Core Performance Standards

Berkeley College’s MSN program prepares students for advanced registered nurse practice in any clinical setting in accordance with the scope of nursing practice. Safe and competent nursing practice requires that graduates demonstrate competencies in knowledge, skills, and attitude guided by adherence to ethical and legal principles.

Nurse practitioners perform a wide range of healthcare services, and are responsible for evaluating patients, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, diagnosing, and initiating and managing treatment plans that may include prescribing medications.

The School of Health Studies is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in its academic programs to qualified individuals with disabilities, including but not limited to learning disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is one that does not require a fundamental alteration to the nature of the program or lower academic and/or clinical standards.

Throughout the program, students must be able to perform in a reasonably independent and timely manner that does not affect the quality of care, the safety of patients or other individuals, and in a way that does not adversely affect the School of Health Studies, clinical affiliates, or any member of the healthcare team.

Students must be able to meet all of the performance standards outlined below, with or without reasonable accommodation, in order to be admitted and progress in the program. Individuals requiring accommodations while enrolled in the program are encouraged to speak with a representative of the College’s Office of Accessibility Services before enrolling in clinical and/or laboratory courses. These performance standards are required skills in order to render safe nursing care to patients in various clinical settings.

Some chronic or recurrent illnesses and problems could interfere with patient care and safety and may be incompatible with nursing education and practice, since they may lead to a higher chance of absences. Nursing students are not required to disclose any chronic or recurrent illness and/or disability; however, students with concerns about meeting the core performance standards outlined below are strongly encouraged to discuss the issues with the Department Chair and/or the Office of Accessibility Services. Deficiencies in knowledge, skills, judgments, integrity, or professional attitude may jeopardize patient care and, as a result, may be grounds for course failure and possible dismissal from the nursing program.

Students must have the aptitude and abilities in six areas: sensory ability and skills; fine and gross motor skills; strength, mobility, and physical endurance; the ability to communicate, comprehend, read, and write in English; behavioral stability; and cognitive ability and critical thinking skills.

It is the student’s responsibility to understand the duties, responsibilities, skills, and abilities required to be a registered nurse. In addition to the technical standards described below, students are encouraged to review the information regarding the nursing profession at the O*NET website.

The following list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but instead it offers examples of required activities. Students are encouraged to review these standards carefully; if there are any questions or concerns, they should be discussed with the Chair of the Nursing Department and/or the Office of Accessibility Services.

Core Performance Standard	Definition of Core Performance Standard	Examples of Required Activities (not all inclusive)
Critical Thinking Ability	Critical thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment.	Identify cause/effect relationships in clinical situations Analyze and use assessment findings to plan and implement care for clients and their families Manage and respond to multiple priorities in stressful situations and make informed decisions utilizing relevant data Make rapid decisions in emergency situations Exhibit arithmetic competence that allows student to read, understand and perform calculations for prescribing medication dosage
Visual Ability	Optical ability to sufficiently observe a patient and gather data accurately from a distance as well as close up	Observe client responses (level of consciousness, respirations patterns) and recognize subtle physical changes Detect changes in color, size, and continuity of body parts Collect data from patient care equipment, monitoring devices, and measuring equipment used in the care of clients Read fine print, either on paper or on a computer screen, in varying levels of light
Auditory Ability	Auditory ability sufficient for physical monitoring and assessment of patient healthcare needs	Hear normal speaking level sounds Detect sounds related to bodily functions with the use of a stethoscope, or detect audible alarms generated by mechanical equipment used to monitor patient’s physiologic status Detect signs of fire and initiate emergency actions Hear call bells and/or cries for help
Olfactory Ability	Olfactory ability sufficient to detect significant patient and environmental odors	Detect odors of bodily fluids, such as foul smelling drainage, spoiled foods, or smoke from burning materials Detect smoke
Tactile Ability	Tactile ability sufficient for physical monitoring and assessment of healthcare needs	Detect unsafe temperature levels of solutions or heat-producing devices used in patient care Detect anatomical abnormalities like edema, swelling, or nodules and masses Feel vibrations such as palpable pulse, feel differences in size and shape needed to identify bodily landmarks or skin surface signs such as rash or skin turgor
Communication Ability	Communicate therapeutically, both written and verbally, with clients, their families, and other members of the healthcare team	Document client data and nursing care completely and accurately using correct medical terminology Interpret nonverbal cues and behaviors
Gross and Fine Motor Skills	Gross and fine motor skills sufficient to provide the full range of safe and efficient nursing care	Gather data by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic methods Calibrate and use equipment (i.e. syringes, vials, ampoules, and medication packages, manual blood pressure cuff, etc.) Grasp small objects with hands (i.e., IV tubing, pencil, etc.). Pinch/pick or otherwise work with finders (i.e., manipulate a syringe, eye dropper, etc.)
Physical Ability	Physical abilities sufficient to perform the full range of required patient care activities	Push and/or pull 250 pounds Lift and/or move heavy objects weighing between 25 and 50 pounds Stand, walk, sit, bend, lift for the duration of a work assignment (may be a six, eight, or twelve-hour shift)
Emotional/Behavioral Stability	Emotional stability and appropriate behavior sufficient to tolerate rapidly changing conditions and environmental stress while assuming responsibility and accountability for actions	Provide clients with emotional support Adapt to changing environment and stress while maintaining professional conduct and standards without displaying hostility, agitation, rudeness, or belligerence. Focus attention on task Monitor own emotions and be able to keep emotions under control
Professional Attitudes and Interpersonal Abilities	Present professional appearance and demeanor; demonstrate ability to communicate with clients and other members of the healthcare team to achieve a positive and safe work environment. Follow instructions and safety protocols	Maintain empathetic, flexible, culturally sensitive, therapeutic relationships with others Accept accountability and responsibility for one's actions Comply with both the ethical and legal standards of the nursing profession Express compassion, empathy, and a caring concern for others Demonstrate initiative, motivation, and diligence Display integrity, honesty, and responsibility Display respect, sensitivity, and tolerance for diverse populations
Emotional/ Behavioral	Emotional stability and appropriate behavior sufficient to assume responsibility and accountability for actions	Deal with the unexpected, such as frequently changing client status Handle strong emotions Be flexible with changing environments and schedules in both classes and clinical settings Be able to work in close quarters with clients, classmates, nursing faculty, and members of the healthcare teams Focus attention on task Monitor own emotions and be able to keep emotions under control in classroom and clinical environments Establish a therapeutic relationship and communicate in a supportive manner
Professional Attitudes and Interpersonal Skills	Present professional appearance and demeanor; demonstrate ability to communicate with patients, supervisors, and other members of the healthcare team to achieve a positive and safe work environment. Follow instructions and safety protocols	Maintain empathetic, flexible, culturally sensitive, therapeutic relationships with others Accept accountability and responsibility for one's actions Comply with both the ethical and legal standards of the nursing profession Express compassion, empathy, and a caring concern for others Demonstrate initiative, motivation, and diligence Display integrity, honesty, and responsibility Display respect, sensitivity, and tolerance for diverse populations Demonstrate comfort with close physical contact in the care of clients
Cognitive/Quantitative Abilities	Reading comprehension skills and mathematical ability sufficient to understand documents written in English and solve problems involving measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis	Read graphs Legibly write or type in client physical or electronic records Effectively converse with client and members of the healthcare team fine/subtle differences in medical word or medications Give and understand verbal directions
Conceptual/Spatial Abilities	Conceptual spatial ability sufficient to comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships	Comprehend spatial relationship needed to properly administer parenteral medication such as intramuscular, subcutaneous, intradermal, or assess wounds of varying depths