POLICY ON ADMISSION TO THE NURSING MAJOR
ESSENTIAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Background: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was instituted by Congress to prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Schools of nursing and state university systems, like other state and federally funded entities, are required to comply with the stipulations of the ADA. The ADA defines a qualified individual with a disability as an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires. In addition, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination in admissions of a qualified person with disabilities.

ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 eligibility requirements vary depending on the type of services, activities, and functions needed in particular areas. Because the practice of nursing is an applied discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective, and motor components, students must be able to perform the functions which are necessary for the safe practice of nursing and essential to the licensing requirements for nursing. Students must be capable of meeting the following eight core performance standards with or without reasonable accommodations in order to be admitted to the nursing program at Humboldt State University:

Core Performance Standards

  1. Ability to think critically, such that the student can begin to make clinical decisions, identify cause-and-effect relationships with clinical data, and develop nursing care plans.
  2. Ability to demonstrate interpersonal abilities such that the student can appropriately interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
  3. Ability to clearly communicate in verbal and written forms such that students can communicate nursing actions, interpret client responses, initiate health teaching, document and understand nursing activities, and interact with clients, staff and faculty supervisors.
  4. Ability to maneuver in small spaces and move from one place to another such that the student can move around in clients' rooms and bathrooms, into and out of work spaces, access treatment areas, and procure needed emergency materials when indicated. While health care agencies must meet ADA physical access standards, potential clients and equipment may limit the amount of available space in which to move.
  5. Ability to demonstrate gross and fine motor skills sufficient to provide safe and effective nursing care such that the student can move and position clients in and out of bed, calibrate and use equipment, and perform cardiopulmonary procedures.
  6. Ability to hear well enough to monitor and assess clients' health needs such that the student can hear cries for help, alarms on equipment, emergency signals, breath and heart sounds on auscultation, and various overhead codes.
  7. Ability to see well enough to observe and assess clients' health status and changes in condition such that student can see grimacing, movement, changes in skin color, rashes, and other observed client changes or responses.
  8. Ability to have tactile capabilities sufficient for physical assessment such that the student can successfully perform palpation, note changes in skin temperature, perform skills related to therapeutic activities and identify by touch other changes in client condition.