Welcome to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Nursing (SON) Faculty and Staff Handbook. Please note that this document is not intended to cover every SON or UMMC policy and/or procedure. It does, however, serve as a guide to direct faculty/staff to the appropriate resources for both the SON and UMMC general policies.

A detailed UMMC Faculty and Staff Handbook can be accessed via the intranet. The handbook presents policies, procedures and regulations for all employees.

Policy Tech is also an excellent resource for all UMMC policies and is separated into education, healthcare, research and administration documents. Note: The intranet site will require UMMC credentials to login.

The Department of Human Resources (HR) maintains internet and intranet sites to provide employees with employee benefits, including open enrollment information, employee perks and HR forms. Note: The intranet site will require UMMC credentials to login.

Governance

Brief description

The SON was authorized as a baccalaureate program by an act of the Mississippi legislature in 1948. Established as the Department of Nursing, it became a separate school in 1958. The graduate program in nursing was established in 1970. A doctor of philosophy (PhD) program offered in conjunction with the University of Southern Mississippi SON began in 1997 and in keeping with the national trends in nursing education, a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program was established in 2009.

The baccalaureate, master’s and DNP programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The PhD program, now offered through UMMC School of Graduate Studies in Health Sciences (SGSHS), is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Functioning as a part of the UMMC, the SON assumes the responsibility for providing the people of Mississippi with registered nurses (RNs) of high professional competence and raising the professional and educational standards of the nurses already practicing in Mississippi. The SON Jackson campus is housed in the Christine L. Oglevee Building on the northwest side of the campus, directly behind Parking Garage A. The Oxford Instructional Site is housed at the South Oxford Center in the former Baptist Memorial Hospital’s intensive care unit located on the first floor. The SON is a professional school functioning within the general framework and policies of the UMMC. It reflects the purpose of the parent university and the medical center in its educational services for the state of Mississippi.

Organizational chart

Faculty governance model

Faculty organization governance and bylaws

The SON has a Faculty Organization Governance (FOG) that is made of up standing committees and councils. A standing committee roster and a calendar of meeting days for these standing committees and councils can be found on the SharePoint site. Taskforce and special committee information is also found in the FOG section of the SON SharePoint site. FOG bylaws and all documents/minutes for all of FOG’s councils and committees are also found in SharePoint.

The purpose of the faculty organization (FO) shall be to: (1) provide a regular and systematic means for faculty to join in school governance and policy making; (2) provide a democratic structure for the development, implementation and evaluation of the educational programs of the SON; and (3) advise and make recommendations to the dean on relevant matters.

The regular members of this organization shall be those persons who hold full-time faculty appointments in the SON. The associate members of this organization shall be those persons who hold part-time faculty appointments in the SON.

Faculty organization meetings (FOM) occur quarterly in July, October, January and April and are found on the above-mentioned calendar on SharePoint. All faculty are expected to attend in person. All FOM files can be found in the FOM shared folder on SharePoint. Note: Staff are welcome to join but not required to attend.

Staff organization

The staff organization was reinstated in 2013 and includes all full-time staff members, including clinic staff. The group meets quarterly and/or as needed. The purpose of the organization is to address staff-specific issues, provide staff development, and enhance communication.

The position of staff organization chair is nominated and elected by the staff organization. The staff organization chair will perform the following volunteer service duties:

Facilitate all staff organization meeting agendas and minutes
Coordinate with the associate dean of administration
Plan annual staff development events and social events
Advocate for the staff as a representative of the team and voice of the staff organization
Serve a minimum of a two-year term
Perform other duties as assigned by the dean and/or designee

Mission, vision and core values of the SON

Mission:To develop nurse leaders and improve health within and beyond Mississippi through excellence in education, research, practice and service

Vision:Empowering Nurse Leaders. Transforming Health Care.

Core values:

Respect - consideration and thoughtfulness with regard to others

Excellence - the quality of being outstanding and superior

Accountability - responsible to somebody and for something

Diversity - intentional inclusion of psychological, physical and social differences of others

Integrity - steadfastly adhering to principles of professional standards

Strategic plan

FY 2023-2028 Strategic Priorities and Goals

Prepare and sustain a competent nursing workforce to achieve health equity

Implement competency-based education to prepare practice ready nurse leaders
Build adaptive, accessible, physical and virtual learning spaces
Expand IPE experiences with diverse populations
Align program offerings to meet anticipated workforce needs

Strengthen mutually beneficial local to global partnerships for transforming health care

Enrich and develop academic practice partnerships that incorporate the four spheres of care
Create and advance innovations that will revolutionize health care
Build capacity for partnerships that address global health needs
Create innovative service models for addressing health needs in underserved populations in Mississippi

Cultivate an inclusive SON community reflecting the populations we serve to promote health and well-being

Strengthen and maintain an infrastructure to support a restorative and equitable environment for faculty, staff and students
Recruit and retain excellent, diverse faculty, staff and student leaders, reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve
Establish a comprehensive system to promote success in all students

Accelerate creative inquiry to advance nursing science with translation for improving health

Cultivate a spirit of inquiry to promote the SON research and scholarship
Optimize research and scholarly collaborations
Expand research capacity

Resources

Faculty and Staff Recruitment

The SON adheres to the UMMC Faculty Employment Policies, which include: recruitment and hiring, tenured and non-tenured employment, and promotion. Likewise, the SON follows the recruitment, hiring, promotions and transfer policies for UMMC staff. All policies related to faculty and staff employment are located in the UMMC Faculty and Staff Handbook.

