Student health and immunizations
A student's health has an important relationship to his or her ability to profit from and progress in the total educational experience. Students majoring in nursing have a special responsibility to follow good health practices for their own protection as well as for their patients/clients. The faculty have adopted the following requirements to maintain and promote good health practices and to comply with our clinical agency agreements. Consequently, students must submit proof of current CPR certification and required immunization information once accepted into the clinical nursing program.
Required immunizations
Each student must present evidence of the following immunizations:
- In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students born before 1957 are considered to have immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Students born in 1957 or later require one of the following: a) written documentation by a healthcare provider that the individual had all three diseases, b) evidence of immunity to each of the three diseases with three separate blood titers, or official documentation of two (2) separate MMR vaccines.
- Diphtheria/tetanus (DT) within last ten years. If a new DT is needed, it is recommended that the Tdap is received.
- Polio
- Hepatitis B series
- Varicella (chickenpox) immunization or a blood titer
- Annual Influenza (Flu) vaccine(s).
1. Students may obtain the MMR immunization at the Student Health Center for a fee or from the health care provider of their choice.
2. Students must provide a record of those immunizations CertifiedBackground.com
Tuberculosis control program
- Tuberculin skin tests or chest x-rays are required annually while enrolled in the School. An intradermal tuberculin skin test or chest x-ray is required at yearly intervals. The initial screening requires that the student receive two tuberculin skin tests within a year. After this initial screening the student must provide proof of tuberculin testing yearly. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the tuberculin test is renewed. Students will not be allowed into the clinical area without an up-to-date tuberculin test.
- A student with a positive reaction to the skin test is required to meet with MU Student Health Center to complete a risk summary. If the MU Student Health Center deems necessary, the student may be required to obtain a chest x-ray. If the student has had a positive tuberculin skin test in the past, the student may be required to provide proof of tuberculin treatment or required to undergo treatment. Follow-up chest x-rays are required only if tuberculin symptoms develop.
- The intradermal skin test and/or chest X-ray may be obtained at the Student Health Center for a fee or from the health care provider of the student's choice.
Compliance requirements
The Sinclair School of Nursing agreements with clinical agencies clearly state that faculty will not assign students who do not have documented proof of immunizations, a valid tuberculin test, and CPR certification.
- Failure to comply with the health program requirements will jeopardize admission and continuing enrollment for clinical nursing majors.
- In the event of a pre-existing health problem, the student should submit a statement from a health care provider indicating the reasons for non-compliance with the immunization requirements.