Technical standards outline the skills and expectations required for students to successfully enter, progress through, and complete the program. They ensure clarity and consistency for students, faculty, staff, administration, and disability services. These standards apply equally to all students.
If you require accommodations to fully participate in the program, please contact the Office of Disability Services to confidentially discuss your needs. Technical standards can be met with or without accommodations, and the examples provided are not all encompassing.
Technical Standard, Definition and Examples
Skills that demonstrate the use of judgment and problem-solving needed to prioritize goals and organize workloads while maintaining mental stamina.
Examples:
- Be able to gather, analyze, and synthesize data.
- Interpret and apply written and verbal directions.
- Understand and interpret medical terminology to receive/share information/instructions from faculty, students, patients, physicians, and others in didactic and/or clinical setting.
- Must be able to apply principles of logical/scientific thinking, utilize mathematical formulas, deal with nonverbal symbolism, and comprehend concepts.
Maintenance of dexterity and physical abilities sufficient to operate standard office equipment.
Examples:
- Requires fine motor skills to use various electronic and hard copy formats simultaneously.
- Must be able to operate standard office equipment.
- Must be able to keyboard 40-45 words per minute.
- Travel to and from multiple locations.
Sufficient physical ability and stamina to attend classes and clinicals.
Examples:
- Work for extended periods of time in a group or individually for up to 4 hours in a day.
- Attend clinical rotations for 6 to 8 hours a day, 96 total hours in the last semester.
- Retrieving paper medical records and documents.
- Walking, sitting, standing, stooping, reaching, etc.
- Lift and carry coding books utilized in class.
- Must be able to exert up to twenty-five pounds of force and/or lift/move objects up to twenty-five pounds. Physical demands exceed that of sedentary work for extended time.
Vision sufficient for observation and interpretation to utilize printed materials.
Examples:
- Must be able to accurately read names, numbers, symbols in written format on charts, medical records, reports, coding books and in databases.
Sufficient interpersonal and written communication skills to have professional discussions and interactions with individuals and groups.
Examples:
- Participate in classroom discussion and have respectful/diplomatic interaction with classmates, faculty, physicians, clients and their families, other department staff, and co-workers, to review and annotate patient records and documents.
- Follow directions and perform assigned activities.
- Listen and respond to others in an accepting and respectful manner.
- Able to use proper formatting, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
- Use industry standard written resources for guidance.
The ability to adapt to changing environments and education-related challenges while maintaining composure in stressful situations. Consistently demonstrate professional behaviors in attitude, communication, and work ethic while adhering to professional boundaries.
Examples:
- Regularly use webcams to take monitored online exams and attend synchronous classes.
- Performance of duties that adhere to ethical, legal, and regulatory standards.
- Sufficient focus to complete assigned workload accurately and timely.
- Show emotional stability/maturity.
- Must demonstrate neatness and good hygiene.
- Able and willing to alter plans or change approaches in the classroom and or clinical environment.
- Must show dependability in attendance.
We are committed to ensuring all students have the support they need to succeed in this program. If you have a documented disability, reasonable accommodations will be provided unless they fundamentally alter essential training requirements, create undue hardship, or pose a safety risk to you or others.
Disability Services Statement
If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office (Ward Hall Building; 252-638-1454) as soon as possible—ideally before classes or field experiences begin. You are also encouraged to inform your instructor as needed so we can best support your learning.