Departments and Offices

School of Nursing

Technical Requirements

1. Students entering and graduating from DACC’s School of Nursing must be able to meet the technical requirements of the academic program. These technical requirements enable all nursing students to carry out the essential functions of the nursing process throughout the nursing program and include but are not limited to the following skills and abilities:



1. Sufficient motor function to elicit information from clients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other assessment maneuvers.
2. The ability to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide direct nursing care on a daily basis as well as emergency treatment to clients, e.g., transferring, lifting, moving, and turning clients; providing hygienic care; assisting clients in activities of daily living; and providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
3. The ability to observe a client accurately at a distance or close at hand, requiring the functional use of the senses of vision and hearing.
4. The ability to closely examine colored and non-colored images or other forms of output created by diagnostic measures and/or equipment.
5. Full range of motion of body joints, fine motor movements of the hands, and the ability to stoop, bend, and lift.
6. The ability to adapt effectively to changing environments and high-tension levels in an emotionally controlled manner in learning situations and emergencies.
    

2. Applicants to the School of Nursing who are disabled and do not meet the technical requirements of the Program will be assessed individually by a team of individuals which shall include but not be limited to representatives from Student Services and College administration. The Application for Admission will be evaluated according to the following process.
   

   1. The student will identify the disability on the Student Medical Record and on the Application for Admission form, and the doctor will identify the disability on the Health Physical Form.
   2. The evaluation team will determine if there is a reasonable basis to believe that the applicant's admission to the Program will pose a substantial risk of harm to the applicant or to others (i.e. health care client, hospital staff members. other nursing students, or nursing faculty). This will be assessed through the perusal of all relevant information including medical history and work history in terms of Program requirements. This information shall be provided in full by the applicant and will be evaluated as related to the probability and severity of harm.
   3. If the evaluation team determines there is reasonable probability of substantial harm, the team must then determine if reasonable accommodations can be made by the College that will allow the applicant to gain admission and meet the technical requirements throughout the Program.
   4. Each applicant will be evaluated individually based on the documents submitted.
   5. Each applicant who is evaluated shall be notified as to whether they will be granted admission to the Program on the basis of the availability of a reasonable accommodation.
   6. Any applicant who is denied admission may appeal this decision to the President of the College or the President's designee.
   7. Any applicant admitted, whose disability notwithstanding a reasonable accommodation that poses a substantial risk of harm to himself, herself or others must sign a release to hold the College and its employees harmless from any and all liability for claims, causes for action, losses, damages, costs and expenses of any kind relative to further injury to others predicated upon or arising out of his or her enrollment and participation on the basis of being reasonably accommodated for his or her disability.