Faculty Search Process

Associate deans identify faculty needs and submit to the dean for consideration.
The dean will review the request, obtain resources as needed and notify the appropriate associate dean. Upon approval, the associate dean/s, chair of SON faculty search committee and the director of business operations collaborate on job descriptions, qualifications and the WorkDay job posting.
Appropriate ads are placed by the director of budget and finance with approval from the dean.
The SON is interested in qualified candidates who have similar core values to ours with a commitment towards building equitable and inclusive environments. UMMC is an equal opportunity employer.
All curriculum vitae, letters of interest and reference lists with phone numbers are forwarded to the chair of the faculty search committee for initial screening by the business operations director.

Full-time applicants:

The chair of the faculty search committee will convene a meeting to determine which applicants will be interviewed. The initial interview with candidates may be via WebEx using an evaluation tool. Once the faculty search committee determines the top applicants for the position, the chair will submit recommendations to the dean. The dean will give approval for candidates to be invited to campus (*If social distancing is in place, the interview may be conducted using a virtual format). The search committee or director of business operations will vet at least two professional references prior to inviting the candidates to campus. The search committee chair and dean’s executive assistant will develop the itinerary for the on-campus interview with appropriate individuals invited to participate. Once the on-campus interview is complete, the chair of the faculty search committee, with assistance from the dean’s executive assistant, will compile data and submit the candidates recommended for hire to the dean. The dean will communicate with the chair of the Faculty Appointment Promotion Tenure (FAPT) Committee and request a recommendation for rank. The dean, in collaboration with the FAPT, the Faculty Affairs Department and the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, determines the rank and other conditions of hire. The director of business operations, in collaboration with HR, will ensure all required information is obtained, processed and stored in the applicant folder at hire (curriculum vitae, employment application, academic ranking, official transcripts and nursing license). Once a decision and offer for employment has been made, the dean or designee will communicate with all candidates.

Part-time applicants:

Upon approval from the associate dean for academic affairs and in collaboration with the program/track director, the assistant dean will coordinate the interview with the applicant. The director of business operations will request necessary documentation from the applicant and ensure that all required information is obtained, processed and stored in the applicant folder (curriculum vitae, employment application, academic ranking, official transcripts, and nursing license). If part-time faculty desire to be considered for a full-time position, they must complete the same process of application as full-time candidates. A recommendation for hire will be made to the dean or designee. Once a decision and offer for employment has been made, the dean or designee will communicate with all candidates.

SON administrative positions:

When an administrative faculty position is available, the dean will appoint the replacement. The appointment process will be at the dean’s discretion and may include application, interview and a presentation to the faculty. In collaboration with the dean, the associate dean for administration will oversee the process. Succession planning (the development of future leaders for specific positions) is valued by the school and university. The Dean’s Emerging Academic Leadership (DEAL) fellowship is an opportunity for those interested to have formal leadership development training for future or current roles. All administrative roles are appointments and may be reappointed as deemed necessary by the dean.

Faculty role expectations

Regardless of role, all faculty are required to:

Implement an annual professional development plan, which includes contact hours of continuing education (CE) annually (June 1-May 31; CE certificates must be maintained for Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) audit). All full-time nursing faculty must report 10 hours of CE each year and part-time and adjunct faculty must satisfy the CE requirement in accordance with their designated full-time equivalent (FTE).
Satisfy annual compliance and integrity requirements.

Teaching

Teaching is engaging in specifically designed interactions with the student which facilitate, promote, and result in student learning. The percent of teaching effort is based on the faculty role, as outlined in the workload guidance document which can be found on SharePoint.

Elements of teaching may include but are not limited to:

Content expertise is the formally recognized knowledge, skills, and abilities a faculty member possesses in a chosen field by virtue of advanced training, education, or experience.
Instructional delivery skills are those human interactive skills which promote or facilitate learning including the ability to motivate students, generate enthusiasm, and communicate effectively.
Clinical proficiency is the ability to select and maintain clinical learning environments that facilitate competence and enhance the application of skills and knowledge to practice.
Instructional design skills are those technical skills in 1) designing, sequencing, and presenting experiences which facilitate learning; and 2) designing, developing, and implementing tools and procedures for assessing student learning outcomes.
Course management includes those organizational and bureaucratic tasks involved in maintaining and operating a course.

Instructional activities may include but are not limited to:

Creating and maintaining an intellectual environment conducive to critical thinking and learning
Teaching assigned classes and conducting assigned clinical
Actively participating in course team planning, implementation and evaluation with continuous quality improvement
Using effective teaching strategies, content and teaching materials that are appropriate to the instructional objectives and individualized learning needs, level and program outcomes
Remaining current with trends in higher education, nursing education, and evidence-based nursing knowledge
Using current technology and materials in learning environments
Providing effective clinical instruction and supervision of students in clinical areas
Using appropriate evaluation techniques as measures of teaching and student performance
Providing prompt and clear feedback to students
Providing individual advisement to advisees at least once each semester and more often as needed
Referring students to other resources as appropriate

Other activities may include but are not limited to:

Communicating with appropriate course coordinator, director and/or assistant dean regarding student progress
Adhering to SON academic policies in evaluation of student classroom and clinical performance
Using student and administrator evaluations to improve teaching effectiveness
Communicating appropriately with others in all faculty role activities (students, peers, administrators, agency personnel, community)
Participating in developing and maintaining excellence in the educational programs offered by the SON
Maintaining office hours for availability to students, faculty and administrators
Maintaining availability to administrator during regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) by email, virtual, or phone

Research/Scholarship

Research/Scholarship is a commitment to inquiry, including generating new knowledge, leading scholarly pursuits, translating findings to education and practice, and disseminating knowledge that aims to improve health and/or enhance well-being. Faculty members are expected to be involved in research and/or scholarship, based on faculty appointment and rank according to the workload guidance document.

