Program Policy Excerpts
Midland College Radiography Program
Insurance, Accidents And Health
1. Liability insurance for faculty is provided by the college.
2. Liability insurance for students is required and is the student's responsibility. This may be purchased each fall at registration.
3. Health and accident insurance for students is required and is the student's responsibility. This may be available through the college Student Activities office.
4. Admission to the program requires documentation from a physician that no physical or mental condition of the student would substantially constitute a safety or health risk to patients under conditions typically encountered in the hospital.
5. Students are required to become familiar with the policies and procedures regarding accidents at each clinical site. Any accident, no matter how minor, involving a student or a patient, must be reported to the administrative technologist at the clinical site immediately, and must be recorded in writing if requested. All accidents are also to be reported to college faculty.
7. Students will not be required to perform any procedure on which they have received no instruction.
8. Falsification of admissions information, failure to provide for insurance and health needs as stated, or falsification of information regarding any accident or health hazard in the program shall result in immediate dismissal from the radiography program.
CPR Certification and Patient Care
By the start of the fall semester all first year students must certify, or recertify, in CPR through the American Heart Association. Students must complete the Health Care Provider training. Students whose certification expires at any time during the program must recertify in Health Care Provider CPR before the expiration date.
Clinical Attendance, Cancellations, Make-up Hours and Bereavement Leave
1. Tardiness
A student is tardy if he/she is more than ten minutes late at arriving for any scheduled shift. Being tardy three times in any one semester will be considered an absence and must be made up in a 4 hour block. If tardiness is a problem, a consultation between the clinical director and the student will take place to determine a solution to the problem. Arrival of 30 minutes or more late will be considered as an absence and must be made up.
2. Notification of Absence
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the clinical director of any absence from the clinical schedule. All absences must be made up, in a minimum block of four (4) hours. For each hour of make-up time required due to absence from a clinical site, the attendance pool of 30 points (%) will be reduced by one (1) point. The following procedure must be followed for an absence to be considered excused.
During regular college hours Monday through Friday
A. Call the clinical director’s office within 10 minutes of the start of your shift. If the clinical director is not available leave a message on the voice mail system.
During all other scheduled clinical hours , i.e. make-up time during evenings, weekends.
A. Same as number 1 above. Leave message on voice mail system.
3. Unexcused Absence
The following conditions will result in an absence being recorded as UNEXCUSED.
A. Failure to follow proper notification procedure.
B. When an absence is documented to have been misrepresented by student.
C. When absence is result of a problem for which the student has been consulted on, and warned to not let result in further absences.
All unexcused absences will be treated as follows:
An additional 4 point reduction in clinical final grade for that semester will accompany each occurrence. This reduction is in addition to the point deduction from the student attendance pool of 30% (see I-J-1).
First: The student will receive a written warning that this type of behavior will not be tolerated and that the next occurrence during the length of the program will result in clinical probation.
Second: The student will be placed on clinical probation stating that they understand that the next occurrence of an unexcused absence will result in their dismissal from all clinical activities.
Third: Dismissal from all clinical activities.
Unexcused absences may be appealed to a review board comprised of the Program Director, Clinical Director and one non-radiologic faculty member.
Physician’s Release
Attendance points will not be deducted for students that present the Clinical Director a signed physician’s release for any illness or pregnancy leave. The release must contain the physician’s letterhead (release form) and indicate the dates of release from clinical assignments. Missed time must be made up but no points will be deducted. Routine office visits are not covered under this policy.
Make-up Time
All absences must be made up to graduate from the program. It is recommended that all absences be made up within four (4) weeks to avoid falling behind in clinical assignments.
Student Performance and Conduct
1. Students will be responsible for abiding by all policies and procedures held by each individual clinical center they rotate through. Where there is any discrepancy between program policy and departmental policies, the more stringent or specific code will apply.
2. Students are to be punctual, attentive and cooperative in providing patient care in the clinical center. Students are not to leave clinical at the end of a time shift until they have completed the procedure in progress. If the procedure is extensive, they should arrange for a substitute to take over and orient them to the situation. It cannot be stressed enough that the attitude demonstrated by students in this area will very likely affect their employability after graduation.
3. Students are not allowed to have visitors in the clinical center without the permission of the administrative technologist.
4. Students are required to abide by the Code of Ethics of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists while in the program. This includes consideration for human dignity, protection of patients from unnecessary radiation or hazards, discretion and judgment, protection of the patient's right to privacy, scientific method, refraining from diagnosing radiographs, reporting unethical or illegal conduct, participation in educational and professional activities and protection of the public from misinformation. Students will demonstrate empathy in working with patients. Discussions of a patient's condition or radiographs, critiques, disagreements and correction of mistakes must all be conducted outside the hearing distance of patients and the public.
5. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner while participating in college and program activities. Professional conduct is not limited to patient care but includes behavior towards clinical staff, college faculty and fellow students. Unprofessional conduct will be considered a serious violation and may result in immediate probation or dismissal from the program.
6. Students will not carry nor use cell phones while in any clinical setting. Cell phones are prohibited by facility policy. At present beepers are permitted but must be on a vibrate mode. Should beeper use become a problem the facility and faculty reserve the right to prohibit their use.
7. Students are advised that clinical affiliate policies restrict visible body piercing to the ear lobe and they must also be minimal in number. Such piercing as nose rings, eyebrow piercing, and tongue studs will not be allowed in the clinical area. Artificial fingernails or extenders are not allowed to be worn. Natural nail tip must be less than 1/4 inch long.
