Student Resources and Support

Health & Safety

Incident Reports

Near miss involving a patient

Complete the Nursing Commission Incident Report found at: Nursing Commission Incident Report. 

This critical incident report documents “… events involving a student or faculty member that the program has reason to believe resulted in patient harm, an unreasonable risk of patient harm, or diversion of legend drugs or controlled substances” (WAC 246-840-513).

1. The incident report must be completed by the student involved within 24 hours of the incident. The clinical faculty member of that student assists with that report and ensures that it was filed.
2. The faculty and preceptors at the CON then have 24 hours to report to the NCQAC, on forms provided by the commission, on the events involving that student or faculty member that the program has reason to believe resulted in patient harm, an unreasonable risk of patient harm, or diversion of legend drugs or controlled substances.

When submitted via the online system, this report is delivered directly to the NCQAC as well as to the designated College of Nursing program director indicated on the form. Program directors review the reports and develop action plans with faculty case-by-case and annually.

Injury involving a student, staff, or faculty member

Complete the WSU Incident Report found at http://hrs.wsu.edu/managers/incident-report/ .

This form is used throughout WSU to report a workplace injury or illness of a student, staff or faculty within twenty-four hours. In accordance with SPPM 2.24.1 (Reporting Accidental Injuries and Work-Related Illnesses), University faculty, staff, volunteers, and students are to promptly report all accidental injuries and work-related illnesses to their supervisor for evaluation and possible investigation.

1. Students must immediately report all classroom injuries to their instructor and seek medical treatment, if needed.

2. The program director will complete and submit an Incident Report within 24 hours.

• NOTE: Major incidents resulting in serious injury (e.g. fracture or amputation), in patient hospitalization or death are to be reported immediately, per SPPM 2.24.1.

3. The Incident Report gets routed to Human Resource Services (HRS).

4. HRS will review and forward a copy of the report to the college’s Dean.

For injuries occurring at a clinical agency, that agency’s incident report form may also be required.

Reportable Incidents Consist Of:

• Injury: Any wound or damage to the body resulting from an instantaneous event. Examples include; cuts, bruises, contusions, chipped teeth, amputations, insect bites, electrocutions, burns sprains, and sprain injuries to muscles, joints, and connective tissues resulting from a slip, trip, or fall.
  
• Illness: A condition resulting from chronic exposure to the work and/or academic environment. Examples include: musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome), skin disorders, respiratory conditions, and noise-induced hearing loss.

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Bloodborne Pathogen Occupation Exposure

Should an exposure occur, please don’t panic. The vast majority of body substance exposures do not result in harm. Time matters though, so please proceed as follows:

Immediate Actions

Wash:

• For punctures or lacerations, bleed the site well under running water and wash with soap and water.
• For mucous membrane splashes (eyes, nose or mouth), immediately flush with copious amounts of water.
• Carefully remove all soiled clothing and wash again if it was necessary to remove soiled clothing.

Gather and write down information about what happened

• The source patient’s name, hospital number, date of birth, and location in the hospital or clinic.
• Name and contact information of your clinical supervisor at the time of the incident.
• The date and time the incident occurred.
• The type of potentially infectious materials that was involved in the incident – blood, amniotic fluid, etc.
• The details of the incident – for example, the type of needle or splash, what that needle had been in, the depth of the injury, whether you were wearing protective equipment such as gloves or face mask, etc.

Notify the nurse or health care provider in charge of the area where the incident occurred. The hospital’s or clinic’s personnel will initiate the next step in their process regarding testing if HIV or Hepatitis status is not known. You are NOT the person to consent the patient or to draw the blood from the source patient.

During regular work hours: Affected persons who are residents or students in Spokane should report to the MultiCare Rockwood Urgent Care – Downtown (400 E. 5^th Avenue) Spokane WA 509-342-3100. Call urgent care immediately and an urgent visit will be arranged. It is important to tell the receptionist that an exposure has occurred so that the individual will be seen quickly.

After hours or on weekends or holidays: Affected persons in Spokane should report to the Multicare Deaconess Emergency Dept (800 W 5^th Avenue) Spokane WA (509) 473-5800. While the affected person is in clinic or in the ED being evaluated, they must contact one of the course instructor or preceptors. Don’t waste time calling the supervisor or preceptor prior to being evaluated.

Actions within 24 Hours

WSU students must complete a WSU Incident Report that is available on-line within 24 hours of the incident: http://hrs.wsu.edu/managers/incident-report/.

