Nursing Student Guide and Policies

All prelicensure nursing students must submit a Declaratory Order (DO) if they have any history of criminal activity, alcohol/substance abuse, or mental illness. Go to the Texas Board of
Nursing (BON) website and read the guidelines to determine if a DO form must be submitted.

It is the student’s responsibility to read and respond, if needed, to the Order. Failure to file the Order with the BON in a timely manner could prevent the student from being admitted to the nursing program and/or eligible to take the NCLEX-RN. All information provided to the BON is confidential.

The website for the Texas Board of Nursing is here. All forms required to
apply for licensure are obtained from this website. If unsure whether an Order should be filed, contact the BSN Program Director.

The website for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides information about the NCLEX-RN. 

(Revised 11/3/2023)

Students must have all holds and appeals resolved before the first day of class each semester. Not being able to attend the first day of class and/or the first week of class, which may include clinical hours, puts the student at an increased risk of being unsuccessful. Students can return
the following semester the course is offered as long as they can attend the first-class day/week. 

(Reviewed 6/12/2022)

The purpose of this policy is to provide a means of ensuring that students are competent in medication dosage calculation and administration as outlined by the 6 rights of medication administration (Right patient, right medication, right dose, right time, right route, and right documentation). Learning and evaluating emphases will be two major areas. One will be on the development of competent medication administration skills that include abilities in basic mathematics and conversion measurement systems for the accurate calculation of medication dosages. The second will be the emphasis on students’ competencies in critical thinking, assuming responsibility, being accountable for their actions, and understanding the serious consequences of medication errors to patient safety.

Definition: A medication error is a dosage of medication that differs from that ordered by physicians or other providers holding prescriptive authority or from that of facility policy and procedures. Categories of medication errors are wrong patient, omission of medication,
unauthorized drug, wrong dose, wrong route, wrong rate, incorrect administration
techniques, wrong time, wrong preparation of a dose, improper transcription, improper documentation, disregard for allergy history, and failure to recognize and heed specific nursing implications for drugs.

Medication Administration Exam

1. All clinical courses will require a proctored medication administration exam consisting of ten (10 dosage calculation problems using either an on-screen calculator or a school-provided calculator (no personal calculators or cell phones allowed) and a demonstration of safe medication administration to be administered prior to attending actual clinical experiences. The length of the exam will be 60 minutes. Clinical courses administering medication exams and demonstrating of safe medication administration include NURS 3605, NURS 3615, NURS 3617, NURS 4628, NURS 4626, NURS 4338, and NURS 4634.

2. Dimensional analysis is the only teaching method for Medication Dosage
Calculation with consistent exam formats across all clinical courses.

3. The student (including those testing in the testing center) will be provided a copy of the template attached at the end of this policy to show their work. This will be turned in at the end of the exam.

4. Students must achieve a grade of 100% to demonstrate clinical competency.
Mandatory remediation with faculty will take place after each failed attempt to
include a practice test to confirm student understanding. The student must
demonstrate they understand their calculation errors prior to attempting an
additional exam. An alternate exam should be provided for each retake attempt and the third attempt may be given on paper format.

5. If the student does not achieve a grade of 100% after three attempts, she/he will be placed on the BSN Medication Administration Success Plan (attached to this policy) with a plan for remediation, re-testing, and a specified deadline for passing the medication administration exam.

6. If the student is unable to achieve a grade of 100% on the medication administration exam by the deadline specified on the BSN Medication Administration Success Plan, she/he will receive a clinical failure for the course.

Approved: BSN Faculty Meeting 4/6/2023
Effective: Summer 2023 Semester

1. All exams are administered via web-based software. Students with testing accommodations are
responsible for obtaining the appropriate documentation from the UT Tyler Office of Student
Accessibility and Resources (SAR)

2. Exams start on time. Late arrivals will be denied admission unless prior approval is obtained. At
faculty discretion, campuses will offer a whiteboard, marker, & eraser or a blank sheet of paper
after the exam begins. Information on the paper or board will not be shared with other students.
Whiteboards must be erased before turning in and paper must include the student’s name and be
turned in at the end of the exam.

