STUDENT POLICIES

HEALTH INSURANCE

Health insurance is mandatory for all students while enrolled in the physician assistant program. All students will need to supply the program with proof of health insurance, at the beginning of the didactic, clinical, and research year. The insurance policy must cover students in the event of illness or injury including that may result from patient care. If a health condition arises during study that would in any way alter a student’s ability to perform in the clinical setting, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Director of the Department of` Physician Assistant Studies immediately.

Domestic students who would like to purchase insurance coverage can go to the federal insurance exchange at www.healthcare.gov to find available health plans in the state where they permanently reside. If the permanent residence is outside of New York, it will be important to select a PPO plan that offers coverage throughout the United States, so that health care expenses are covered in the area near our university. International students should visit the International Student Affairs at https://www.hofstra.edu/internationalstudent/ Students should contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at SHACC@hofstra.edu or 516-4636745 with further advice on obtaining healthcare insurance.

Students are encouraged to use the Student Health and Counseling Center at Hofstra. Services offered to enrolled students are generally free or very low cost regardless of insurance coverage.

HEALTH CLEARANCE

All students must be medically cleared as evidenced by a health care provider who has determined his/her fitness to perform physician assistant student functions. This verification must be provided at the beginning of the didactic and clinical year. Additionally, supplemental health clearance documents must be completed for students to participate in clinical year clerkships. Depending on research project location, health clearance documents may be required prior to beginning the research semester. The potential cost associated with health clearance is the responsibility of the student.

As determined by the New York State Department of Health and as per CDC requirements, students should be aware that the influenza vaccine is now required for all hospital personnel including students. If a student declines to be vaccinated against influenza, a declination form must be completed, and the student must wear a mask in all clinical arenas or comply with the policies set forth by the clinical site. Documentation of vaccination must be submitted to the PA Program main office during each influenza season (fall semester) while enrolled.

At this time, we would like to make you aware that the Northwell Health Clinical Advisory Committee and Northwell Health Executive Leadership have determined that the COVID-19 vaccination series and booster will be required for all students and faculty who are assigned to any/all Northwell Health facilities, regardless of direct patient care status. Please note Northwell Health team members may ask students or faculty to provide proof of vaccination (CDC card, New York State Excelsior Pass, etc.) upon entering a Northwell Health facility to ensure this requirement is being adhered to. Failure to produce a proof of vaccination will result in dismissal from the Northwell Health facility until vaccination proof can be provided.

Immunization requirements are in accordance with the most current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for health care professionals. Students should be aware that some clinical or research site requirements exceed CDC recommendations. Student health records are confidential and must not be accessible to program faculty or staff except for immunization and tuberculosis screening results which are maintained and released with written permission of the student. Therefore, students are required to keep their own medical information and present it at the beginning of each clinical clerkship or research site.

IDENTIFICATION

Students must display their Hofstra University photo identification in an easily visible location while on clinical clerkships. All students must identify themselves as a “physician assistant student” to patients and medical staff. Under no circumstance should a student encourage or fail to correct the misconception that he/she is a physician or a medical student. Students answering pages or phone calls for clinical preceptors must use their title when answering. All students that have completed the Northwell Scrub class will wear a sticker on their ID badge.

LIABILITY INSURANCE

Hofstra University holds malpractice liability insurance, which covers each site with which the University has a contract. This is renewed on an annual basis. Copies of the insurance certificate can be obtained by contacting the clinical coordinators. Please allow two-four weeks to receive your certificate.

WORK POLICY

The program strongly discourages any type of outside employment during the course of studies in the program. Program responsibilities are not negotiable and will not be altered due to student work obligations. Furthermore, working has been the chief cause for academic difficulty in past years.

Students who choose to volunteer or be paid employees during their physician assistant training cannot use their affiliation with the program in any aspect of that employment. Any activity undertaken by the student, independent of the program, is not covered by the liability insurance offered for clinical work associated with physician assistant training. Furthermore, students may not be required to perform clerical or administrative work for the program.

Students may not substitute for regular clinical or administrative staff during the clinical year. Should such a request be made of a student, it should be reported to the program director immediately.

UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS

Students enrolled in the PA program will participate in caregiving activities. During these activities, exposure to communicable diseases, including, but not limited to, Hepatitis B (“HBV”), Tuberculosis (“TB”), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (“HIV”), SARS-Cov-2 (Covid-19), and Ebola Virus is possible. By enrolling in the PA program, students understand that they may contract a communicable disease while acting as a caregiver. Thus, healthcare professionals must understand that an infectious or environmental hazard exposure can adversely affect their overall health as well as performance in the PA Program.

There are several measures healthcare professionals, including PA students, should take to reduce the risk of exposure. All PA students must complete a training session for healthcare professionals in infection control/universal precautions approved by the New York State Department of Health before entering the program. A certificate of completion must be kept by the student and provided to any clinical site requesting a 27

The principle of universal precautions has been adopted to protect clinicians from exposure to infectious disease because any patient may harbor microorganisms that could cause infection if transmitted. Although bloodborne pathogens are of particular concern, all bodily fluids, secretions, and excretions are included in universal precautions. Since infected patients may be asymptomatic, it becomes necessary to use basic precautions with every patient. Observance of universal precautions will help to provide better protection for every staff member. Students must also follow the hospital/clinical site-specific policies regarding universal precautions. The material below reviews guidelines and preventative techniques.

Should any expense be incurred because of an exposure, the student is responsible for all costs related to the incident.

Universal Precautions Guidelines and Prevention Methods:

1. Avoid direct contact with blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, mucous membranes, non-intact skin, and lesions. 2. Avoid injuries from all sharp objects such as needles or scalpels. 3. Avoid direct contact with items, objects, and surfaces contaminated with blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions. 4. Dispose of all sharp objects promptly in special puncture resistant containers. 5. Dispose of all contaminated articles and materials in a safe manner prescribed by law.

In practice, using Universal Precautions also requires:

1. Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, especially if they become contaminated with blood, bodily fluids, secretions, and excretions. 2. Depending on job duties and risk of exposure, use appropriate barriers, which can include gloves, gowns, aprons, caps, shoe covers, leggings, masks, goggles, face shields, and resuscitation devices.

These barriers are to be used to protect: a. Skin, especially non-intact skin (where there are cuts, chapping, abrasions, or any other break in the skin). b. Mucous membranes, especially eyes, nose, and mouth.

NOTE: The items of protective apparel, including gloves, are to be removed after each use and are to be PROPERLY disposed of. Gloves, etc. are NOT to be worn from one patient or activity to another.

BLOOD BORNE PATHOGEN EXPOSURE POLICY

An exposure incident is defined as a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, or non-intact skin contact with any potentially infectious material. Students should be aware that an infectious or environmental hazard exposure can adversely affect their overall health as well as performance in the Program.

1. Immediately wash exposed skin area with soap and water. If eyes are exposed, immediately flush with water. For mouth or other mucous membrane exposures, rinse with large amounts of water.

2. If the exposure occurs on a clinical clerkship, the student shall IMMEDIATELY REPORT the incident to the Preceptor or clinician student is working with. The student will follow the institutional infectious and environmental hazard policy, including completing all necessary documentation as required and

proceed to step 5. The student is required to report the incident via telephone and email to one of the clinical coordinators as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours following the incident.

3. If exposure occurs on the Hofstra University campus, the student shall IMMEDIATELY REPORT the incident to the course instructor. The course instructor should call Public Safety to report the incident.

The number to call from a cell phone is: 516-463-6606 / Campus landline phone: x36606. If the source individual is another student or faculty member, they will be instructed to call Student Health Services at 516-463-6745 before reporting to Wellness and Campus Living Center for determination of infectious disease status and proceed to step 6.

4. If exposure occurs at the Northwell Bioskills lab, the student shall IMMEDIATELY REPORT the incident to the course instructor. The course instructor will ensure the student irrigates and cleans the affected area. The course instructor will notify Northwell staff. The course instructor will ask

Northwell staff for a copy of the Anatomy Gifts Registry specimen data sheet. The student must call

Student Health Services at 516-463-6745 before reporting to Wellness and Campus Living Center and proceed to step 6.

