Student Time Commitment

 

PHASE 1 ATTENDANCE WILL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES:

  • No personal days or planned absences are allotted during Phase 1.
  • During Phase 1, the initial 16 months of school attendance, the student will follow the RVU academic calendar with slight modifications for summer class schedules. It is important to note that a leave of absence is not available due to the curriculum's sequential progression. The student must complete Phase I within 16 months before transitioning to Phase II. The student must attend the designated and required class meetings according to the provided course schedules. If you are unable to attend the lecture, notify the instructor as soon as possible.
  • The attendance policy at RVU requires students to attend all scheduled classes promptly and consistently, whether online or in person.
  • The policy allows for authorized absences with prior approval from the instructor. If an absence is necessary due to illness or emergency, the student should notify the instructor before the class or as soon as possible.
  • In the case of illness, the Program Director may request a healthcare provider’s excuse for sick days. It is important to note that this policy is strictly enforced during examinations and scheduled simulations. The student is responsible for any class materials or assignments missed due to absences.
  • Students with excused absences from regular examinations or simulations may request a makeup examination or simulation, subject to the discretion of the respective instructor.
  • The program reserves the right to monitor and evaluate unexcused absences that exhibit a pattern.

PHASE 2 ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES:

SCHEDULED TIME OFF

Students are allotted 20 personal days during the 20 months of Phase 2. Time off is arranged by the student with the clinical site coordinators and reported by the student to the program directors each month (if applicable).

  • Students must attend at least one professional meeting, either a state or national association meeting. Additionally, students are encouraged to attend one state legislative day. Requests to attend state or national association education meetings must be submitted with complete meeting information, including details about the association, location, agenda, topics, and speakers.

  • Attendance at additional state or national meetings will be subject to the discretion of the DNAP administration.

  • The DNAP program will cover the financial expenses for the Colorado Association of Nurse Anesthetists (COANA) annual meeting during the student's third year.

  • The administration encourages students to attend more professional meetings than the minimum requirement to support their professional socialization and development. Students may NOT request scheduled time off during periods of remediation or probation.  

*No elective surgeries may be scheduled during the 36-month program.

Students are required to maintain all necessary certifications for practice in the clinical setting, e.g., state appropriate RN Licensure, BLS, ACLS, and PALS. As such, students will be responsible for recertifying, before the certifications expire. Should the student’s certification(s) or licensure lapse, the student will be removed from the clinical setting until the certificate (s) or licensure are brought current. Any clinical days missed due to lapses in certification or licensure will be docked from the student’s allotted days off or the time will be made up on weekend days to be scheduled in collaboration with the clinical site coordinator.