Attendance Policies

Lecture Attendance Policy

Hondros College of Nursing believes active participation in on ground and online courses are essential for the development of the healthcare professional. Students receiving funds from any state or federal agency may be subject to the additional attendance requirements of that specific agency.

Attendance is expected in all courses. A record will be maintained for each student’s attendance and tardiness patterns in on ground and online lectures. All absences put the student’s ability to be successful at risk. A student will be withdrawn from their program when any of the following criteria are met: 

• A student fails to post any attendance during week 1; or 
• A student who has unexcused absences from all classes (including lab and clinicals) for fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days, including holidays.
• A student fails to post attendance in at least one component (lecture, lab or clinical) for each registered class within the first three weeks of the term.

Lecture meetings for an individual course count as a separate “meeting” for that week. Courses traditionally offered online are considered as “meeting” once per week. Students absent from scheduled lectures for an individual course(s) between weeks 1 through 9 of the term, as outlined in the following schedule, will be administratively withdrawn from that course(s) by the College with a grade of “W” and will need to follow the Repeat Policy, in this catalog. 

• Students are not required to turn in documentation for a missed lecture.
  • If a student exceeds the maximum absences, they can submit documentation supporting an extenuating circumstance for their last of the lecture absences. 
  • Documentation must be submitted within 24 hours of the students return to any scheduled class.
    • Documentation will be reviewed by academic leadership. If approved, the next absence - excused or unexcused - may result being withdrawn from the course.
• Students enrolled in an online course will post attendance through the submission of weekly course work in an asynchronous or synchronous format.
• Make-up opportunities for lectures will not be offered.
  • Students should refer to their syllabi regarding assignment completion and acceptance.
• This policy relates to students missing an entire scheduled class period.
  • Students who are late to or leave early from lecture(s) will be subject to the Disruptive and Unethical Code of Conduct policy.
  • Students who are absent for a scheduled exam and are approved for an exam makeup (per the missed exam policy) are subject to the above attendance policy.
  • Failure to sign in will be counted as an absence.
• For courses taking attendance via the attendance application, students must sign in and sign out to be counted as Present. Students who do not sign in, or who sign in and fail to sign out, will be marked Absent.
• Any student attendance recorded as Other or Holiday are not applicable.

Clinical/Lab Attendance 

Clinical Attendance

• Students are expected to attend 100% of all scheduled clinical time. Students are required to make-up all missed clinical time resulting from an absence, tardy or leaving early. 
  • This also applies to NUR 166 lab, NUR 167 lab, NUR 221 lab, and NUR 232 lab as they are considered clinicals.
• Due to the hands-on nature of the nursing clinical, experiences may be difficult or impossible to replicate. The College is under no obligation to provide make-up opportunities.
• Absences will be reviewed by academic leadership on a case-by-case basis per the Guidelines for Lab and Clinical Attendance.
• Students missing 15 minutes or more of any scheduled clinical will be considered absent.
• Students arriving 15 minutes or more after the start of clinical will not be permitted to stay, will be considered absent and will be required to request a makeup.
• Students leaving the clinical for any reason will do so with permission from the instructor. Repetitive leaving and extended absences from a clinical in progress is considered disruptive conduct per the Student Code of Conduct.
• A no call/ no show is defined as a student who does not contact the clinical instructor prior to the missed offsite clinical experience. A no call/ no show will result in a critical incident and may not be eligible for a clinical make-up.

Lab Attendance:

• Students are expected to attend 100% of all scheduled lab time.
  • NUR 166 lab, NUR 167 lab, NUR 221 lab, and NUR 232 lab are considered clinicals, refer to Clinical Attendance section.
• Due to the hands-on nature of the lab(s), experiences may be difficult or impossible to replicate. The College is under no obligation to provide make-up opportunities.
• Absences will be reviewed by academic leadership on a case-by-case basis per the Guidelines for Lab and Clinical Attendance.
  
• Students missing 15 minutes or more of any scheduled lab will be considered absent.
  
• Student arriving 15 minutes or more after the start of lab will not be permitted to stay, will be considered absent and will be required to request a makeup.
• Students leaving the lab for any reason will do so with permission from the instructor. Repetitive leaving and extended absences from a lab in progress is considered disruptive conduct per the Student Code of Conduct.
  
  

Guidelines for Lab and Clinical Attendance

Students must submit a makeup request form with extenuating circumstances documentation within 24 hours upon return to the College. Make up request forms without extenuating circumstances documentation will not be accepted. The student should submit no more than one lab and/or clinical make up request per course, per term.

Missed lab/clinical time due to tardies/leaving early will be made up at the faculty's discretion in alignment with the course make up requirements.

NCLEX Review/Online Attendance 

NCLEX® Review Attendance  

Students in their final term of the PN program will complete a two-day NCLEX® review, and students in their final term of the ADN program will complete a three-day NCLEX® review provided by the College. This event is designed to review test-taking strategies and curriculum content in order to increase student success on both the comprehensive and predictor examinations, and the NCLEX-PN® and NCLEX-RN® examinations. Due to the beneficial nature of this review, attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken daily. Any absences must be approved by the Campus Dean/ Director of Nursing or designee. If approved, the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing or designee will provide a make-up plan. Completion of the NCLEX® review or the approved make-up must be completed prior to the administration of the final term HESI assessment.

Online Attendance - for Traditional Online Courses Only

Students are required to “attend” an online course through submission of weekly course work in an asynchronous or synchronous format.