Research is defined as activities that demonstrate evidence of progressive development and contributions of new knowledge to a chosen field or translation of knowledge to new populations.
Scholarship is defined as the generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of knowledge that aims to improve health and transform healthcare (AACN, 2018).

AACN (2018, March 26). Defining scholarship for academic nursing. https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Position-Statements-White-Papers/Defining-Scholarship-Nursing.

Research activities may include but are not limited to:

Development and submission of research proposals and grants
Carrying out the aims of funded research
Data collection and analysis
Dissemination of results in publication and presentations
Submission of abstracts and manuscripts

Scholarly activities may include but are not limited to:

Publishing evaluations of novel approaches to teaching or teaching methodology, innovative approaches to teaching in clinical settings, patient-care services, program development and innovation, outcomes of innovative programs and/or services
Planning, conducting, and disseminating clinical quality improvement projects
External transfer of innovative teaching and/or clinical service models
Authorship of professional practice guidelines, textbooks, book chapters, monographs, digital media, extended learning materials, or other educational materials
Poster and podium presentations
Providing consultation to government agencies, industry, or professional groups
Securement and/or participation in competitive grants or contracts for teaching, practice, or service programs
Authorship in peer reviewed publications
Performing peer review of journal publications

Service

Service is the participation in activities, and/or projects that enhance the mission of the school/university to serve its students and/or the community. The service role includes service to the faculty member’s school, the university, the discipline/profession, and/or the community/public.

Service to the institution (school & university) is expected of all faculty members and includes activities such as, but not limited to:

Membership on committees as assigned/elected
Attendance and participation in official functions/events of the SON/university such as faculty meetings, graduation, honors day, and pinning
Representation of UMMC SON for the recruitment of faculty and students

Service to the discipline/profession may include activities such as, but not limited to:

Clinical practice (refer to the faculty practice guidance document)
National board certifications or awards
Expert panel or committee membership
Participation in local, state, regional, national or international professional organizations and publications (e.g., journal reviewer, service on editorial boards, board leadership)

Service to the community/public may include activities such as, but not limited to:

Offering health-related services or those related to areas of expertise
Presentations to the public

Policy Tech

SON academic policies and procedures are routinely reviewed for accuracy and consistency. Most policies are on two- or three-year cycles, but policies can change prior to their cycle deadline. When changes are made, they become effective when published in Policy Tech. Policy update emails are also sent out to faculty and staff by the graphic designer and to students by the director of student life.

Policy reviewers are the associate dean for academic affairs, associate dean for administration and the assistant dean for accreditation and evaluation. Final approval of all policies and documents are by the dean and vice chancellor for academic affairs before they are published in Policy Tech.

For more information on policy development and revision, refer to the SON Procedure for Policy Development and Revision. For historical policy documents, please visit the UMMC Document Center.

SON SharePoint

The SON maintains a SON SharePoint site that houses all common files for the school. All faculty, staff and part-time faculty have access to this SharePoint site. Note: The SON SharePoint site will require UMMC credentials to login.

The home page of the SON SharePoint site is organized with the structure of the organization chart of the SON. A search bar is also available at the top of any SharePoint screen to help find documents.

Common areas are highlighted on the home page under their headers and include business operations forms and rosters; PowerPoint templates; faculty/staff photos; and recorded informative sessions.

Monthly newsletter archive

An archive of the SON monthly newsletters is available on the SON SharePoint site. It features past issues of the Diversity Digest, SONCINE and a link to the electronic newsletter Vital Signs (website-based).

Diversity Digest newsletter

The SON provides a monthly newsletter called "Diversity Digest." This newsletter features a variety of topics including American history, cultural diversity, and educational information related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It includes diversity best practices and provides tools of engagement related to DEI experiences and initiatives. The goal of the newsletter is to enhance the reader’s knowledge base by recognizing the value of DEI and helping to garner a sense of civility, dignity, and respect for every person.

SONCINE newsletter

The Collaborative for Innovation in Nursing Education (CINE) produces a monthly newsletter called "Hey SONCINE." This newsletter provides an overview article on the use of technology in teaching and learning. Readers can learn new tips and tricks around the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), as well as updates on new innovations and technologies at the SON. The CINE offers bi-monthly online learning sessions on a series of topics, and additional information about these trainings can also be found in the newsletter.

Vital Signs electronic newsletter

A monthly electronic newsletter, Vital Signs, is produced by the graphic designer and the project manager for marketing and recruitment, in conjunction with the executive council. The issues are emailed out to the faculty, staff, and students usually within the first week of each month. Past issues can be viewed on the Vital Signs archive web page. A sign up for future issues is also located on this page.

