Clinical practice is the heart of nursing education. It's where everything students have studied comes to life in the care of real patients — and where they begin to become the nurses they're working so hard to be. This is why attendance is so important - you have to show up consistently because patients and the care team are counting on it.
The only way to build and demonstrate essential clinical skills is to be present to practice them. When absences add up, they interrupt the continuity of patient care, affect the experience of everyone learning alongside you, and make it difficult for faculty to see and confirm that you're practicing safely.
At Meyers, we hold this line for an important reason. As a community, we are committed to preparing compassionate, competent practice-ready nurses. Without the required clinical hours, faculty simply can't certify that a student has met the course objectives and safety competencies at the center of safe practice. Because of that, falling short of the required hours results in a Clinical Failure, regardless of how well a student is doing in the classroom.
For more details on the clinical attendance policies, including notification and make-up requirements, tardiness rules, religious observances and other issues, go to the NYU bulletin.