8. Students reporting to clinical education assignments in any compromised physical or mental condition, including fatigue or being under the influence of any chemical, endanger patient safety and will be asked to leave. Students suspected of being under the influence of any chemical may be required to document drug-screening tests before returning to clinical activities. Students found to be under the influence of any chemical while engaging in any activity in the program will be immediately placed on probation and may be dismissed if the incident endangers safety or is deemed to be otherwise egregious.
Student Employment
1. Students are discouraged from working at any job after midnight throughout the program.
2. Outside employment will not affect or alter clinical and academic schedules throughout the program, except in the situation described in "Clinical Scheduling" number 13.
3. Students will not wear Midland College identification when working for pay.
4. Students are discouraged from accepting employment as a practicing radiographer throughout the course of the program. The college will assume no responsibility for the practice of hiring non-registered radiographers.
5. Students reporting to clinical education in any compromised condition, including over-tiredness, may endanger patient safety and will be treated as if they were under the influence of a chemical as described in III-I-14.
Disciplinary Actions
1. College policy will be adhered to in all disciplinary actions, and normal channels of appeal will be available through the college.
2. When an incident occurs involving a student in unprofessional or unethical behavior, endangering the safety of a patient, or violating any college, program or hospital policies, a program incident report form is to be used by the person reporting the occurrence to provide college faculty with a written record. Any one can submit an incident report, but reports from clinical centers must be signed by the administrative technologist documenting his/her knowledge of the incident. Incident reports are to be factual, dealing with occurrences and not opinions or personality evaluations. Copies of an incident report must always be submitted to the program director, the student and the administrative technologist where the incident occurred, within 24 hours of the incident.
3. Any behavior which results in endangering the safety or welfare of a patient will result in immediate written program probation. Any similar recurrence throughout the remainder of the program shall result in dismissal from the program. This includes reporting for clinical assignment under the influence of any chemical or in any compromised physical condition.
4. Dishonesty, academic cheating, theft of college or clinical properties, release of confidential patient information, or falsification of clinical records will not be tolerated and will be treated as a serious incident by program faculty, as follows:
5. Disciplinary actions to be taken by the program can range from a simple verbal warning, to formal written warning, program probation or dismissal from the program. Disciplinary actions are not always sequential but based on severity and/or number of previous failures to follow program or clinical policies. Minor problems, such as excessive tardiness to class or clinical might warrant only a verbal warning first and written warning if problem continues, while unprofessional conduct, or actions involving patient safety might constitute an immediate program probation status or even dismissal. Failures in following program or clinical policies will be investigated by program faculty, discussion will take place to determine appropriate disciplinary action with the program director having the final say in the matter. Students will have the right to then follow the formal appeal process.
Conviction Policy III-J-5
The application form to take the certification examination of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists requires information on any felony or misdemeanor convictions. "Convictions or charges resulting in any of the following must also be reported:
-plea of guilty -suspended sentence
-plea of no lo contendere -military court martial
-withheld adjudication
Misdemeanor speeding convictions are not required to be reported unless they are related to alcohol or drug use." A reportable crime includes any "... felony, gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor, with the sole exceptions of speeding and parking violations. all alcohol and/or drug related violations are included."
"Anyone who answers ‘Yes’ is asked to provide a detailed explanation and official court documentation of the charges. Court documentation must verify the nature of the conviction, the sentence imposed by the courts, and the current status of the sentence. If a candidate’s status changes due to a conviction after applying but before taking the exam, the candidate must inform ARRT immediately."
In addition to the above documentation, the ARRT will likely request a written explanation from the student including his/her feelings about the conviction, and a letter of recommendation from the program director.
It is strongly recommended that students entering the radiography program with any such convictions or charges consult with the program director immediately, and communicate with the ARRT at the earliest convenience to clarify their eligibility status for the certification exam upon completion of the program. Students who wait until the end of the program to bring this information forward must realize that a substantial delay in taking the exam may result as documentation is reviewed and status determined by the ARRT. Naturally, the longer the delay in taking the exam after graduating from the program, the lower test scores tend to be.
Principles of Professional Conduct
published by the ARRT
1. The Radiologic Technologist conducts himself/herself in a professional manner, responds to patient needs and supports colleagues and associates in providing quality patient care.
2. The Radiologic Technologist acts to advance the principle objective of the profession to provide services to humanity with full respect for the dignity of mankind.
3. The Radiologic Technologist delivers patient care and service unrestricted by the concerns of personal attributes or the nature of the disease or illness, and without discrimination regardless of sex, race, creed, religion, or socioeconomic status.
4. The Radiologic Technologist practices technology founded upon theoretical knowledge and concepts, utilizes equipment and accessories consistent with the purposes for which it has been designed, and employed procedures and techniques appropriately.
5. The Radiologic Technologist assesses situations, exercises care, discretion and judgement, assumes responsibility for professional decisions, and acts in the best interest of the patient.
6. The Radiologic Technologist acts as an agent through observation and communication to obtain pertinent information from the physician to aid in the diagnosis and treatment management of the patient, and recognizes that interpretation and diagnosis are outside the scope of practice for the profession.
7. The Radiologic Technologist utilizes equipment and accessories, employs techniques and procedures, performs services in accordance with an accepted standard of practice, and demonstrates expertise in limiting the radiation exposure to the patient, self and other members of the health care team.
8. The Radiologic Technologist practices ethical conduct appropriate to the profession, and protects the patient's right to quality radiologic technology care.
9. The Radiologic Technologist respects confidences entrusted in the course of professional practice, respects the patient's right to privacy, and reveals confidential information only as required by law or to protect the welfare of the individual or the community.
10. The Radiologic Technologist continually strives to improve knowledge and skills by participating in educational and professional activities, sharing knowledge with colleagues and investigating new and innovative aspects of professional practice. One means available to improve knowledge and skill is through professional continuing education.