Student Professional Nursing Competence and Good Moral Character (GMC)

The purpose of this policy is to explain the nursing department’s position regarding nursing competency and good moral character standards for all nursing courses. This policy is based on the assumption that nursing students will be eligible for licensure after graduation, as well as practicing as professional nurses. The professional licensure associated with nursing brings an ethical responsibility to faculty to attend to the competency and good moral character of students. It is the policy of the nursing department to adhere to all policies at the college including the requirements of the American with Disability Act as amended in 2008. Students are not required to disclose their disability to the nursing department. Qualified students with disabilities who believe they need an accommodation to meet the nursing competency and/ or good moral character must register with the appropriate college office.  NJC’s transition specialist, Rochelle Lenox, is located in Knowles Hall room 120 and can be reached at (970) 521-6727. 

The following standards have been determined by the nursing department to be essential to all clinical courses. All nursing students must meet the Professional Nursing Competency and GMC standards set forth in this policy with or without responsible accommodation(s) as defined by The Americans with Disability Act. In addition, all nursing students must adhere to NJC’s Student Code of Conduct. 

1. Communication and Observation Skills

The nursing student needs to be able to:

• Speak clearly and effectively in English
• Hear and observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and to perceive nonverbal communications
• Communicate in writing or computer entry, as well as orally using standard, professional nursing and medical terminology
• Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients’ family members and other members of the healthcare team, as well as faculty and peers in a 1-1 or group situation
• Elicit, convey or exchange information at a level that allows for the implementation and evaluation of the nursing process
• Communicate in ways that are safe and not unduly alarming to patients, family members, and other members of the health care team
• Relay appropriate information to patients: teach, explain, direct and counsel a wide variety of individuals, as well as provide clear, direct communication in English during highly stressful, crisis situations

2. Cognitive Abilities

The following examples include but are not limited to, nursing students demonstrating these related cognitive skills:

• Sufficient skills to read and understand written documents in English.  Sufficient skills in problem solving including measurements, calculations, reasoning, memory as well as analysis and synthesis of subjective and objective data
• Sufficient skills to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structure
• Critical thinking ability sufficient for academic and clinical judgments demanded of professional nurses which require the intellectual abilities to critically appraise, to synthesize knowledge, integrate and prioritize patient care in a prompt, timely fashion
• Incorporate data from multiple patient sources (physical assessment, vital signs, lab values, interdisciplinary documentation) in a prompt manner in order to provide appropriate safe patient care

3. Gross Motor Skills, Strength, Mobility, and Physical Endurance

The following are examples of care the student must be able to perform safely:

• Lifting 
• Turning and positioning patients as needed to prevent complications due to bed rest or minimal movement
• Transferring patients in and out of bed
• Transporting and exercising patients
• Pulling and pushing patients and/or equipment
• Administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• The student is expected to have the psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with procedures treatments, administration of medications, and emergency interventions. On a regular day whether in the classroom or clinical the student may be expected to sit, walk and stand. Examples include but are not limited to, the ability to:
• Stand and/or sit for long periods at a time
• Stand and maintain balance while transferring a patient, reach below the waist and overhead while providing patient care procedures
• Walk without a cane, walker, casts, or crutches as well as, arms free of casts or other assistive/restrictive devises in order to ambulate patients and provide bedside or general nursing care

4. Behavioral and Social Attributes/Abilities

The following are examples, which are not limited to, the behavioral and social attributes and abilities that nursing students need to demonstrate:

• Ability to relate to patients, family members, as well as work cooperatively with other members of the healthcare team and colleagues with honesty and integrity, and with non-discrimination in relation to the patient’s race, ethic group, age, gender, religion, political preference, ability to pay, gender or sexual orientation
• Ability for the development of a mature, sensitive and effective therapeutic relationship with clients
• Ability to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients
• Ethical behaviors reflecting adherence to the nursing code of ethics, and student academic integrity policy
• Sufficient emotional and mental stability to:
• Tolerate physically taxing work
• Handle emotions that might affect practice performance
• Function effectively when stressed
• A level of consciousness and attentiveness that guarantees patient safety
• Ability to participate in the professional care of a patient, before and after a procedure that he/she may be in disagreement with
• Ability to care for patient with communicable diseases using appropriate standard precautions and/or guidelines
• Ability to accept and integrate constructive criticism given in the classroom and clinical settings
• Ability to examine and change his/her behavior when it interferes with productive individual or team relationships and/or the care of patients
• Ability to work in close quarters with patients, healthcare team members and nursing faculty

5. Sensory Skills

Examples of the necessary sensory skills include, but not limited to:

• Normal tactile feeling and use of touch to feel sensitivity to heat, cold, pain, pressure, etc.
• Use of auditory sense to detect sounds related to bodily functions with a stethoscope; to hear and interpret many people and correctly interpret what is heard
• Auditory sense to communicate clearly in telephone conversation and respond effectively with patients and with other members of the healthcare team
• Acute visual skills necessary to detect signs and symptoms, body language of patients, color of wounds and drainage, and possible infections anywhere; interpret written words accurately, read characters and identify colors on the computer screen
• Observation skills to observe lectures and demonstrations, observation is necessary to perform competent health assessments and interventions and necessitates functional; use of vision, hearing, tactile and somatic senses.

6. Good Moral Character (GMC)

GMC is defined for practical purposes as the ability to practice nursing in a safe and competent manner and with minimal risk to the public health, safety and welfare.        Examples of such good moral conduct are as follows:

• Honesty
• Trustworthiness
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Reliability
• Distinguishing between right and wrong
• Avoidance of aggression to self and others
• Taking responsibility for one’s own actions            

Examples of absences of such good conduct are as follows:

• Hostile or destructive conduct to another or to self
• Conduct that demonstrates disregard for the welfare, safety or rights of another
• Conduct that demonstrates disregard for honesty, integrity or trustworthiness
• Inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional behavior
• Inability to control personal stress, interpersonal difficulties, significant Psychological dysfunction, and/or excessive emotional reactions that interfere with professional function

This policy was developed by using the following resource:

Sousa, S., Griffin, R., & Krainovich-Miller, B. (2012) Professional nursing competence and  good moral character: A policy exemplar. Journal of Nursing Law, 15, 51-59