Students who were unable to complete online coursework due to a valid, verifiable excuse (per the Extenuating Circumstances), but who are still considered as present in the course during the timeframe in which the missed coursework was due, may make up the missed coursework if they provide proof of the excuse to the Campus Dean/ Director of Nursing, the Dean of the Medical Assisting program, or designee within five (5) days of the due date of the missed coursework.

Excused absences only allow students to make up missed online coursework with a due date during the time period covered by the excuse, not the entire week for which the student received attendance.

Bereavement Policy

Bereavement may be applicable in the event of the death of an immediate or extended family member (spouse/domestic partner, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, parents/guardians). Bereavement leave should not exceed 3 days total. 

Documentation is required (e.g. newspaper notice, funeral notice, obituary, or church handout). Students without verifiable documentation will not be approved.

Students must communicate with their faculty. Students must also communicate with the Dean or Program Coordinator about the need for time off.

• Nursing and Medical Assisting programs have additional attendance and make-up requirements that must be met. A make-up opportunity or alternative learning experience is not always possible to meet the learning objectives of the course.
  
• The student should submit no more than one lab and/or clinical make-up request per course, per quarter.
•  Students must submit a makeup request as early as possible, but no later than 24 hours upon return to classes.

Extenuating Circumstances

During your studies, you may experience circumstances outside your control that may impact your ability to fulfill the requirements of your courses or program. These guidelines are in place to ensure equity for all students.

Extenuating Circumstances are generally defined as a combination of the following:

• Situations that are different from your usual day-to-day life. • They are unforeseen and outside of your control: You could not have prevented them. • They are likely to substantially impact your ability to comply with the policies of the College.

The following are considered extenuating circumstances with appropriate documentation:

• Military service
• Jury duty
• Formal written accommodations obtained through the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing or Program Coordinator as permitted under the Accommodations Policy.

If the extenuating circumstances reported fall under a Title IX offense and/or pregnancy-related conditions, this should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at [email protected] for support and consideration. Title IX Offenses include incidents of sexual misconduct such as sex-based harassment, sexual violence, dating and domestic violence.

The following situations may be considered extenuating circumstances with appropriate documentation; this list is not all-inclusive:

• Serious ill health or caregiving of self or an immediate family member
• Personal accident or injury of a significant nature
• Bereavement due to the recent loss of a close family member
• Victim of a crime
• Short-term incarceration
• Court Appearance when mandated as third-party or witness
• Unforeseen transportation or traffic emergencies
• Unforeseen conflicts with childcare
• Unexpected medical complications
• Natural disasters or other emergencies declared by a state or federal agency

Standards of acceptable evidence include the following:

• A Health Provider’s letter or certificate that confirms your illness and clearly identifies the time of the illness
• Hospital admission and discharge letter, to confirm your time spent in the hospital
• Death Certificate / Order of Service / Funeral Director’s Letter
• Police Report
• Military Orders
• Jury Duty Summons - stamped jury duty form from the court
• Emergency Declaration
• Intake and Release Paperwork
• Accommodations Plan on file

The following situations are generally not considered extenuating circumstances; this list is not all-inclusive:

• Poor Time Management: Failure to manage time effectively or procrastination
• Work Commitments: Not planning appropriately for work commitments or volunteer work
• Holidays or Travel Plans: Lack of prioritization for academic expectations related to vacations or trips
• Lack of Preparation: Not completing work related to exams or assignments, misreading of schedule or tardiness 
• Transportation Issues: Not planning for routine/expected traffic delays
• Non-Urgent Appointments: Routine appointments that can be scheduled at alternative times

Minor Illnesses that do not significantly impact academic performance

Virtual Lecture Policy

Students are responsible to ensure they attend all virtual classes just as you are required to attend in-person lectures.   Students must be registered for the class and attend the class as scheduled.  Student Code of Conduct, behavior expectations, Dress Code Policies, and Attendance Policies do not change with remote teaching and learning; therefore, students must adhere to the written college policies as identified in the student catalog.

• Students are prohibited from recording virtual lectures and providing virtual links with others.
• All students attending virtual classes are to be stationary and clearly observed.  The student is to remain visible on camera in order to create a collaborative learning environment.
• Students must log in with their full name as listed in CAMS.  Failure to use their full name may result in the student may risk being recorded as absent if the college is unable to verify attendance. 
• Students are expected to follow some basic etiquette rules when attending virtual lectures including but not limited to; minimizing background noise, muting of the student’s microphone when not speaking.
• Students are encouraged to ask questions and make comments using either the chat feature or microphone but always demonstrating respect to their instructor and classmates by using appropriate language and tone. 
• To ensure a positive and productive virtual learning experience students should plan an area free of interruptions, avoid multitasking, and avoid participating in other activities that may distract the student or others from the lecture.  Students are expected to engage in virtual classroom instruction and/or classroom activities as directed.

Fitness for Duty Policy

Students assigned to lab or clinical experiences shall be deemed “fit for duty” by the student’s health care provider. If the clinical agency wants to verify the health records of any student assigned to the named agency, those records will be provided upon request.

Students prohibited by a health care provider to participate in lab, or clinical due to an illness, accident, or injury must notify the faculty member. A note from the student’s health care provider must be submitted to, as applicable, the Dean of the Medical Assisting program, the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing, or designee to verify student’s fitness for duty upon return to classes (lab or clinical). Students may not be permitted to attend lab or clinical without this verification.