WSU Students are responsible for all clinic visits, medication, laboratory, and any other related costs that occur after the incident. Based on practitioner recommendations, coverage for continuation of post exposure medications will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Students should consider purchase of health care insurance that may assist with these additional costs. Students should notify their clinical site faculty and college program directors of financial issues pertaining to Bloodborne pathogen exposure.

Safety

Safety at WSU is regulated by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through the WSU’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office. A safe and healthy working environment at WSU is to be maintained at all times. It is the responsibility of each student to become familiar with safety policies and to follow safe procedures.

Departmental policies and procedures regarding safety are detailed in the WSU Safety Policies and Procedures Manual (SPPM) available at the Office of Procedures, Records, and Forms.

Lab-specific policies and procedures are detailed in the Laboratory Safety Manual located in each lab. Information regarding physical and health hazards, entry routes, permissible exposure limits and precautions or controls for safe use, including emergency first aid procedures, and the name, address and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer or supplier for all chemicals is available on Safety Data Sheets (SDS) located in each individual lab in which the chemicals are used. EHS is also responsible for laboratory and workplace safety, public health and environmental issues, hazardous materials, and wastes (except radioactive materials), and training. All disposals of hazardous chemical wastes must be made through EHS.

All students are advised to register their emergency contact information for the Crisis Communication System (CCS) from their myWSU portal. Providing multiple contact methods will help ensure students receive notifications in a timely manner. Student information will NOT be used for any other purpose.

Washington State University is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its faculty, staff, and students. Safety is the responsibility of every member of the campus community and individuals should know the appropriate actions to take when an emergency arises. As part of this commitment, the University has prepared a Campus Safety Plan for each campus. These plans include a listing of university policies, procedures, statistics, and information relating to campus safety, emergency management, and the health and welfare of the campus community.

• WSU Vancouver Campus Safety Plan
• WSU-Tri-Cities Campus Safety and Security
• WSU-Spokane Campus Safety Services
• WSU Yakima Campus Safety and Security (at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences)

Bloodborne Pathogens

• WSU Bloodborne Pathogen Control Plan – general information about WSU’s bloodborne pathogen protection and policies
• Spokane Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan (DOCX)
• Laboratory Bloodborne Pathogen Assessment Form (PDF)
• WSU Bloodborne Pathogens On-Line Training – this on-line training, in conjunction with the specific workplace training provided by the CON, fulfills the requirements in the Safety Policies and Procedures Manual, 2.44, and WAC 296-823.
• Each CON campus creates and maintains their own college/location-specific safety policies (except Spokane where this is the responsibility of EH&S-Spokane, a non-academic service department).
  • Spokane & Yakima: https://spokane.wsu.edu/studentaffairs/health-and-wellness/
  • Vancouver: Forthcoming. Vancouver’s Environmental Health and Safety info: https://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/facilities-operations/environmental-health-safety
  • Tri-Cities: Forthcoming. Tri-Cities Accident Prevention Program info: https://tricities.wsu.edu/safety/labsafety/app

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Emergency Response

Contact 911 and Campus Security in the event of an emergency.  Campus-specific emergency management details can be found at:

• Spokane: https://spokane.wsu.edu/emergency-management/
• Tri-Cities: https://tricities.wsu.edu/emergency/
• Vancouver: https://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/safety-plan

For more information contact the WSU Pullman Office of Emergency Management

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Other Student Safety Resources

• EH&S Fact Sheets
• WSU’s Environmental Health & Safety
• Washington Recovery Help Line: 1-866-789-1511 (24/7)
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Spokane Sexual Assault Center: A 24-hour rape crisis line. 509-624-7273 (RAPE)
• Student Care Network (Spokane and Yakima) – If Faculty or Staff are concerned about a student, please fill out the Student Care Referral Form
• Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services Benton and Franklin Counties (509) 582-9841 (24-hr crisis line)

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Student Health Services

Spokane and Yakima Health Fee

Spokane campus (including the Yakima site) students pay for a student health fee that gets them a variety of benefits through the WSU Range Student Health Service. Contact the clinic for your health care needs:  Vaccines, sick calls, prescription refills, referrals, wellness exams and screening, family planning, and more.  If you have an issue that we are not able to manage, we can help you with the referral.  In person and telehealth appointments available.

Need an appointment?  Call (509) 471-7828.  Clinic is housed in the Health Science Building (HSB) building, 310 N Riverpoint Blvd.  Check in at the front desk or call about telehealth options. Clinic hours:  Monday 7 am-2 pm, Tuesday 11 am-6 pm, Wednesday & Thursdays on-demand, & Friday 7 am-2 pm.

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Technology Support

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