5. The student must go to the nearest Hospital Emergency Department immediately after the incident to receive counseling, a physical examination, blood testing, and post-exposure prophylaxis if deemed appropriate by the health care provider. If possible, arrangements should be made to determine infectious disease state of the source person. This is generally done through established institutional protocols that are initiated by health care provider evaluating student post exposure. Although this is recommended, this is not a requirement and should not delay post exposure management. In the absence of known source person status, risk assessment of the severity of exposure and HIV status of the source person should be completed by healthcare provider to determine post exposure management.

6. The Exposure Incident Investigation Form should first be filled out by the student as much as possible, ensuring details are included as well as recommendations for avoiding repetition, and then reviewed and signed by an Academic Coordinator if the incident occurred on campus or at the Northwell Bioskills lab, or a Clinical Coordinator if occurred on a clinical clerkship. This form must be completed and signed in person or virtually by the appropriate faculty member within 24-48 hours of exposure. The form is available in all program handbooks, including electronically on Exxat and at http://www.hofstra.edu/academics/colleges/nursing-physician-assistant/physician-assistant/physicianassistant-handbooks.html.

7. A copy of the Exposure Incident Investigation Form, Post-Exposure Evaluation and Follow-up

Checklist, and Emergency Department Discharge Papers (if applicable) should be brought to Hofstra

University Student Health Services Center within 24-48 hours of exposure. In response to precautionary changes on campus associated with COVID-19, Student Health Services has implemented a phone triage system and requires all students to call first at 516-463-6745. When appropriate, clinicians may recommend an in-person evaluation. Hofstra University Student Health Services Center will complete the Post-Exposure Evaluation and Follow-Up Checklist. Follow-up is confidential. The Student Health

Services Center hours of operation, services, and personnel information can be found at: http://www.hofstra.edu/StudentAffairs/StudentServices/welctr/index.html

8. The Academic Coordinator or Clinical Coordinator will review all pertinent documents and place a copy of the Exposure Incident Investigation Form into the student’s file and provide a copy to the PA

Program Director as soon as possible.

Clinical year students are required to follow the schedule set by their preceptor. Students should arrive at the facility before their scheduled shift and remain at the site until excused. Students are expected to take call as designated by the preceptor. Students are expected to work weekends, holidays, and overnight. University holidays and snow days do not pertain to the clinical year. If a student is unable to get to their clerkship due to adverse weather conditions, or told by the site to not come in, all students must still report the absence as outlined below. Students may not take vacations apart from those designated by the clinical year schedule. Should a student be physically present on a site but away from the team, they will be considered absent. It is not acceptable to go to the library to study or to be away from the team without the preceptor’s knowledge and permission.

If a student is unexpectedly unable to report to or will be late to a clinical activity for any reason, they are required to:

1. Call the course coordinator’s office phone ONLY (cell phone calls are reserved for emergencies) and e-mail the course coordinator. All emails require a cc to the clinical team before the start of your activity or shift. 2. Call and e-mail the clinical preceptor before the start of your scheduled shift. 3. Log your lateness or absence on Exxat in “my leave” and be specific on how many days or hours you will not be at their clinical site. 4. Update your “my leave” request with the dates/times of when you will be making up the missed time/shift once confirmed with your clinical site and preceptor.

If a student is feeling ill, they should NOT report to their clerkship and should follow the above clinical attendance protocol.

It is unacceptable to leave a message with the program administrative assistant. It is unacceptable for a student to call or email on behalf of another student.

If an absence due to an illness occurs the day before, the day after a holiday or for longer than 2 days, the student must provide the clinical coordinators with a note from a medical provider verifying the student was seen and uploaded onto Exxat under the “my leave” section. Any absence not related to a clinical year activity or required orientation for an upcoming clerkship, must be made up at the clinical site. There are no “personal days.”

Failure to report an absence and obtain approval from the clinical coordinators will result in an unexcused absence. An unexcused absence, a pattern of multiple excused absences, extended absences, or chronic lateness are subject to disciplinary action, including appearance before the Academic Standing Committee as outlined in the Student Handbook provided to students last year.

UNIVERSITY POLICY RELATED TO ABSENCES FOR RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE

For the clinical year, class time as detailed below is equated to clinical clerkships and all related clinical year activities. Students should report absences as described under the clinical year attendance policy.

Hofstra University recognizes that students and/or faculty may, from time to time, miss class due to religious observances. Students who anticipate missing class for this reason should notify faculty members in advance.