Essential Functions for Nursing Students

MVCC complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The College will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for an applicant with a disability, who is otherwise qualified. Applicants who are unsure if they can meet these essential skills or know they will need help in meeting them should contact the Office of Accessibility Resources: 315-792-5644.

If there are any reasons why you may not be able to perform these functions with or without reasonable accommodations, you must follow the chain of command. A student in the Nursing associate degree program must have the abilities and skills necessary for the performance of the nursing process. The following is a representative list of the essential skills, with or without accommodation, expected of students enrolled in the Nursing program:

1. Demonstrate the ability to perform essential functions for a maximum of a 10-hour shift.
2. Demonstrate the ability to protect a client when the client is standing and ambulating on all surfaces with or without the use of assistive devices, including canes, crutches, and walkers.
3. Demonstrate the ability to safely move a client over 100 pounds from one surface to another using the appropriate level of help.
4. Demonstrate safe body mechanics in the process of all client treatments, including lifting and carrying small equipment (under 50 pounds) and moving large equipment (over 50 pounds).
5. Demonstrate the ability to manipulate dials on equipment.
6. Demonstrate the ability to coordinate simultaneous motions.
7. Demonstrate the ability to perform occasional overhead extension.
8. Demonstrate the ability to hear blood pressure, heart, and lungs sounds with or without corrective devices.
9. Demonstrate the ability to palpate soft tissue including pulse, muscle, and bones.
10. Demonstrate the ability to perform nursing interventions such as sterile procedures and dressing changes following infection control procedures.
11. Demonstrate the ability to administer medications (IM, subcutaneous, IV, suppositories, etc. (including dosage calculations), when necessary.
12. Display adaptability to change.
13. Establish effective relationships with others.
14. Communicate effectively, safely, and efficiently in English (both written and spoken) by:
    1. Explaining procedures.
    2. Receiving information from others.
    3. Receiving information from written documents.
    4. Exhibiting appropriate interpersonal skill (refer to ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses).
    5. Analyzing and documenting assessment findings and interventions.
15. Distinguish color changes.
16. Detect an unsafe environment and carry out appropriate emergency procedures including:
    1. Detecting subtle environment changes and odors including, but not limited to, the smell of burning electrical equipment, smoke, and spills.
    2. Detect high and low frequency sounds, including but not limited to, alarms, bells, and emergency signals.

Important Notice to All Applicants: The law regulating the practice of nursing states that the Board of Regents, State Education Department, may deny a convicted felon a license or the privilege of sitting for the examination (Section 4712.28) of the revised code.