Policy Statement
Students who are accepted into a clinical program at The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences are required to complete a health screening and background check prior to enrollment in clinical courses. Proof of health insurance is also required. All students must be current and compliant with clinical requirements throughout clinical course enrollment; failure to comply with any component of the requirements on an ongoing basis (or failure to achieve a satisfactory health screening or background check outcome) may result in limitations, delays, or suspension relative to clinical placement, which is a requirement for program completion. Other disciplinary actions may also be enforced, up to and including program dismissal.
The College may be required to share a student’s information related to the health screenings with clinical agencies to place the student at that site for a clinical experience. FERPA permits an educational institution to disclose, without consent, personally identifiable information from students’ education records to agencies determined to have legitimate educational interest. Due to the requirements of clinical programs, clinical agencies are deemed to have an educational interest.
Health screens are to be completed by The Christ Hospital’s Employee Health Department prior to clinical course enrollment and will include the following components:
- Urine Drug Screen
Drug testing is required prior to clinical course enrollment. Students may also be drug tested at any time due to “reasonable suspicion,” at their own expense. Circumstances that constitute reasonable suspicion include, but are not limited to, physiological signs of possible impairment from drugs or a pattern of abnormal behavior. Specific clinical agencies may require additional drug tests. A failed drug test will be communicated to Human Resources by Employee Health for those students who are also employees of The Christ Hospital Health Network. Medical marijuana cards are currently not permitted due to the requirements of some clinical agencies.
- Brief Physical Health Examination
Students should provide Employee Health with dated documentation of the vaccines/immunizations bulleted below. If documentation cannot be obtained, titers will be drawn. Some clinical agencies may require additional immunizations, in which case it is the student’s responsibility to schedule the immunization(s), pay for the immunization(s), and provide official proof of having met the immunization requirement.
• Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap) booster after age of 12 years, must include pertussis and be within last ten (10) years. Documentation of booster must be provided if over ten (10) years.
• Two Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccinations or titer value greater than 1.10 from each disease.
• Hepatitis B vaccine series of three and a positive serologic test for Hepatitis B surface antibody at 10 IU (international units) or greater.
• Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine or proof of immunity through one of the following:
o Physician statement of having history of chicken pox disease.
o Two doses of the Varicella vaccine.
o Copy of actual lab results indicating a positive Varicella titer (value over 1.10).
- Vision Screening
- Tuberculin (TB) Test in the form of a QuantiFERON blood test. If a student has a positive QFT test or history of Tuberculosis, a chest x-ray showing no evidence of disease must be on file. The chest x-ray is valid for a period of time as designated per clinical agency.
On-going (annual) requirements:
An annual flu vaccine is required. If a student is not able to receive the vaccine due to a medical condition, a physician’s letter must be provided including the reason (i.e. allergy). If the student does not want to be vaccinated for a religious or sincere belief, a declination form must be completed and filed with Employee Health. Declinations and masking are not permitted in peri-natal departments.
Annual QuantiFERON blood testing or equivalent to stay current for clinicals assigned outside of TCHHN.
Annual background checks, and proof of health insurance.
Procedure
Through a mutual agreement between The Christ Hospital Employee Health Department and The Christ College, clinical students are required to complete their health screening at The Christ Hospital Employee Health Network in Medical Office Building 234. Students who fail to take this step will not be permitted to progress into clinical coursework. For this service, TCC will post a one-time Health Service Fee to the student’s tuition statement. Financial aid can cover this fee for qualifying students, and Christ Hospital Health Network employees may be eligible for a reduced rate.
The following steps should be taken to complete the health assessment: - Call 513-585-4555 and identify as a Christ College student to schedule an appointment. Depending on the program, students will be prompted to make an appointment at the point of enrollment (via Enrollment Steps) or as a part of their pre-clinical coursework.
- Once an appointment is made, look for an email from Employee Health and complete the linked electronic form prior to appointment
- Take a photo ID to the appointment, along with a list of current medications (including short-term prescriptions)
Important Notes: - Cancellations within 24 hours of an appointment will mean students cannot secure another appointment within a 2-week period. This delay will not constitute an exception regarding clinical placement.
- Employee Health will cancel an appointment if the student shows up late or unprepared.
- Children that accompany a student must remain in the waiting room and be strictly supervised by another adult. Biohazards exist within the treatment area and safety is the highest priority.
For their annual background check and submission of proof of health insurance, students will be provided instructions by the Student Clinical Placement Coordinator and/or course faculty. The first background check will require fingerprinting while annual background checks thereafter can be completed by the student online for a small fee.
For protection of privacy, any hard copies of documents related to the above information will be kept in a file that is separate from a student’s normal educational file. This separate file will be kept in a locked file in the Student Clinical Placement Coordinator's office and will be retained until the end of the student’s enrollment at TCC. The records will be destroyed in accordance with the College’s records and retention procedures. | | |