Annual Faculty Evaluation Process

The goal of the annual faculty evaluation is to determine if faculty members are meeting their annual professional and academic goals and if they are satisfied with the support and resources provided to them. The annual faculty evaluation process in the SON is as follows:

Faculty evaluations occur every year unless otherwise noted. The faculty evaluation process will consist of the following:

Faculty will complete and individual development plan (IDP) which includes: 1) Self-evaluation of the standards of performance for the previous year; 2) Evaluation of professional goal achievement for previous year(s); 3) Creation of professional development goals for the upcoming year. Faculty will also provide an updated CV to the Office of Research and Scholarship.
Any faculty whose performance appraisal for the preceding year did not meet the standards of performance in any area or who has been placed on a performance improvement plan will be evaluated on an as needed basis.
Once complete, the faculty member sends the IDP to their supervisor and completes a self-appraisal in the UMMC evaluation software system, Halogen, which can be accessed via WorkDay, for review by the appropriate individuals.
Faculty schedule an appointment with their supervisor to discuss the evaluation. After evaluation documents are signed by the faculty member and supervisory individual, the evaluations are available to the dean for review.
Specific policies for faculty seeking promotion and/or tenure are available on SharePoint.

Annual Faculty Performance Review and Individual Development Plan

Staff evaluation

Staff evaluations are conducted on an annual basis by the staff member’s supervisor, consistent with UMMC policy. The staff evaluations are completed in the Halogen software, which can be accessed via WorkDay. Any available evaluations and action steps will be available in the supervisor and supervise roles on their own individual home pages. Deadlines will be posted and emails will be sent out when actions need to be completed.

Students

Policies and procedures related to SON students (i.e., student advisement, orientation, clinical practice, examinations, grading, professional expectations, certification for graduation) are available and accessible in the SON Student Handbook, SGSHS Student Handbook, UMMC Bulletin; and on the SON website.

Policies relevant to education for all schools (by the UMMC Office of Academic Affairs) and the SON are located in Policy Tech.

Academic grievance

An academic grievance is a dispute concerning some aspect of academic involvement arising from an administrative or faculty decision which the student claims is unjust, arbitrary or capricious. Please note grades will only be reviewed in cases of miscalculation or documentation error. Questions related to student policies should be referred to the associate dean for academic affairs.

The SON Grievance Policy and related forms can be found in Policy Tech.

Facilities

Both the Jackson campus and Oxford instructional site afford faculty, staff and students a rich environment for learning. The CINE is located in the Christine Oglevee Building on the Jackson campus. Faculty, staff and students from both the Jackson and Oxford campuses may access help and support services from CINE Staff, as well as from the UMMC Help Desk.

The CINE staff is comprised of a director, an instructional designer and an instructional technologist. Policies of the CINE are available on the SON SharePoint site.

The SON Clinical Skills and Simulation Labs house areas for simulation and skills practice in the Christine Oglevee Building, in the Classroom Wing, as well as the Oxford Campus. Related policy and procedure information may be found on the SON SharePoint site.

The Jackson campus SON building contains offices, classroom and conference spaces, labs, lounge areas, study areas, and a basic sciences lab. The Oxford campus building contains XXXXXXXXXXXXX. Contact information is available through office staff and accessible on the Faculty and Staff Resources page.

Curriculum

Programs of Study

The SON offers degree options at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels. Students who are seeking a PhD in nursing abide by the policies of the SGSHS as well as those of the SON.

The UMMC Bulletin details admission, progression and completion information as well as course descriptions and plans of study for each program. Questions related to a specific program should be referred to the respective program director or assistant dean.

SON Program and Track Directors
Program/Track	Director	Contact Information
Traditional BSN program	Dr. Keyshawnna "Nikki" Lee	Email: nlee3@umc.edu Phone: 601.815.9546
Accelerated BSN Jackson program	Dr. Chelsey Andries	Email: candries@umc.edu Phone: 601-984-1859
Accelerated BSN Oxford program	Lacey Gentry	Email: lgentry1@umc.edu Phone: 662.915.2093
RN to BSN program	Dr. Jill Clayton	Email: jclayton@umc.edu Phone: 601.815.9477
RN to MSN program	Dr. Tina Ferrell	Email: cdferrell@umc.edu Phone: 601.815.9024
Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track (MSN)	Dr. Amy Carroll	Email: alowery@umc.edu Phone: 601.984.6339
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track (MSN)	Dr. Audwin Fletcher	Email: afletcher@umc.edu Phone: 601-984-6210
Family Nurse Practitioner track (MSN)	Dr. Derek Holt	Email: dholt@umc.edu Phone: 601.984.6245
Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track (MSN)	Dr. Carl H. Mangum, II	Email: cmangum@umc.edu Phone: 601.984.6269
Nurse Educator track (MSN)	Dr. Kimberly Douglas	Email: kddouglas@umc.edu Phone: 601.815.6261
Nursing and Health Care Administrator track (MSN)	Dr. Jeanne Calcote	Email: mcalcote@umc.edu Phone: 601.984.4192
DNP, BSN-DNP programs	Dr. Linda Upchurch	Email: lupchurch@umc.edu Phone: 601.984.1713
PhD in Nursing program	Dr. Angela Duck	Email: aduck@umc.edu Phone: 601.815.1949

Course Coordinators

Roles and responsibilities of course coordinators in the undergraduate and graduate programs are detailed in course coordinator handbooks. These handbooks are available on the SON SharePoint site.

Preceptors and Facilitators

Guidelines, preceptor responsibilities, orientation procedures and evaluation documents for preceptors and facilitators are available on the SON SharePoint site in the Office of Academic Affairs folder. Preceptor/facilitator web pages are also on the SON website.