3. Students will sit in locations as determined by the instructor. Students may be placed in an assigned seat.

4. All personal items including class notes are to be placed at the front of the testing room unless
otherwise directed by the proctor. No cell phones or other electronic devices (including textcapable electronic watches) are allowed preceding or during an exam. All electronic devices will be turned off in the testing environment. All hats/caps will be removed before testing.

5. Students are expected to refrain from talking, gesturing, or communicating in any manner with
other students before, during, and immediately following the exam. The testing environment
should be quiet.

6. Faculty will not explain the content in questions during the exam. If a student has a concern about a question regarding spelling or clarity, the student should send the course faculty an email detailing the concern after the exam.

7. For dosage calculations, if rounding is applicable, instructions will be given specific to each question. For clinical courses, the number of medication calculation items on each exam should be a minimum of two or more but not to exceed five.

8. Students may not leave the room during testing without permission. Students should take care of their biological needs prior to entering the testing center.

9. Divulging the contents of an examination, for the purpose of preserving questions for use by
another is considered cheating and academic dishonesty and is subject to disciplinary action. See
https://www.uttyler.edu/sci/student-conduct/policies/ 

10. Students are expected to cooperate in maintaining the integrity of examinations as noted in the UT Tyler Honor Code: I will embrace honor and integrity. Therefore, I choose not to lie, cheat, or steal, nor to accept the actions of those who do.

11. Makeup exam dates will be predetermined by faculty and set for each campus at the beginning of the semester. Make-up exams will be administered at the discretion of the faculty and may be in
an alternate format.

12. A no-call, no-show to an exam will result in a grade of zero without makeup. Students must notify faculty of absence prior to the examination or as soon as possible based on an extenuating circumstance. Documentation of a missed exam may be required from the student, for example, a physician’s statement.

13. Students who score under 75 percent on an exam are highly encouraged to make an appointment with the course instructor within 2 weeks from grade posting to create a plan to increase success on future exams. Students should bring their text and notes to the review.

14. No test reviews are allowed for the final exam.

(Approved: 6/5/2023, Reviewed 11/3/2023)

Health Care Providers (HCP), including students who develop fever and respiratory symptoms,
should be:
1. Instructed not to report to work, or if at work, to stop patient-care activities, don a facemask, and promptly notify their supervisor and infection control 
personnel/occupational health before leaving work.
2. Reminded that adherence to respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette after returning to work is always important. If symptoms such as cough and sneezing are still present, HCPs should wear a facemask during patient-care activities. The importance of performing frequent hand hygiene (especially before and after each patient contact and contact with respiratory secretions) should be reinforced.
3. Excluded from work until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (without using fever-reducing medicines such as acetaminophen). Those with ongoing respiratory symptoms should be considered for evaluation by occupational health to determine the appropriateness of contact with patients.
4. Considered for temporary reassignment or exclusion from work for seven days from symptom onset or until the resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer, if returning to care for patients in a Protective Environment (PE) such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients (HSCT).

(Revised 11/3/2023)

Background
1. Assessment Technologies Institute® website (ATI) offers resources to enhance student academic and NCLEX success.

2. The comprehensive program offers multiple assessment and remediation activities. These include assessment indicators for academic success, critical thinking, and learning styles. Online tutorials, practice testing, and proctored testing over the major content areas in nursing are available. These ATI tools, along with the School of Nursing (SON) curriculum, assist students to prepare more efficiently and increase confidence and familiarity with nursing content.

3. Data from student testing and remediation can be used for the SON’s quality improvement and outcome evaluation.

4. ATI information and orientation resources can be accessed from the ATI student homepage. It is highly recommended that students spend time navigating the valuable orientation materials found on the student homepage.

Policy
1. The SON will consistently utilize the ATI content, including tutorials, practice exams, proctored exams and evaluation processes at all nursing levels within the SON prelicensure BSN curriculum, and foster faculty support.

