Ethical Standard Requirements
Richland Community College | One College Park | Decatur, Illinois 62521
Background Checks
Richland Community College’s clinical sites require students to submit to a background check prior to entering their
institutions. Students enrolled in the LPN Bridge Program, as active Licensed Practical Nurses with no disciplinary action
cited by the State, will not be required to submit to another background check.
As active CNAs, students enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing Program have completed the background check
requirement. However if the background check listed on the Health Care Worker Registry is not a FEE APP background
check, the student may be asked to submit a letter of employment verifying their CNA is active. If a student requires a
waiver,thestate-approvedwaivermustbedocumentedontheHealthCareWorkerRegistry.
Please note: the background check requirements for the Health Care Worker Registry differ from those of the Illinois Board
of Nursing. In the final semester of the ADN Program, students who are not current Licensed Practical Nurses must submit
toanFBIngerprint-basedbackgroundcheckinordertoapplyforRegisteredProfessionalNurselicensure.
Therefore, students with a past criminal history (including those with an IDPH waiver) or who have changed in status while
in program, should verify they meet the licensure requirements before pursuing the ADN degree.
Professional Integrity in Program
Conduct standards for nursing are higher than those of the ordinary student or citizen because of the inherent
responsibilities assumed by the nursing role and the trust the public places on the nursing profession to do no harm.
Therefore, honesty is considered essential for the practice of nursing and Richland Community College nursing students
will be held to the higher standard. For example, a student who cheats, plagiarizes, intentionally misleads, engages in
unethical, immoral or illegal behavior, or furnishes false or misleading information to the college or on a client record or
assignment, is subject to disciplinary action up to and including failure of a class or suspension/expulsion from the
program/college.
Cheating is defined as using informational notes or copying from another person in the completion of papers, projects,
examinations, and assignments. If the student is using past test questions and answers for study materials that have not
been cleared by the instructor, the student is cheating.
Students entering nursing are expected to follow the nursing code of ethics. Failure to do so may lead to dismissal from
the program. Students are accountable for their own actions. Students are to inform the instructors of any unethical or il-
legal behavior, as well as any clinical error or accident. Students are encouraged to be conscientious and exercise
responsibility in their work. The student should consult the instructor when difficulties are encountered with the course
work and/or attendance.