Website Information/Updates

The continual increase in the use of the internet and the UMMC intranet for communication, archives, and tracking has led to efforts to coordinate the posting of information on websites. These processes aim to ensure the accuracy and clarity of electronic and print information available to the community of interest.

Verification of Accuracy of Online and Print Materials

move to policy tech as a guideline?

SON Syllabi Templates

The SON undergraduate and graduate syllabi templates are housed on the SON SharePoint. The undergraduate syllabus template is maintained by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UGCC) and the graduate syllabus template is maintained by the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC).

Clinical Education Placement

Clinical education placement agreements are made between the SON and each clinical site that any of SON students use for preceptors. If there is a need for an education agreement to be established, contact Tina Reeves, education administrator.

Preceptor and Clinic Location Process

Mississippi IHL guidelines regarding use of preceptors are as follows:

Preceptors (e.g. mentors, guides, coaches) shall be academically/experientially prepared at or beyond the level for which the preceptor service is rendered.
Preceptors for prelicensure students not prepared at or beyond the academic level for which the preceptor service is rendered must be prepared at or above the same level of licensure appropriate for the student learning experience recognizing the preceptor’s experience and practice expertise.
Preceptors shall have a minimum of one-year experience.

A Clinical Education Placement Agreement must be in place with any agency in which a preceptor is used. An updated list of approved site locations is located on the SON SharePoint site. Students may request a copy of the list by contacting Tina Reeves, education administrator in the Office of Academic Affairs. If a site is not listed, then a request for a new clinic location should be submitted to Tina Reeves. Please contact Mrs. Reeves for a copy of the New Clinic Request form.

Students may only complete their clinic requirements at locations in the state of Mississippi.

Preceptors are responsible for submitting to the student a current copy of their license and certification. The license and certification must display the effective and expiration dates. A copy of their diploma is not acceptable.

Each Preceptor Agreement form must contain the required documentation of the preceptor’s:

Education verification
Clinical experience verification
RN License and Advanced Practice RN License, if appropriate
Certification (i.e. Role Specific – AGACNP, AGNP, FNP, FPMHNP, NED, NHCA, NNP, PNP) – if appropriate

Faculty is responsible for verifying that preceptors are qualified based on desired student and course outcomes.

Faculty/student will provide written information to the preceptor prior to clinical experiences including:

The date and times of student experiences
The expected outcomes of the experience(s)
Names of student(s) with assigned preceptor
Validation that student(s) meet health requirements, CPR certification, malpractice coverage, Hepatitis B immunization series, licensure if applicable
Any additional information required by the agency or requested by the preceptor
Course overview/clinical objectives for the rotation

Faculty must make an initial visit with the preceptor via phone or WebEx to orient the preceptor to the course, clinical objectives, the clinical expectation for the student and evaluation process. Faculty are to use their best judgment to determine subsequent follow-up with preceptors and students and via which method (e.g., face-to-face, WebEx, Zoom, telephone). Faculty are responsible for monitoring student progress. Any student in academic difficulty should be monitored more often and a plan developed with the student and preceptor to monitor and document progress to ensure a successful experience.

Upon the completion of the clinical experience the following evaluations will be completed either electronically or in paper format.

Student Evaluation of Preceptor
Student Evaluation of Residency Experience and Site
Preceptor Evaluation of Student
Student Evaluation of Faculty

At the end of the semester, a Thank You letter should be sent to the preceptor. The letter should include verification of the number of clinical hours they spent with the student.

Faculty is responsible for completing interim and final evaluations on all students and for regularly contacting students and preceptors during the process.

The course faculty or designee will retain any and all of the course records regarding the preceptor used and qualifications of the preceptors in SharePoint should this information be requested at any time by the school, university or IHL.

Effective 5/97; Revised 9/19; 3/21

Evaluation

Evaluation documents

Specific evaluation documents (agency, course, alumni, employer, student, and faculty) are available in the Office of the Assistant Dean for Accreditation & Evaluation. Questions related to those documents and the Master Evaluation Plan should be directed to that office. The current and archived Master Evaluation Plans are housed on the SON SharePoint site.

Miscellaneous

Badge access policy and procedures

UMMC SON and Classroom Wing entrances to the building are by badge access only.
UMMC SON Employees — All UMMC SON faculty and staff will have 24/7 access to the UMMC SON exterior doors via badge access. The Business Operations Office is responsible for employee badge access.
1. Access is granted when an employee is hired by the UMMC SON on the first day of employment by the business operations system administrator. Building access is part of the SON orientation process for new employees.
2. Access is removed by the business operations system administrator when an employee is terminated by the UMMC SON. This is an item on the termination check list for the UMMC SON. For immediate, hostile and/or forced terminations, the SON supervisor of the employee being terminated is responsible for contacting the SON business operations system administrator for immediate revoking of access.
UMMC SON students — All UMMC SON students will be granted student access by the Office of Academic Affairs. Students will be set up in the badge access system, per the following:
1. Access is granted when a list of incoming students is given to the academic affairs system administrator by the academic programs at the beginning of each semester. Building access is part of the SON orientation process for new students.
2. Access is removed at student graduation or withdrawal/removal from the program. This information is to be given to the academic affairs system administrator by the appropriate academic program director.
3. If access other than the student access defined above is needed, a request will need to be made to the academic affairs system administrator. The request will need to include the student’s name, the purpose of the expanded access, and the requested period of access. This request can be made via email or in memo format. The request will be kept on file for the duration of that access being granted.
4. For expanded access, the system administrator will either use the temporary access feature in Cardkey or will enter as a permanent change with noted period of access.
Non-UMMC SON employees or students – Occasionally it is necessary for a non-UMMC SON employee/student to have access to the SON building. Should this be necessary, the following guidelines will be followed:
1. UMMC faculty and staff not part of the SON will have the same badge access to the SON building as they do with the other buildings across campus. Examples: UMMC faculty from other departments teaching or meeting in the SON building after hours, UMMC students from other schools completing work in the SON Basic Science Lab.
2. Special Events – On occasions, it is necessary for the SON exterior doors to be open to the general public after hours during the week or on a weekend. If this is needed, a request will need to be made to the system administrator in the dean’s office. The request will need to include the requestor’s name and contact information, the purpose of the access, and the requested period of access. This request can be made via email or in memo format. The request will be kept on file for the duration of that access being granted.

