Student Code of Conduct

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct refers to instances in which the student uses, or attempts to use, unacceptable means to avoid the full completion of the academic requirements of the program of study and its coursework; primarily, academic misconduct refers to cheating and plagiarism. The College will immediately address any instances of academic misconduct according to the policy outlined below.

Hondros College of Nursing considers the severity of the academic misconduct violation when assigning consequences for that action. Tier I instances are the least severe, and Tier III instances are the most severe. Examples of instances of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:

Tier I

• Improper direct quotations: Using the exact words of another source, and failing to use quotation marks to indicate that they are a direct quotation from another writer. This is an instance of plagiarism regardless of whether or not citations and references are included in the work.
• Failed paraphrase: Using ideas from another source, but failing to fully rephrase those ideas into the author’s own words. This is an instance of plagiarism regardless of whether or not citations and references are included in the work.
• Failure to cite and/or reference: Incorporating the words and ideas of others into a new work, but failing to provide citations and/or references for those words and ideas. Hondros College of Nursing follows the 7th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the formatting of citations and references.
• Self-plagiarism: Re-using work, or portions of work, from another class, assignment, or term without receiving the instructor’s permission to do so.

Tier II

• Copying: Improperly using information copied from another student’s examination, homework, papers, or projects, whether inside or outside of class, and regardless of whether the course is delivered in lecture, lab, clinical, or online. This includes collaboration with another student to take an online quiz or exam or complete an assignment without the permission of the instructor.
• Using notes, resources, electronic devices, or any other materials or tools during a quiz or exam that the proctor has not explicitly allowed. This includes the practice of "information dumping," which occurs when students immediately write down a significant amount of information on the testable material on provided scrap paper or whiteboard at the start of the exam or quiz.
• Compromising course assignments or assessments in any way, including exams and quizzes: Exam and quiz questions and/or answers should never be shared with other students or any other party, or shared publicly (e.g., posting exam or quiz information online).

Tier III

• Improper Submission of Others’ Work: Submitting the work of another person as one’s own. Instances include, but are not limited to, turning in work created by another student, or any other individual; hiring or allowing another individual to complete work for the student, or take a quiz or examination on the student’s behalf; and purchasing and submitting work from another individual or a company that sells completed academic work.

Consequences of Academic Misconduct

The consequences below are separate sequential progressions of penalties for academic misconduct violations and are associated with the severity of the violation. Any instance of Academic Misconduct may result in immediate dismissal from the program.

Tier I

• First instance: The opportunity to resubmit the assignment, at no penalty that would not have otherwise been assessed, after completing academic advising with the instructor or designee.
• Second instance: A zero on the assignment, project, paper, quiz or exam.
• Third instance: Failure of the course, with a notation of academic misconduct on the transcript.
• Fourth instance: Immediate dismissal from the program, and notation on the student’s permanent records of the Student Code of Conduct dismissal.

Tier II and Tier III

• First instance: A zero on the assignment, project, paper, quiz or exam.
• Second instance: Failure of the course, with a notation of academic misconduct on the transcript.
• Third instance: Immediate dismissal from the program, and notation on the student’s permanent records of the Student Code of Conduct dismissal.

At the discretion of the program's Sr. VP of Academics or the Dean of the Medical Assisting program, as applicable, occurrences of Tier III Academic Misconduct may be immediately advanced to the second or third instance in the progression above.

Students who have progressed beyond the course associated with the violation will receive a critical incident and face consequences per the Critical Incident policy.

If a student is subject to any of the consequences listed above and disagrees with the outcome, he or she may follow the Academic Appeal Policy, as outlined in the Student Catalog.

Non-academic Misconduct

Harassment Conduct/Hazing Conduct

1. Physically or verbally abusing, assaulting, threatening, endangering, or harassing any person connected with the College or a clinical agency.
2. Engaging in harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or religious affiliation.
3. Engaging in sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, non-consensual contact, and/or stalking, as defined by the Ohio Revised Code.
4. Engaging in, or coercing another individual to engage in, any act related to initiation or membership in a student or other organization that causes or creates a substantial risk of mental or physical harm to any person. This includes, but is not limited to, coercing another individual to consume alcohol or a drug of abuse.

