Patient Safety Violations

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the safety and protection of patients, students, faculty, and clinical partners in all learning environments. Nursing students enrolled in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) Program at Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional, ethical, and safe clinical conduct. This policy outlines behaviors considered patient safety violations and establishes the procedures and grounds for remediation, suspension, or dismissal from the program.

Scope

This policy applies to all ASN students during classroom, skills lab, simulation, and clinical experiences conducted under the authority of Ogeechee Technical College and its affiliated clinical agencies.

Definitions

Patient Safety Violation:
Any action or omission by a student that places, or has the potential to place, a patient or healthcare team member at risk of physical, emotional, psychological, or ethical harm.

Unsafe Clinical Practice:

Performance that is inconsistent with legal, ethical, regulatory, or institutional standards, or failure to demonstrate skills or behaviors necessary for safe nursing practice.

Patient Safety Violations

Critical Violations (Grounds for Immediate Removal and Possible Dismissal)

The following violations are considered serious breaches of patient safety and may result in immediate removal from clinical activities and dismissal from the ASN program:

Administering or attempting to administer medication to the wrong patient, wrong medication, wrong dose, wrong route, or wrong time, or failure to follow required verification procedures.
Performing any procedure or intervention without faculty or preceptor approval, outside the student scope of practice, or without proper supervision.
Failure to report a significant change in a patient’s condition, delay in seeking assistance, or withholding critical information.
Gross negligence or reckless behavior resulting in actual or potential harm.
Violation of patient confidentiality (HIPAA), including unauthorized access, disclosure, or discussion of protected health information.
Patient abandonment, including leaving the assigned care area without permission or failing to provide proper handoff.
Being under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs, or misused prescription medications during any academic or clinical activity.
Falsification of clinical documentation, timesheets, assessments, or any official academic record.
Physical, verbal, or written aggression, harassment, or intimidation toward patients, staff, peers, or faculty.

Serious Violations (Subject to Remediation, Probation, or Dismissal)

Repeated failure to follow instructions, facility protocols, or safety procedures.
Inadequate infection control practices, such as improper hand hygiene or misuse of PPE.
Lack of preparedness, inattentiveness, or inability to perform required skills safely.
Unprofessional communication, disrespect, or boundary violations affecting patient trust.
Failure to maintain required certifications (e.g., CPR, immunizations).

Patterns of Unsafe Behavior

A series of repeated minor infractions may collectively constitute unsafe practice and lead to dismissal if remediation does not result in improvement.

Reporting and Documentation

Any faculty member, preceptor, or clinical staff member who observes or identifies a patient safety violation will immediately remove the student from the clinical environment if necessary.
A written report will be completed within 24 hours and submitted to the Program Director.
Students may be required to submit a written reflection and participate in a review meeting.
Clinical partners may request removal of a student from their facility based on their own policies and professional standards.

Review and Determination Process

Initial Review

The Program Director will review documentation, consult relevant faculty or clinical personnel, and determine whether the violation is categorized as critical, serious, or part of a pattern of unsafe behavior.

Student Conference

The student will be provided an opportunity to respond to the documented concern and present relevant information.

Determination of Outcome

Based on severity, intent, pattern, patient risk, and the student’s prior history, the Program Director may implement one of the following:

No action (if allegation is unsubstantiated)
Verbal or written warning
Remediation plan
Clinical probation
Temporary removal from clinical placement
Dismissal from the ASN Program

Grounds for Immediate Dismissal

The student may be dismissed without prior remediation for:

Any critical patient safety violation outlined in this policy.
Violations of state or federal law related to nursing practice or patient care
Falsification or dishonesty involving patient records, academic documents, or communication
Behavior demonstrating inability to provide safe care after instruction or feedback
Refusal to follow safety directives or clinical agency policies

Remediation and Probation

When appropriate, the faculty may assign a remediation plan, which may include:

Mandatory skill repetition and evaluation
Additional simulation or lab experiences
Written reflections or case analyses
Temporary restrictions on clinical activities
Additional supervision requirements

Failure to complete remediation or failure to demonstrate improvement will result in dismissal.

Appeals Process

A student who is dismissed from the ASN program may file an appeal following Ogeechee Technical College’s established procedures.

The appeal chain is as follows:

Program Director
Dean for Health Sciences
Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA)

Appeals must be submitted within 5 days, which is the timeframe designated by OTC’s institutional policies.

Alignment With Professional Standards

This policy aligns with:

Georgia Board of Nursing rules for prelicensure nursing education
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Code of Professional Conduct for Nursing Students
The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics
Ogeechee Technical College policies and all clinical agency policies