Conference Calls (Audio and Video)

Audio and video conferencing services are available through the CINE. If you need to organize any audio and/or video conference, please contact Michael Vaughan. A Webex session will be created, and connectivity information will be forwarded to you via email. Please be sure to outline the date needed, time and duration of the call when making the request.

Contact Michael Vaughan.
Send the connectivity information to your attendees.
CINE Staff will assist in setting up the appropriate meeting space.

If you would like your own personal WebEx room for meetings, class and/or special presentations/events, contact Amy Robertson to set up a ticket in DIS Service Catalog to request your own WebEx personal room.

Criminal background checks

Prior to final acceptance into the SON, all applicants must complete a criminal history and background check. Accepted applicants will be scheduled an appointment with UMMC Department of HR where a set of digital fingerprints will be acquired. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Mississippi Public Safety Commission and the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation for a criminal background check.
If any potentially disqualifying event is reported, HR will mail a copy of the criminal history report record to both the applicant and the SON associate dean for academic affairs.
Upon receipt of the criminal history report, the applicant’s acceptance will be placed on HOLD.
The associate dean for academic affairs will notify the applicant that he/she may provide written explanation for listed offenses including mitigating circumstances and planned appeals of inaccurate information.
The associate dean for academic affairs will confer with counsel (if needed) to determine whether or not any reported incident would disqualify the applicant for admission to the SON based on Mississippi Code:
1. Section §37-29-232: "if the fingerprinting or criminal history record checks disclose a felony conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere to a felony of possession or sale of drugs, murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape, sexual battery, sex offense listed in Section 45-33-23(g), child abuse, arson, grand larceny, burglary, gratification of lust or aggravated assault, or felonious abuse and/or battery of a vulnerable adult that has not been reversed on appeal or for which a pardon has not been granted, the student shall not be eligible to be admitted to the health care professional/vocational technical academic program of study. Any preadmission agreement executed by the health care professional/vocational technical academic program shall be voidable if the student receives a disqualifying criminal history record check."
The associate dean for academic affairs will summarize the contents of documents submitted by HR and the applicant to the SON executive council for consideration and recommendation based on the seriousness and/or pattern of reported incidents. Executive council consists of the SON dean, associate deans and assistant deans.
1. Information contained in a criminal history record check will not be used to unlawfully discriminate in the admissions process.
2. The executive council will consider all available information including documents submitted by the applicant on a case-by-case basis and decide what impact the incident(s) or disqualifying event(s) might have with regard to SON admission.
3. Section § 37-29-232 stipulates that the health care professional academic program may grant waivers for those mitigating circumstances, which shall include, but not be limited to:
  - the age at which the crime was committed;
  - circumstances surrounding the crime (nature and frequency of all reported offences);
  - length of time since the conviction and criminal history since conviction;
  - work history; current employment and character references;
  - other evidence (such as rehabilitation) demonstrating the ability of the student to perform the clinical responsibilities competently and that the student does not pose a threat to the health or safety of patients in the licensed health care entities in which they will be conducting clinical experiences.
The executive council will render a final decision as to whether or not the incident(s) or disqualifying event(s) preclude admission[MP4] to the SON. Outcomes include a) offer of acceptance remains intact, or b) the offer of acceptance is rescinded and student is denied admission.
The associate dean for academic affairs will notify the applicant of the above decision in writing and send a copy to HR.
For applicants NOT ACCEPTED, all documents, including the criminal history report records shall be destroyed after admission action is taken. For applicants ACCEPTED, the criminal history report and supporting documents shall be maintained in the office of the associate dean for academic affairs until termination of enrollment due to graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal from the program, at which time the criminal history report records will be destroyed.
The background check is valid throughout the duration of the program to which the student was admitted.

Keys

At the time of employment, the director of budget and finance sends a request to physical facilities for a key(s) for the employee. Additional requests for SON keys should be submitted to the director of budget and finance.

Once the key has been made, the employee will be notified that it is ready. The employee will be responsible for picking up the key from physical facilities. The employee must have his/her UMMC ID to sign for the key. The office key also opens the classrooms, workrooms and conference rooms.

High security keys remain the property of UMMC and must be surrendered to physical facilities upon termination of employment, transfer to another department, or upon request of UMMC officials, or designee. In no case is the key to be transferred from one individual to another or obtained from any source other than UMMC. Failure to return a key upon termination or upon transfer to another department will result in a charge of $50 cash per key. This fee must be paid for replacement keys in case of loss or theft of a key. If the key breaks, there is no charge for a replacement key.