Disruptive and Unethical Conduct

1. Improper verbal or physical conduct in any classroom, lab, clinical location while on College property or wearing the College uniform.
2. Threatening or actually physically harming another person or person’s property.
3. Intentional disruption while in a classroom, lab, or clinical location. Disruptive conduct may include, but not limited to, arriving late to class, leaving class early, frequent breaks, outbursts, or any other activity that disrupts the educational and learning opportunities of other students.
4. Use of cellular phone and Bluetooth devices while in class, lab, or at clinical locations including texting and Internet usage. Due to patient confidentiality, cellular phones and Bluetooth devices are prohibited in the clinical setting.
5. Sleeping during class, lab, or at clinical locations.
6. Leaving the clinical facility before the end of the scheduled shift without faculty permission.
7. Unauthorized entry to or use of College facilities.
8. Theft or damage to the College or College property.
9. Possession, use, distribution and/or sale of any illicit/illegal substance, including the use, distribution, and/or sale of marijuana or cannabis. Regardless of whether a medical marijuana prescription and/or card has been issued, the College considers marijuana an illegal substance, and using it is strictly prohibited. This is applicable even in cases where the state has legalized marijuana use for medical and/or recreational purposes.
10. Use of or being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on College property and/or any clinical location. Students should report any knowledge of such activities to the appropriate College personnel. Whenever anyone with supervisory responsibilities within the College suspects a student has fallen short of performance or behavioral standards due to the use of alcohol or drugs, or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the College may require that individual to submit a saliva, blood, or urine sample for alcohol and/or drug testing to stay enrolled in a program.
11. Carrying a firearm, deadly weapon, or dangerous ordinance anywhere on College property or on any clinical campus used by the College.
12. Having children on campus. Children are not permitted to attend classes, including labs and clinicals. Children are not permitted on campus or common areas used by the campus.
13. Smoking and tobacco use. Students may not smoke or use tobacco products of any kind, including electronic cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, etc. at any clinical sites, while in uniform, or while on campus.
14. Students are not permitted to eat or drink in the nursing skills lab or the science lab.
15. Falsifying Information, including, not limited to, providing false information to College officials or clinical agencies, participating in forgery, and knowingly supplying the college false or altered documentation or information.
16. Failing to abide by College policies.

Consequences of Non-academic Misconduct

The College has the right to discipline any student whose behavior violates the Student Code of Conduct or Ohio Board of Nursing regulations, as outlined below. Students will receive written notification of any disciplinary actions.

Depending upon the severity of the violation, the College may:

1. Issue a verbal warning to the student.
2. Issue a written warning to the student. The warning will be placed in the student file.
3. Immediately dismiss the student from the College.

Additionally, the College may be required to notify the state board of nursing of certain behaviors or offenses. If a student is subject to any of the consequences listed above and disagrees with the outcome, he or she may follow the Academic Appeal Policy, as outlined in the Student Catalog. Students who are dismissed due to a violation of the Student Code of Conduct are prohibited from being on College property and are not eligible for reinstatement.

Ohio Board of Nursing (OAC,4723-5-12(C)) Student Conduct Requirements

1. A student shall, in a complete, accurate, and timely manner, report and document nursing assessments or observations, the care provided by the student for the client, and the client’s response to that care.
2. A student shall, in an accurate and timely manner, report to the appropriate practitioner errors in or deviations from the current valid order.
3. A student shall not falsify any client record or any other document prepared or utilized in the course of, or in conjunction with, nursing practice. This includes, but is not limited to, case management documents or reports or time records, reports, and other documents related to billing for nursing services.
4. A student shall implement measures to promote a safe environment for each client.
5. A student shall delineate, establish, and maintain professional boundaries with each client.
6. At all times when a student is providing direct nursing care to a client the student shall:
   • a. Provide privacy during examination or treatment and in the care of personal or bodily needs;
   • b. Treat each client with courtesy, respect, and with full recognition of dignity and individuality.
7. A student shall practice within the appropriate scope of practice as set forth in division (B) of section 4723.01 and division (B)(20) of section 4723.28 of the Revised Code for a registered nurse and division (F) of section 4723.01 and division (B)(21) of section 4723.28 of the Revised Code for a practical nurse.
8. A student shall use universal blood and body fluid pre-cautions established by Chapter 4723-20 of the Administrative Code.
9. A student shall not:
   • a. Engage in behavior that causes or may cause physical, verbal, mental, or emotional abuse to a client
   • b. Engage in behavior toward a client that may reasonably be interpreted as physical, verbal, mental, or emotional abuse.