2. ATI proctored exams will be scheduled as an ‘in lab” proctored exam. The exam should be scheduled prior to the end of the semester to allow for review of outcomes and completion of remediation as necessary.

3. The SON will foster a culture of student accountability for using ATI exams, focused
reviews/remediation, and other learning resources (ATI online student resources, ATI Live Review).

(Revised 6/12/2022)

1. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Tyler School of Nursing (SON) RN-BSN program to require unrestricted and current RN licensure for participation in the upperdivision courses (RNBS 4631 and 4601).

2. Licensure in the state where the student resides must be obtained before any courses other than RNBS 3315 can be taken.

3. Students who have not obtained licensure after completing RNBS 3315 may not continue in the program until proof of RN licensure is submitted.

As licensed nurses, students in the RN-BSN program will be subject to the rules and regulations
as defined by their state Nurse Practice Act. In the unlikely event that an infraction occurs while
in the student role, the SON is required to report the incident to the student’s State Board of Nursing. 

(Revised 6/12/2022)

Nursing students will conduct themselves in a professional manner, not only in interaction with
patients, but also with peers, faculty and staff of The University of Texas at Tyler, and the community in general. In addition to conventional academic tests and measurement criteria for assessment, nursing students will be evaluated on issues relating to their professional conduct/judgment according to the standards of the SON program and the nursing profession. No show/no call for proctored exams, simulation labs, and or clinical placements may result indisciplinary actions.

To pass a clinical course, the student must pass both the theory and the clinical component of that course. Unsafe and unsatisfactory clinical performance is defined in each course syllabus. A student may be dismissed from the program if clinical performance is deemed incompetent and/or is a threat to patient safety and well-being. Each course in the nursing program has a required syllabus that contains pertinent information for that course. All clinical documents shall be submitted as outlined by the clinical course requirements. Failure to submit the required documents may result in a clinical failure.

Students participating in an extern program in which clinical credit is awarded must receive approval from their instructor prior to attending a clinical placement before hours can be counted as clinical credit. If approval is not received, then hours may not count. If a nurse extern is disciplined for unsafe or unprofessional behavior by the clinical facility, a corresponding clinical failure may result.

(Reviewed 11/3/2023)

4.9 Progression and Retention Policy

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at UT Tyler School of Nursing (SON) consists of three different tracks.

• BSN Track
• ADN/BSN Concurrent Track
• RN-BSN Track

Progression, retention, and dismissal standards vary by track. Students are responsible for adhering to the requirements specific to their declared track. Unless otherwise specified, Sections 4.9.1–4.9.5 apply to students enrolled in the BSN Track and the BSN portion of the ADN/BSN Concurrent Track. RN‑BSN students are governed by track‑specific provisions outlined in Section 4.9.1(C). 

Grading Requirements for All Undergraduate Nursing Tracks

The UT Tyler School of Nursing has established the following grading requirements for progression and retention across all nursing tracks. 

1. Letter Grade Scale

Final grades for nursing (NURS/RNBS) courses are assigned according to the following scale:

A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 75-79
D: 60-74
F: Below 60

Final course grades below 75.0% are not rounded up. 

2. Minimum Passing Standard for Undergraduate Nursing Courses

A minimum grade of 75.0% is required to pass all nursing courses (NURS or RNBS). 

To be eligible to pass a nursing course, students must first achieve a simple exam average of at least 75.0%, which serves as a threshold requirement and must be met prior to calculation of the final course grade. Students who do not meet the minimum simple exam average will not pass the course, regardless of performance on non‑exam coursework. 

Once the minimum simple exam average is achieved, the final course grade is calculated using the approved weighting of examinations and other required coursework. To successfully complete the course, students must earn a final calculated course grade of 75.0% or higher.

3. Courses with Didactic/Theory and Clinical Components 

For nursing courses that include both didactic/theory and clinical components, students must successfully pass both components to pass the course. 

Failure of either component constitutes course failure. In such cases, the student must repeat the entire course, including both didactic/theory and clinical components. 

