Nursing Student Handbook - John Tyler Community College

Please note students are responsible for any and all medical expenses related to any exposure or incident
while in class, skills lab, simulation, or clinical.
7. Essential Functional Abilities
All individuals who apply for and are students in the Nursing Program, including
persons with disabilities, must be able to perform essential functions included in
this document either with or without accommodations. These essential functions
are congruent with the Virginia State Board of Nurse Examiners expectations of
any individual seeking initial licensure as a registered nurse.
Essential functions are the basic activities that a student must be able to perform. Any student applicant
who has met the necessary prerequisites and who can perform the essential functions of the Nursing
program, either with or without reasonable accommodations, will be considered for admission. A
candidate must be able to perform the identified essential functions in a reasonably independent
manner. The use of trained intermediaries is not permissible, in that the candidate’s judgment would be
mediated by someone else’s power of observation and selection.
Essential function statements, which apply to students in the nursing program, are considered generic and
applicable to all academic programs at JTCC, which are delineated by the nursing faculty of the Nursing
Program reflecting the functional abilities essential for nursing practice identified by the National
Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (1996). The program objectives and “essential functions” of the
Nursing Program are congruent with the following:
The Criteria and Guidelines for the Evaluation of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree
Programs in Nursing established by the National League for Nursing (NLN). The
Nursing program is accredited by the NLNAC.
The Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice established by the American Nurses
Association and adopted by the faculty as standards for the Nursing program.
The “essential functions” are the basic cognitive, psychomotor, and affective activities that are essential to
successful completion of the nursing curriculum leading to initial licensure as a registered nurse. Essential
functions are identified as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, physical endurance, physical strength, mobility,
hearing, visual, tactile, smell, reading, arithmetic competence, emotional stability, analytic thinking, critical
thinking, clinical reasoning, interpersonal skills, and communication. These functional abilities are identified as
essential for a registered nurse, and they form the basis for the John Tyler Nursing Program essential functions.
a. Critical-thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment.
b. Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact professionally with
individuals, families and groups from a variety of social, emotional,
cultural and intellectual backgrounds.
c. Communicate in English, orally and in writing. The use of an interpreter or translation device is
not acceptable.
d. Mobility to move from room to room and maneuver in small spaces.
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