/Institutions/Donnelly-College/json/2025-2026/Nursing-Faculty-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/Donnelly-College/json/2025-2026/Nursing-Faculty-Handbook.json

Infectious Exposure Response

Students and faculty must follow the procedures below in the event of exposure to bloodborne pathogens or other potentially infectious materials through a needle stick, sharp injury, splashes onto broken skin, splashes into eyes or mouth, or through a human bite that breaks the skin, during an academic or clinical experience, 

Education on bloodborne pathogens or other potentially infectious material is covered in the Clinical Orientation that each student completes each year in the Nursing program. 

In the event of an exposure incident, students and faculty are directed to immediately contact the appropriate personnel at the Clinical Partner, as well as to notify the Director of Nursing. Prompt reporting of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, body fluids or other potentially infectious materials is crucial to ensure that proper medical evaluation and treatment, if applicable, is initiated in a timely manner. 

1. Follow the clinical location reporting requirements
2. Follow the Donnelly College reporting requirements.  

Procedure for Needle Sticks/Sharps Injuries and Body Fluid Exposures: 

1. The student should immediately notify the clinical faculty member or Preceptor who is responsible for the learning experience in which the student is engaged. 
2. The clinical faculty member will review the student's Clinical Student Information form or on-line information.
3. Unless extraordinary circumstances are present, the clinical faculty member or Preceptor shall assist the student in shedding contaminated clothing, wiping/washing off visible blood and/or body fluids, and disinfecting the area exposed in an acceptable manner (i.e., a skin-approved bactericidal soap, a waterless cleaner, etc.). Care should be taken not to use abrasives or cleaners that can damage the skin. If blood or body fluids are splashed in the eye or mucous membrane, flush the affected area vigorously with running water. 
4. The Clinical Instructor should complete the required Incident Report Form
   1. LINK for download Nursing Program Incident Form

Post-Exposure Care: 

1. The clinical faculty member or Preceptor shall notify the appropriate personnel at the Clinical Partner that an exposure incident has occurred. If the exposure incident occurred at a Clinical Partner location that can provide the necessary medical evaluation, initial prophylactic treatment, and testing, such treatment should be provided as for any other exposure.  
2. If the clinical partner cannot or will not provide this necessary medical evaluation, initial prophylactic treatment, and testing, the student should be immediately taken to the nearest emergency room or occupational health clinic, as prophylactic treatment should be started as soon as possible if indicated.  
3. The faculty member or Preceptor will make arrangements to test the source individual as soon as possible to determine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infectivity.  
4. Medical evaluations, initial prophylactic treatment, and testing will be at the student or employee's expense. Receipts to be submitted to Donnelly's Insurance.  

INCIDENT REPORTS  

1. An Incident Report should be completed by a Donnelly Nursing Instructor if a student or Nursing Instructor is involved in or said to have had 
   1. Exposure to Infectious Material
   2. Health Issues(s), an injury or other incident during Lab, Simulation or at a Clinical location site
   3. Medication Errors, including near misses
   4. Nursing Conduct Violation 
      1. Nursing Student Handbook Policy
      2. Clinical Partner Policy Violation
      3. Other concerns with conduct
2. The Incident Report should be reviewed and signed by the student or employee that was involved in the incident and then submitted to the Clinical Course Coordinator, if indicated, and the Director of Nursing within 24 hours of the incident.
3. The Clinical Instructor should assist the student in completing all reports when a Clinical Location Partner is involved.  
4. When a student or Nursing faculty member is involved in or noticed to have been involved in one of the above concerns during time with a Clinical Partner, the Clinical Partner may complete the Incident Report.  
5. If there is a medication error or inappropriate conduct, academic remediation and/or reflection should be documented with a plan for improvement in the Incident Report.  
6. Students or faculty will have the opportunity to dispute details of the Incident Report by submitting an email to the Faculty Instructor and Director of Nursing within 36 hours of the incident. 
7. All Incident Reports will be reviewed at the Nursing Faculty Meeting.
   
   LINK for download Nursing Program Incident Form (same form as above)