4. Clinical Course Progression by Level (BSN Track Only)

All required clinical courses within a level (Levels 1–4) of the BSN Track must be successfully completed before progression to the next level. Students may not advance with incomplete or failed clinical coursework from a prior level. 

5. Enrollment Status (BSN Track Only)

Once accepted for campus placement, students are expected to maintain continuous full‑time enrollment. Exceptions may be considered on an individual basis due to documented extenuating circumstances and require SON approval. 

4.9.1 Withdrawing/Failing Required Nursing (NURS) Courses 
A. BSN Track

The BSN Track includes all students declared as nursing majors, including pre‑clinical students completing required NURS prerequisite courses and students accepted into campus placement. 
For purposes of this policy, denial of continuance applies to pre‑clinical students who are not yet accepted into campus placement and are therefore ineligible to proceed in the BSN Track as nursing majors. Dismissal applies to students who have been accepted to campus placement and officially admitted to the BSN program.  

For nursing courses in any undergraduate program that includes both didactic/theory and clinical components, students must successfully pass all course components to pass the class. Failure of any of the required course components constitutes course failure and all parts of the course will need to be retaken. This does not apply to Concurrent students-see 4.9.1B.

Students may attempt each nursing (NURS) course no more than two (2) times. An unsuccessful attempt is defined as either a course failure (final grade below 75.0%) or a course withdrawal. 

Students who repeat a nursing (NURS) course must successfully pass the course on the second attempt. A second unsuccessful attempt of the same NURS course, whether by failure or withdrawal, will result in denial of continuance or dismissal from the BSN program.  

Students are permitted a maximum of one (1) nursing (NURS) course failure total and one (1) nursing (NURS) course withdrawal total across the BSN curriculum. A second failure, a second withdrawal, or any combination exceeding these limits will result in denial of continuance or dismissal from the BSN program. 
Students must consult with their academic advisor prior to withdrawing from any nursing (NURS) course and must comply with university withdrawal policies. Re‑enrollment to repeat a nursing course is contingent upon space availability. Transfer courses from another nursing program will not be accepted as a substitute for a failed UT Tyler nursing (NURS) course. 

Dismissals under this section are governed by Section 4.9.4 (Program Dismissals). Appeal rights are outlined in Section 4.9.5 (Student Appeals). 

B. ADN/BSN Concurrent Track

The ADN/BSN Concurrent Track includes students enrolled simultaneously in an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program and upper‑division BSN coursework through the UT Tyler SON. 

Students must successfully pass all required ADN and BSN courses each semester to remain eligible for progression in the concurrent pathway. Failure or withdrawal from any required ADN or BSN course may result in dismissal from the ADN/BSN Concurrent Track, in accordance with the policies of the respective program. 

Students dismissed from the concurrent track due to a failure in either the ADN or BSN portion are no longer eligible to continue in the concurrent pathway. These students must complete the ADN program independently, successfully pass the NCLEX‑RN examination, and may then apply to complete BSN coursework through the RN‑BSN Track. Dismissal from the concurrent track does not constitute dismissal from the ADN program. 

Progression and dismissal decisions related to the ADN portion are governed by ADN program policies. Decisions related to BSN coursework are governed by UT Tyler SON policies. The SON does not accept appeals for continuation in the concurrent track following dismissal from the BSN portion. 

C. RN-BSN Track

The RN‑BSN Track includes licensed Registered Nurses enrolled in upper‑division nursing coursework. 

Students may attempt each RN‑BSN nursing course no more than two (2) times. An unsuccessful attempt is defined as a course failure. 

Students who fail the same RN‑BSN course on the second attempt are no longer eligible to continue in the RN‑BSN Track and will receive written notification of dismissal. 

Students are permitted a maximum of two (2) RN‑BSN course failures total across the RN‑BSN curriculum. Exceeding this limit will result in dismissal. Students are allowed two (2) withdrawals maximum in the RN-BSN track.   

