Nursing Technical Performance Standards

Nursing is a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, aﬀective, and psychomotor performance requirements. Based on those requirements and [the State of Illinois licensing requirements], a list of “Performance Standards” has been developed. Each standard has an example of an activity or activities that a potential student will be required to perform while enrolled in the nursing program.

Issue	Standard	Examples of Required Activities (Not all inclusive)
Visual	Visual ability for observation and assessment necessary in the operation of equipment and care of patients.	• Ability to observe subtle changes in patients such as skin color intensity, color coded supplies and abnormal skin conditions. • Ability to view various equipment settings such as patient monitors, infusion pumps, syringes with minute calibrations and Intravenous and medication labels. • Ability to view computer records necessary for patient care. • Ability to perform procedures using hand-to eye-coordination. • Ability to read medication administration records in paper or electronic format.
Hearing	Auditory abilities suﬃcient to monitor and assess patient needs, and to provide a safe environment.	• Ability to hear and verbally respond to patient questions and directions from instructors, students, and staﬀ, in person and/or over the phone. • Ability to listen to breath and heart sounds while assessing vital signs including BP, pulse, and respiration rate. • Ability to hear equipment monitors such as IV pumps, bed alarms and heart monitors. • Ability to hear patient call lights. • Ability to hear faint body sounds (heart sounds, bowel sounds) and assess placement of tubes. • Ability to hear in situations where masks are required such as surgery or isolation rooms.
Tactile	Tactile ability suﬃcient for patient assessment and treatment and operation of equipment	• Ability to perform the required techniques using patient equipment such as probes, sensors, pumps, bed controls, monitors, and computers. • Ability to perform palpation of pulses in a variety of locations on the body. • Ability to palpate the body surface during physical assessment. • Ability to sense changes in body temperature by touch.
Mental	Mental ability suﬃcient for patient assessment and treatment and operation of equipment and care of patients.	• Ability to visually concentrate and focus attention, thoughts, and eﬀorts on patients and equipment for varying periods of time. • Ability to respond to patients’ changing physical conditions • Ability to function in rapidly changing and high stress situations and environments. • Ability to respond in a calm manner during an emergency situation.
Issue	Standard	Examples of Required Activities (Not all inclusive)
Environmental Requirements	Physical health suﬃcient enough to be able to tolerate certain conditions present in the clinical setting.	• Ability to tolerate risks or discomforts in the clinical setting that require special safety precautions, additional safety education, health risk monitoring, working with sharps, chemicals, and infectious disease. Students may be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, goggles, gloves.
Communication	Communication abilities suﬃcient for interaction with others in verbal and written form.	• Ability to eﬀectively communicate to the patients in order to assess, instruct, relieve anxiety, converse, gain their cooperation during procedures, provide care and treatments, dispense medications, and understand the patients when they are communicating symptoms of a medical emergency. • Ability to obtain information, explain treatment procedures, initiate health education training, and describe patient situations • Ability to perceive non-verbal communications • Ability to document following ethical and legal guidelines • Ability to read the patient’s medical history and/or medical consult. • Ability to document own actions and patient responses as indicated. • Ability to collaborate with other members of the health care team verbally, on the phone or in writing. • Ability to accurately report a patient’s condition to others verbally, on the phone or in writing.
Mobility	Physical abilities suﬃcient to move from room to room and maneuver in small spaces.	• Ability to assist all patients in turning, moving in bed, transferring, and ambulating according to individual needs and abilities. • Ability to move in conﬁned spaces. • Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time. • Ability to squat, bend, and stoop. • Ability to push, pull, and lift 50 lbs. • Ability to push a wheelchair, cart, bed, or equipment without injury to self, patient, or others. • Ability to reach above the shoulders to assess and maintain IV ﬂuids or bedside monitors.
Motor Skills	Gross and ﬁne motor abilities suﬃcient to provide safe eﬀective patient care.	• Physically be able to administer emergency care including performing CPR. • Ability to execute the small muscle hand and ﬁnger movements required to safely perform nursing procedures such as medication administration, intravenous therapy, dressing changes, and tube or catheter insertion and removal. • Ability to grasp, twist and manipulate small objects such as IV tubing, syringes, droppers, and medication packaging.
Issue	Standard	Examples of Required Activities (Not all inclusive)
Critical Thinking	Critical thinking ability suﬃcient for safe clinical judgment.	• Ability to recognize cause-eﬀect relationships in clinical situations. • Ability to develop and implement nursing diagnoses and patient care plans. • Ability to assess subtle changes in a patient’s condition and respond appropriately. • Ability to evaluate patient information such as assessment data, vital signs, or laboratory values and respond appropriately. • Ability to safely administer medications and understand the actions and potential reactions. • Ability to initiate proper emergency care protocols, including CPR, based on assessment data.
Interpersonal Behavioral and Social Skills	Interpersonal abilities suﬃcient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.	• Ability to establish rapport with patients, families, and colleagues. • Ability to allow mature, sensitive, and eﬀective relationships with patients and fellow workers (interpersonal skills). • Ability to tolerate a physically taxing and mentally challenging workload. • Ability to function eﬀectively under stress. • Ability to adapt to changing environments (ﬂexible schedules, emergency conditions, multiple interruptions, noised, distractions). • Ability to display compassion, professionalism, empathy, integrity, concern for others, and interest and motivation. • Ability to negotiate in situations of conﬂict and appropriately resolve the conﬂict.

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and College of Lake County policy prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. One of the purposes of this document is to ensure that students are aware of the requirements of this program and acknowledge their understanding of the program requirements. Students who have a disability and are in need of accommodations or modiﬁcations must contact the Oﬃce for Students with Disabilities (“OSD”). The OSD will determine whether or not any reasonable accommodations or modiﬁcations can be provided.

Nursing A.A.S. (Plan 21NC)

Download as PDF

Program Overview

Program Course Requirements

Screening Requirements

Additional Information