86 NMT Clinical Attendance
CLINICAL ATTENDANCE
Consistent attendance in the clinical setting is a behavior that the clinical affiliates look for in student technologists. The RISP faculty strongly encourage students to maintain a good attendance record. The presence of the student in clinic adds to the “professional preparation” of the student. Although it is possible for a student to achieve minimal technical competence early in certain rotations, the RISP faculty believes that the student will gain considerably from multiple repetitions of nuclear medicine studies on the variety of patients who may present themselves during the time that a student spends in a particular clinical course. Additionally, consistent student participation in the clinical environment helps the student learn interpersonal communication skills and the teamwork that are necessary in the clinical work environment.
It is the expectation of the RISP faculty that students attend all clinical assignments. Awards are presented to students with perfect attendance in clinical experience courses (using no personal days within the course and receiving no grade deductions for tardiness, or electronic clock-in/out violations). All special or lengthy absences from clinic must be prearranged with the program director. All other absences must be accounted for satisfactorily with the RISP clinical instructor. Absences from clinic to study for examinations are strongly discouraged. Trends in clinical attendance of individual students are monitored throughout the program using a running attendance record log.
- Note: A student should not come to clinic when they have a fever, are contagious, are taking narcotics, physically impaired, or are too ill to work for ANY reason.
- Note: Students returning to clinic after being under a physician’s care for extreme illness, hospitalization, and/or surgery will only be allowed back in clinic if they provide a “Release to full duty” letter from the physician. This letter must be presented to or electronically sent to the Program Director prior to the expected return date.
Clinical Hours
Clinical course hours for weekday assignments are generally 7:00 am-3:30 pm, but vary by hospital and by area rotation. Clinical assignments in some areas may begin as early as 6:30 am or end as late as 4:30 pm. A full clinic day is 7 hours, not including lunch. A half clinic day is 3.5 hours. A 60 minute lunch break is assigned at each hospital to coincide with the flow of patients. Changes can be expected depending upon the area of rotation, certain classes, and the demands of faculty also practicing in a busy medical facility. Within reason, entering the health professions must be accompanied by an understanding that strict time restraints cannot be applied to clinical problems. Involvement with critical medical problems demands continued presence of the professional staff no matter what a time clock says. Start and release times may change slightly during the len