89 NMT Clinical Professional Behavior

Student Behavior and Program Probation or Dismissal

The program directors or clinical supervisors reserve the right to dismiss a student from clinical assignment when a student’s appearance or conduct is inappropriate. If any doubt should arise as to the appearance or conduct of a student, the matter will be reviewed by the program staff.  Failure by the student to abide by the staff’s decision will be met with probation, suspension, or termination from the program.  If a student is considered dangerous in any way toward patients or personnel due to an illness or conduct (example: alcohol or drug use), the student may receive probation, suspension, or termination from the program depending on the severity of the problem. (Refer to Professionalism, Ethical and Practice Standards, HIPAA and Academic Misconduct RISP section)

Clinical Professional Behavior

• Give Prior Notice with Leaving Clinc: Students must give prior notice to their supervising technologist when they are to report for classes or other RISP activities that take place during clinical hours.
• Use of Professional Titles: Students are expected to act in a professional manner at all times. Professional title sare to be used in the presence of patients and hospital staff. (Students should address all physicians, radiologists, and residents by Dr. not by the first name)
• Avoid Controversial Discussions: Students should avoid controversial discussions with referring physicians and other hospital personnel. These matters should be brought to the attention of the RISP faculty and/or the RISP director for a referral to proper departmental personnel.
• Personal calls made by students in the clinic must be limited to those that are emergent or absolutely necessary. These calls must never be made in front of patients. Personal cell phones and devices should be put away in the student’s locker and only used during approved breaks.
• Personal Computers: Students may not bring personal computers of any type to clinic (unless permitted by their clinical site supervisor). Personal computers may only be used for research and studying.  Personal computers may only be used when there are no duties to be performed and permission has been granted by the clinical site supervisor, for each incident of use.  Hospital computers may only be used for E*Value entry, not for social media or other personal items.
• Down Time Activities: If there are no patient examinations to do, the student should first assist the technologist in cleaning and stocking the department, then acquaint themselves with the machines and department procedure protocols. Only with permission of the clinical site supervisor may the student do research or study during down time while on the clock.
• Confidentiality: Students are expected to protect patient information by following HIPAA guidelines and all additional hospital guidelines related to patient information.
• Eating, Drinking in Clinic: Student technologist are to refrain from eating, drinking, sleeping, reading books/magazines, looking at their cell phones, and fraternizing in portions of the hospital department devoted to patient and physician services.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)    

Confidentiality of patient information is an ethical standard that must be maintained by the student during the student’s education.  Students must comply with all HIPAA regulations. https://compliance.iu.edu/compliance-areas/hipaa/training.html .

Students will receive education regarding HIPAA and are required to sign a form prior to clinical courses.

• Students may not access patient information or examinations unless the information is needed for educational purposes.
• Students requiring patient information or examination images are to respect the privacy of the patient and remove patient names from such information and images.
• Additionally, patient ID numbers are to be removed from all images and information unless the faculty member specifically indicates that numbers are to remain.
• Students are to refrain from discussing patients and patient information except as related to their education.
• Students who fail to comply with this policy will be disciplined on an individual basis. Action may include reprimand, probation, removal from a specific hospital, course failure and/or program dismissal depending on the severity of the situation.

Clinical Duties

Student technologists are expected to participate in all duties that are within the scope of  a practicing technologist. Student technologists are ultimately responsible to the program director.  However, when on clinical assignment, they will respect the advice and direction and obtain information concerning their duties from the NMT clinical instructor, supervising technologist, staff technologists, pharmacists, physicists and physicians.

Clinical Supervision

Students should never act on their own without direction and supervision from a supervising staff technologist.

NMT students require direct supervision, technologist assisting student with every step, by a qualified technologist during the performance of nuclear medicine procedures, until criteria for progress, determined by the clinical site technologist, to indirect supervision, technologist close enough to aid the student, if needed, have been met.

Whether a student is being directly or indirectly supervised, the student technologist must review the procedure request and assess each patient before the procedure, with the assistance of the supervising technologist. This is to ensure that the student has the ability to perform that procedure on a particular patient. In addition, all nuclear medicine images must be approved by a technologist before releasing the patient and before sending images on for interpretation. 

Clinical Site Equipment

Students should be aware that while performing activities during clinical experience courses in one of the clinical education sites, the student is responsible for using site equipment in a manner that does not damage the equipment.  Students who have been taught proper usage of equipment and then cause damage to that equipment may be considered negligent in their actions.  This negligence may result in program disciplinary action.  The hospital may also choose to seek restitution from the student.