Leave form guidelines

Leave forms used by the SON are found on the SON SharePoint site under the Business Operations folder in the folder titled "Forms". The form used for leave is titled "SON Leave Form". This is a fillable form and can be digitally signed. See pay code description at the bottom of the leave form for appropriate code or UMMC Faculty and Staff Handbook for UMMC leave policies.
The leave form should be completed by faculty and staff members prior to taking the leave time requested and submitted to their supervisor for their approval and signature at least one week prior to leave requested. If the leave time requested is one week or greater, a 30-day notice is required. Faculty/staff are expected to have their course and administrative duties covered.
After the supervisor approves and signs the leave form, the form should then be submitted to the director of business operations.
Please refer to UMMC Leave Policy for more detailed information.
- Faculty Non-FMLA and Personal Leave of Absence
- Staff Non-FMLA and Personal Leave of Absence
- Donated Leave Policy
If you are working in outside employment during normal business hours (another position, unrelated to your job at UMMC, which has been approved by the dean), you are required to complete a leave form using personal time.
For faculty/staff who are out on medical leave that is unscheduled, leave forms should be submitted to their supervisor for approval and processing as soon as the faculty/staff member returns to work. If faculty/staff are out for medical reasons more than five (5) consecutive days, they must file for family medical leave (FML).
FML – Even though faculty/staff complete FML paperwork with HR, they are still required to submit leave forms. All leave forms for FML should be submitted to the supervisor prior to the employee going out on leave if the employee has prior knowledge of the leave. In some instances, the employee does not have knowledge of the FML leave until they are already out on medical leave. In those instances, the faculty/staff member or supervisor can contact the director of business operations for assistance.

When a faculty/staff initially request FML, the supervisor/manager receives an email that states:

"(Faculty/Staff name) has 15 days to turn in paperwork to the HR Leave Specialists in the EEO office located in Apt. C3. If the request is for intermittent leave, the employee must recertify FMLA leave after six (6) months if needed. If any questions or concerns, please contact the HR-Leave Specialists at 601-815-4755 or 601-984-1132. Their fax number is 601-815-2955 and email address is HR-Leave@umc.edu."

Please forward this email to the director of business operations, Sherida Hicks.

Meeting minutes

The SON Minutes Template should be used for all minutes, to include council, committee, and other meetings. Members present and absent should be listed. Ex officio members should not be listed unless required by the chairperson.

Staff responsible for minutes will send the first draft to the chair for review. The chair will review and return to staff for corrections. The minutes should be emailed before the next meeting for review by the committee/council members. After the minutes are voted on and approved at the next meeting, the chair and the staff person should sign electronically. The signed minutes should be uploaded to SharePoint as a pdf, not as a scanned document.

The following should be posted to SharePoint:

Voted on and electronically signed (by chair and staff member) minutes
Agenda
Sign-in sheet, if applicable
Attachments

To be sent in the following format:

Committee or Council name_date
Example: FOM_01.02.2021

Natural disasters, catastrophic events and weather-related emergencies

The SON adheres to the UMMC policy with the purpose to provide guidance and direction to all faculty and staff as it relates to staffing needs and expectations in natural disasters, catastrophic events and weather‐related emergencies. The complete policy is located in the UMMC Faculty and Staff Handbook.

Room Reservations

There are two (2) methods to reserve a classroom or conference room in the SON. Some rooms are booked through Outlook and some are booked through Event Management System (EMS).

Rooms booked through Outlook:

Classrooms – A018, A035, A102, A140, A142, A143, A330
Conference Rooms – A108, A239, A327

Rooms booked through EMS:

Classrooms – A116
Classroom Wing – CW106, CW107, CW108, CW109

When needing a classroom or conference room please contact the appropriate staff member for support as listed below.

Undergraduate Program – Education Administrator to the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs (ext. 46209) / Education Administrator for RN-BSN Program (ext. 57616)
RN-MSN Program – Education Administrator for RN-MSN Program (ext. 46204)
MSN Program – Education Administrator for Graduate Programs (ext. 44588)
DNP Program – Education Administrator for DNP Program (ext. 46204)
PhD Program – Education Administrator for PhD Program (ext. 46221)
Research and Scholarship – Project Manager to the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship (ext. 46234)
Practice and Partnerships – Project Manager to the Associate Dean for Practice and Partnerships (ext. 54128)
Outside SON Requests – Education Administrator for Administration (ext. 44878)

These requests should be made by email and contain the following information:

Date and time of the meeting (begin time and end time)
Purpose of the meeting
How many people will be attending the meeting
Detailed technology assistance needed

Booking a Room in Outlook - While booking a room using Outlook, please be sure to add SON_Support to the meeting invitation. This will allow the room reservation to appear on a centralized calendar to ensure availability of support resources for all meeting and classroom events. Please note that SON_Support is a room resource address only. As a result, any emails sent to this address will not be delivered. Please be sure to provide specific details in the notes about the types of technology being utilized during the session (PowerPoint, Microphones, Projection, Clickers, etc.), including connectivity (i.e. DL Connection, WebEx, Adobe Connect or Teleconference). Specificity will help ensure the highest level of support.

Room Cancellations: If you would, please let us know as soon as possible when a class or meeting session has been canceled. This will prevent unnecessary resources from being provided when support services are not needed.

EMS – When scheduling a room via EMS, please send a copy of the detailed request directly to the SON Instructional Technologist. SON_Support is not available in EMS as a support resource.