4.9.2 Withdrawing/Failure of Required Pre‑Clinical Science Courses 

This section applies only to required pre‑clinical science courses (e.g., Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology) and does not apply to nursing (NURS) courses, which are governed by Section 4.9.1. This section applies to pre‑clinical BSN students only and does not apply to RN‑BSN students. 

Students are permitted two (2) attempts per required pre‑clinical science course. An unsuccessful attempt includes a failure or withdrawal. Students unsuccessful on the second attempt are not eligible to apply for campus placement. 

Failures or withdrawals of pre‑clinical science courses do not count toward the nursing failure or withdrawal limits outlined in Section 4.9.1. 

4.9.3 Medical Withdrawals 

Medical withdrawals are reviewed and granted by a university committee. Approved medical withdrawals do not count as course failures or withdrawals for purposes of Sections 4.9.1 or 4.9.2. 

Medical withdrawals do not supersede unsafe clinical practice. When unsafe practice is involved, progression and dismissal are governed by Section 4.9.4. 

4.9.4 Program Dismissals 

Program dismissal applies to the student’s current declared track at the time of dismissal and does not confer automatic eligibility for admission into another nursing track. 

Dismissal may occur due to academic failure, clinical failure (including patient safety, professionalism, or integrity violations), or through the withdrawing/failing routes outlined in Sections 4.9.1–4.9.3. The basis for dismissal will be documented, and students will receive written notification. 

The SON does not accept appeals for continuation following dismissal. Students may pursue appeals through the university‑level academic appeal process. 

4.9.5 Student Appeals 

The UT Tyler School of Nursing does not accept appeals for continuation following dismissal. Appeal procedures are governed by university policy and are independent of SON continuation decisions. 

Students may pursue university‑level appeals or grievances per the procedures outlined at: 

• UT Tyler Academic Grievance Policy
• UT Tyler Academic Appeals Procedure
• UT Tyler Medical Withdrawal and Course Load Reduction Procedures

For course grade appeals within the BSN program, refer to Section 9.4 (Course Grade Appeal). Grade appeals must be submitted within ten (10) calendar days of final grade posting.

(Revised 4/19/2026)

To be considered for readmission, a student must be in good standing and not have sat out for more than three consecutive semesters after the last nursing course was successfully completed.

Students eligible to re-enroll in the nursing program must:

1. Contact the University Admissions office to activate the re-enrollment process at the university.
2. Submit a written petition to the BSN Program Director seeking permission to be readmitted.
3. Follow a required plan of action based on the level of courses completed.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in required competencies to enroll in point of entry course.

*Admission to clinical courses is contingent on space availability and is not guaranteed.

(Revised 6/12/2022)

Students are required to complete the baccalaureate course of study in the School of Nursing
(SON) in a maximum of six regular semesters. Failure to do so will require a petition to the BSN
Program Director for continuation.

(Revised 6/21/2022, Reviewed 11/3/2023)

Undergraduate students may request a one-way transfer from the Tyler campus to either the Longview or Palestine campus if space allows. Transfers between the Longview and Palestine campuses will be considered.

Extenuating circumstances: Requests to transfer from the Longview or Palestine campus to the Tyler campus will be considered if space is available.

(Revised 6/12/2022, Reviewed 11/3/2023)

Students are expected to discuss scheduling conflicts or developing problems with their instructors. The faculty will assist students in problem-solving related to their educational endeavors; however, students must remember that the quality of education is of utmost importance. Students will not be dismissed early or allowed to miss clinical experiences due to personal work schedules.

(Revised 6/12/2022, Reviewed 11/3/2023)

NCLEX-RN, which stands for National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, refers to the standardized test registered nursing candidates must pass in order to become a registered nurse (RN).

During the final semester of study, undergraduate students are informed of each step in the NCLEX-RN® application process. The process must be completed by specified dates. The student must follow the directions in a timely manner. Failure to follow all directions and respond appropriately could prevent the graduate from meeting the requirements to take the NCLEX- RN®. The student must contact the Board of Nursing to correct any errors made in the application (e.g., date of graduation or school code).

(Revised 6/12/2022)