Orientation

Overview

All students are required to review the orientation information prior to the first day of their scheduled rotation. The "when and where to report" information will be shared week prior to start date, unless indicated otherwise by the department. Most departments do not reach out ahead of time with a schedule.

Please park in any of the visitor garages on main campus. If you've been assigned housing for your rotation, you may pick up your dorm key after 4 p.m. on the Sunday prior to your start date.

While You Are Here

ID Badge

An identification badge will be issued to you on the first day. You need identification (state I.D. or Visa) to pick up badge at ID Badge office (JJNB). You must wear your ID badge at all times at Cleveland Clinic.

If you leave the premises and return late, you must have your ID badge with you so you can regain admittance to campus buildings.

Absences

If you need to be absent during your rotation, please complete the absence request form and have it signed and approved by the department.

According to the policy, you can be absent no more than three days out of the four weeks. If you are absent more than three days, you may not receive credit for the rotation and/or have the rotation cancelled.

Dress Code

All students are expected to dress in a professional manner. T-shirts, cut-offs, etc., are not allowed. We recommend you wear comfortable closed-toe shoes.

Please reference the Personal Appearance Policy if you have any questions or concerns.

Pager Instructions

Numeric Paging

To page within Cleveland Clinic, use any touch tone telephone and follow the steps below:

1. Listen for dial tone, dial 14.
2. After a single tone, enter 5 digit pager numbers.
3. After triple tone, enter the phone number where you want to be called back.
4. Depress # sign twice to end transaction.
5. Hang up.

    

To page outside of Cleveland Clinic, dial 216.444.4000. Proceed with steps 2-5 found above.

Alpha Paging

To place an alpha page go to any computer and follow the steps below:

1. Select Internet Explorer which should bring up the CC Intranet home page.
2. To the left, you will see “PAGING”.
3. There are three (3) boxes:
   • Box 1 -- search for a person’s pager number if needed.
   • Box 2 – type in the pager #
   • Box 3 – type in your text page
4. Click SEND PAGE.
5. You will receive a confirmation that your page has been sent to the Alpha Page Server.

Uniform Room - White Coat/Scrubs

White coats are issued on your first day. When your lab coat becomes soiled, take it to the Uniform Room (located in the basement of the TT building) and exchange it. The Uniform Room service hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cleveland Clinic uses a uniform exchange program. Upon proper authorization you will receive a specified number of scrubs that you may exchange, when soiled, on a one-to-one basis during your rotation.

You will be issued your O.R. scrubs from the Uniform Room. If your scrubs are not returned at the end of your visit, you will be charged for their cost.

Body Substance Precautions

Cleveland Clinic has adopted Body Substance Precautions (BSP), a system of infection prevention practices used for all patients. These practices involve the use of protective barriers (e.g., gloves, gowns, facial protection) for contact with body substances, mucous membranes or intact skin, regardless of the patient's diagnosis.

The type of barrier used depends on the specific procedure or patient interaction. Each department's Exposure Control Plan outlines the minimum required protection that must be worn.

Gloves are required when a procedure or task is likely to involve contact with blood or other bodily fluids, mucous membranes or non-intact skin.

Facial protection (e.g., mask, eyeglasses with side shields, face shield) is required when one can reasonably anticipate blood or bodily fluids being splashed in the face.

All barrier equipment is available in each patient care area. The use of BSP for all patients will effectively isolate all infections, except those spread by the respiratory droplet or airborne routes.

Post-Exposure Protocol

Significant exposure to patients' BLOOD or BODILY FLUIDS that require follow up include:

• needle stick, puncture or cut with contaminated sharp
• splash into the eyes, nose or mouth
• exposure to open skin areas

Follow-up action

1. CALL THE EXPOSURE HOTLINE IMMEDIATELY at 216.445.0742, or Ext. 50742.
2. Complete an Occupational Injury Report Form and forward it to the Safety Department.

It is not necessary or advisable to go to the Emergency Department unless emergency care is required.

If the source patient is known, a protocol exists for testing the patient for Hepatitis B and C and HIV. Do not order testing yourself.

After appropriate counseling, you will be offered HIV testing for baseline information. This testing and reporting of the results is done confidentially, and test results are not filed in your medical record. Further testing will be guided by the source patient's results.

Based on the severity and risk of the exposure, and after appropriate counseling, post-exposure prophylaxis may be recommended for you.

Please call the Infection Control Department at 216.444.5194, or Ext. 45194, if you have any questions.

Respiratory & Airborne Precautions

Respiratory droplet precautions require:

• Private room. Place BLUE respiratory precautions sign on door of patient room; keep door closed.
• Anyone entering room must wear a mask.
• If the patient must leave the room, patient must wear a mask.

Diseases requiring respiratory droplet precautions:

• Meningitis (continue for 24 hours after start of antibiotic therapy)
• Influenza
• Measles, mumps, rubella
• Pertussis

Airborne respiratory precautions require:

• Private room with negative air pressure. Place YELLOW respiratory precautions sign on door of patient room; keep door closed.
• Anyone entering room must wear an N95 particulate respirator.
• If the patient must leave the room, patient must wear a mask.

Diseases requiring airborne respiratory precautions:

• Tuberculosis (pulmonary or laryngeal)

Chickenpox: Isolation for chickenpox or disseminated herpes zoster requires a private room with negative air pressure. Place chickenpox isolation sign on the patient room door; keep door closed. Anyone not immune, or not aware of their immune status, should not enter the room.

Hepatitis B Vaccine: Call Primary Care ext. 42535 for an appointment. The Hepatitis B vaccine is administered in three doses over six months. You must have all three doses to be considered immunized. Since you are here for only a short time, you are responsible for making sure you receive all three doses wherever you travel next.

Before You Leave

Things To Do

A number of items need to be completed before you leave Cleveland Clinic:

All Students

• Lab Coats and Scrubs - Please return your lab coat to the Uniform Room in the basement of the TT building. If they are closed, discard the lab coat in the laundry chute outside of the room. Return scrubs to the H3 O.R. Uniform Room. If you are remaining at Cleveland Clinic for another rotation, continue to wear a white lab coat and exchange as needed. If you have scrubs and will not need them for the second rotation, please return them to the H3 O.R. Uniform Room.
• ID Badge - Badges will be deactivated at the end of the rotation. Please return your badge to the ID Badge Office in the basement of the JJ-North Building. They also have a drop box near elevator for after hours, if needed. If you are remaining at Cleveland Clinic for another rotation, your badge will remain activated.

Visiting Students

• School Evaluation - Please give the evaluation form to the contact person in the department where you are rotating, and they can forward it to the faculty for completion. Make sure that the Elective Office has a copy of the completed evaluation for our files. You are responsible for forwarding the completed evaluation to your school. If your school does not have an evaluation form, you are welcome to use our visiting student evaluation form.