For the purpose of the following paragraph, the client is always presumed incapable of giving free, full, or informed consent to the behaviors by the student set forth in this paragraph.

10. A student shall not misappropriate a client’s property or:
    • a. Engage in behavior to seek or obtain personal gain at the client’s expense;
    • b. Engage in behavior that may reasonably be interpreted as behavior to seek or obtain personal gain at the client’s expense;
    • c. Engage in behavior that constitutes inappropriate involvement in the client’s personal relationships; or
    • d. Engage in behavior that may reasonably be interpreted as inappropriate involvement in the client’s personal relationships.

For the purpose of the following paragraph, the client is always presumed incapable of giving free, full, or informed consent to sexual activity with the student.

11. A student shall not:
    • a. Engage in sexual conduct with a client; Engage in conduct in the course of practice that may reasonably be interpreted as sexual;
    • b. Engage in any verbal behavior that is seductive or sexually demeaning to a client;
    • c. Engage in verbal behavior that may reasonably be interpreted as seductive, or sexually demeaning to a client.
12. A student shall not, regardless of whether the contact or verbal behavior is consensual, engage with a patient other than the spouse of the student in any of the following:
    • a. Sexual contact, as defined in section 2907.01 of the Revised Code;
    • b. Verbal behavior that is sexually demeaning to the patient or may be reasonably interpreted by the patient as sexually demeaning.
13. A student shall not self-administer or otherwise take into the body any dangerous drug, as defined in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code, in any way not in accordance with a legal, valid prescription issued for the student.
14. A student shall not habitually indulge in the use of controlled substances, other habit-forming drugs, or alcohol or other chemical substances to an extent that impairs ability to practice.
15. A student shall not have impairment of the ability to practice according to acceptable and prevailing standards of safe nursing care because of habitual or excessive use of drugs, alcohol, or other chemical substances that impair the ability to practice.
16. A student shall not have impairment of the ability to practice according to acceptable and prevailing standards of safe nursing care because of a physical or mental disability.
17. A student shall not assault or cause harm to a patient or deprive a patient of the means to summon assistance.
18. A student shall not obtain or attempt to obtain money or anything of value by intentional misrepresentation or material deception in the course of practice.
19. A student shall not have been adjudicated by a probate court of being mentally ill or mentally incompetent, unless restored to competency by the court.
20. A student shall not aid and abet a person in that person’s practice of nursing without a license, practice as a dialysis technician without a certificate issued by the board, or administration of medications as a medication aide without a certificate issued by the board.
21. A student shall not prescribe any drug or device to perform or induce an abortion, or otherwise perform or induce an abortion.
22. A student shall not assist suicide as defined in section 3795.01 of the Revised Code.
23. A student shall not submit or cause to be submitted any false, misleading or deceptive statements, information, or document to the nursing program, its faculty or preceptors, or to the board.
24. A student shall maintain the confidentiality of patient information. The student shall communicate patient information with other members of the health care team for health care purposes only, shall access patient information only for purposes of patient care or for otherwise fulfilling the student’s assigned clinical responsibilities, and shall not disseminate patient information for purposes other than patient care or for otherwise fulfilling the student’s assigned clinical responsibilities through social media, texting, emailing or any other form of communication.
25. To the maximum extent feasible, identifiable patient health care information shall not be disclosed by a student unless the patient has consented to the disclosure of identifiable patient health care information. A student shall report individually identifiable patient information without written consent in limited circumstances only and in accordance with an authorized law, rule, or other recognized legal authority.
26. For purposes of paragraphs (C)(5), (C)(6), (C)(9), (C)(10), (C)(11) and (C)(12) of this rule, a student shall not use social media, texting, emailing, or other forms of communication with, or about a patient, for non-health care purposes or for purposes other than fulfilling the student’s assigned clinical responsibilities.