Title: Clinical Documentation

Status: Active

Policy:

In order to obtain credit for clinical/field experiences, the student must fully document the experience in the Fisdap system. Experiences must be documented within 48 hours of the end of the clinical/field experience shift in order to be accepted. Some experiences require that documents be signed by a preceptor such as a nurse in the clinical setting or an EMT in the field setting. Any falsified record of documentation by the student is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program with a failing grade.

If a student fails to obtain the required end-of-shift signoff, faculty will conduct an initial review, focusing on reporting and timeliness, compliance and performance, preceptor interaction, and previous clinical/field experience history. If the review produces reason to believe the failure to obtain proper preceptor sign off was an anomaly or justifiable due to unusual circumstances, then the faculty will review the clinical shift(s) to determine whether the student may count the shift(s) and/or patients.

If the affected shift(s) is found to be justifiable and constitutes less than 20% of the student's hours and/or involves less than 10% of the recorded patients, then the student is eligible to count the shift. However, if the student fails to obtain both the mandatory end-of-shift evaluations and the end-of-shift signoff, then the patients treated during that shift may not count toward the student’s SMC requirements.

If students fail to achieve the minimum skills exposure during their clinical/field experiences, their instructor, the course coordinator, or the medical director may approve for them to make up the hours in an attempt to achieve the minimum requirements. Additional hours may also be required if a student is unsuccessful at certain skills.

During times when scheduling at a hospital or ER facility is difficult due extenuating circumstances, the medical director may approve for the substitution of ER hours with EMS hours.