Reserving Rooms in Outlook

Pull up the room calendar of the requested room.
Right-click on the date needed and choose new appointment.
Enter event title in the subject line, enter the date and time.
Click on the "scheduling assistant" icon to add attendees to the session. Please be sure to add SON_Support as an attendee to ensure support resources. In addition, please add detailed information in the notes to outline the support services needed for the meeting.
When you have completed inputting the information, press "send".

Reserving Rooms through Event Management System (EMS)

Virtual EMS allows everyone to view and request room space in any of the buildings on campus. A request for room space is only a request until it has been confirmed by the appropriate school, and a confirmation sent to the person requesting the space.

Navigate to UMC Intranet and click on Yellowpages in the upper right corner.
Click on "Event Management System".
Click on "My Account" and login with your user ID and password. Once logged in, you should see «Welcome (your name)» in the upper right corner.
Hover over reservations and select school or building you would like to request. Then complete the information below to review rooms available.
1. Select date and time
2. Attendance – insert number expected for meeting
3. Click on «Find Space»
The next screen will show all rooms available for that date, time, and space required.
Select a room by clicking on the "+" to the left of the room number and hit continue. Fill in the event name, type, group (e.g. SON – Faculty/Staff) and select «Done.»
Create contact for yourself under «temporary contact» then hit «submit.»
You will see a box that states this is only a request.

When you are finished using the Virtual EMS, make sure to logout by hovering over «my Account» and select «Logout.»

Presentations and travel

Faculty are encouraged to submit abstracts and proposals for presentation at national and international conferences and to accept invitations for other presentations and participation on behalf of the SON. These guidelines will serve as a framework for reviewing such requests so that the reviews will be done fairly and equitably. The guidelines do not alter the general travel policies and procedures of the UMMC and the Mississippi IHL and do not affect existing policies related to student travel. UMMC policy requires that all travel requests be submitted at least 15 days prior to travel. The SON requires an SON travel request form submitted 60 days prior to travel. Only the dean can approve travel; therefore, for travel to be approved, paperwork must be received 60 days prior to travel and signed by the dean. Failure to adhere to this campus and SON policy and procedure may result in denial of the travel request. The traveler will be notified once the request has been approved.

Since state funds may not be used for international travel, if a presentation by a faculty member is dependent on SON financial support, the dean must be notified of the trip potential before the abstract is submitted. International travel requests must have a justification attached and must be received by the associate vice chancellor for financial affairs at least 60 days prior to the travel dates, regardless of the pay source for the travel. Full or partial funding may be provided, but it is not guaranteed. Available funding may be divided among participants.

In general, requests to attend any conferences for educational purposes only will be considered as administrative leave. Registration may be requested and will be considered based on the availability of funds in the budget.

Priority for approval of travel will be given to the following types of requests (not in priority order):

Oral or poster presentations (Oral presentations are encouraged, particularly if the faculty member has presented posters in the past. Support for oral presentations will take priority over poster presentations.)
Presentations in which the presenter is representing the SON or the dean in an official capacity
Any of the above presentations for which travel is being paid specifically by an external funding source (grant, contract, cooperative agreement, etc.)

Faculty must request permission to submit abstracts if travel support will be requested. This abstract must be submitted to the dean for review PRIOR to submission to the conference or meeting. All travel requests must be processed with the following items attached:

program brochure with agenda;
letter or email of invitation or acceptance of abstract;
abstract; and
documentation of the value of the trip to the institution.

The level of travel reimbursement will be dependent upon the availability of funds. Generally, only 1-2 faculty per presentation can receive travel funding. In accordance with UMMC Travel Policy, use of the lowest, most economical airfare will be required for reimbursement. Available funding may be divided among participants.

To allow for fair and equitable dispersing of travel funds, faculty will be allowed to submit for support consideration for one poster and one podium presentation of the same content in an academic year. Cases with unusual circumstances may be discussed with the dean on an individual basis. Under no circumstances should a faculty member present content to which he or she did not contribute. The work should be original, give credit to any original authors whose work contributed to the presentation, give acknowledgement for any funding received, and include the UMMC SON approved appropriate graphic for either poster or presentation software. Written permission should be obtained when copyrighted information is used.

Faculty should request a specific venue and presentation session to present their posters and/or podium presentations to SON faculty, appropriate doctoral student classes (i.e., journal club) and campus venues within one year after meeting attendance.

Faculty and Staff

School of Nursing 2023-2024 Faculty and Staff Handbook

CONTENTS

Introduction

Governance

Resources

Curriculum

Evaluation

Miscellaneous

Introduction

Governance

Brief description

Organizational chart

Faculty governance model

Faculty organization governance and bylaws

Staff organization

Mission, vision and core values of the SON

Strategic plan

Resources

Faculty and Staff Recruitment

Faculty Search Process

Faculty role expectations

Policy Tech

SON SharePoint

Monthly newsletter archive

Annual Faculty Evaluation Process

Staff evaluation

Students

Facilities

Curriculum

Programs of Study

Course Coordinators

Preceptors and Facilitators

Website Information/Updates

SON Syllabi Templates

Clinical Education Placement

Preceptor and Clinic Location Process

Evaluation

Evaluation documents

Miscellaneous

Badge access policy and procedures

Conference Calls (Audio and Video)

Criminal background checks

Keys

Leave form guidelines

Meeting minutes

Natural disasters, catastrophic events and weather-related emergencies

Room Reservations

Presentations and travel