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Student Health Policy
Revised November 2009
Students receive a color vision test at the beginning of the program. Students who do not pass the color vision screening will not be allowed to perform urine dipstick testing while at clinical placement sites.
Nursing students commonly are at risk for exposure to and possible transmission of vaccine-preventable communicable diseases because of their contact with patients or infective material from patients. Maintenance of immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases through the Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) is therefore an essential requirement of all students. The HSIP follows recommendations for health care workers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and OSHA/DOSH occupational health mandates.
Nursing students will NOT be permitted to enter a clinical site unless documentation of compliance with all requirements, including annual tuberculosis screening, have been confirmed by the HSIP with the School of Nursing.
Nursing students must comply with requirements for the following: measles* (rubeola), mumps, rubella, Hepatitis B, tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis, varicella (chicken pox), and tuberculosis** screening (PPD skin testing, or symptom review for those not being tested). Additionally, students may be required to receive influenza vaccine in order to participate in clinical work.
* MEASLES IMMUNITY REQUIREMENT: ALL students entering the University of Washington must provide proof of immunity to measles prior to registration. However, Health Sciences (including School of Nursing) students are exempt from this mandate until after an in-person immunization review appointment with HSIP staff has been completed.
**TUBERCULOSIS REQUIREMENT: Tuberculosis screening must be completed annually throughout the student’s program of study.
For the most up-to-date information on immunizations, TB testing requirements, and details about how to satisfy each requirement, please visit the HSIP section of the Hall Health Primary Care Center website.
Questions about immunization requirements may be referred to the HSIP at 206-616-9074 or via myshots at u dot washington dot edu.
The HSIP, located at Hall Health Primary Care Center on the University of Washington campus, processes records, provides students with required immunizations and post-vaccine antibody tests, and routinely communicates each student’s compliance status to the School of Nursing. All School of Nursing students are assessed a standard Health Fee (approximately $300) that covers these HSIP services as well as the after-insurance costs of initial care, baseline and follow-up lab testing, and prophylactic medications given as an appropriate response for a reported episode of blood- or secretion-borne pathogens exposure (see below). There are NO EXCEPTIONS.
The Health Fee will appear on tuition billing statements for Winter Quarter, and covers students from the time of their enrollment in a program of study through matriculation of that particular degree program.
A student may choose to obtain any of the required immunizations or annual tuberculosis screening from his/her current health care provider. In this case, students must provide all documentation to the HSIP, obtain clearance through the HSIP program staff, and pay the health fee.
If a student plans an international learning experience, it is recommended that s/he check with the Travel Clinic at Hall Health Primary Care Center to determine immunizations needed. Travel immunizations are NOT covered by the required Health Fee.
In order to minimize the risk posed to students and/or patients by persons infected with BBP as identified by the CDC and OSHA, all students not licensed as RNs upon entry to the School of Nursing are required to complete BBP training.
Students exposed to blood- or secretion-borne pathogens (BBP) should take immediate first aid including scrubbing wounds and skin with soap and water for 20 minutes and/or flushing mucous membranes with water for 20 minutes.
Risk assessment and laboratory testing may be available to students at the clinical site's employee health office. Need for medications for prophylaxis of BBP may require further assessment. If there is no employee health office at the clinical site, or for exposures occurring after clinic hours, on weekends, or on holidays, students are to seek care at the nearest emergency room.
The staff on duty in the Emergency Department (ED) at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) are available at 206-598-4000 for information 24 hours a day. Students exposed to a BBP at all clinical agencies complete, with the clinical instructor, the UW Nursing Student Clinical Incident/Injury Form. Send a copy to:
University of Wasington School of Nursing
Academic Services
Box 357260
Seattle, WA 98195
Send the original to:
UW Environmental Health & Safety
Hall Health Center
Box 354400
Seattle, WA, 98195
The agency may also request that its incident report form be completed. Notify AS of the incident by calling 206-543-8736. Please do so AFTER you have contacted the clinical site's employee health office or nearest emergency room for immediate triage.
As noted above, the Health Fee will cover the after-insurance costs of initial care, baseline and follow-up lab testing, and prophylactic medications given as an appropriate response for a reported episode of BBP exposure. If a student has received emergency care after an incident has occurred at a clinical site, the bill indicating the remaining cost after insurance has paid should be directed to:
James Angelosante
Director for Finance and Health Sciences Administration
Box 356355
Seattle, WA, 98195-6355
Phone: 206-543-7918
Health services delivered in an employee health clinic or emergency room provide the first response to an accidental injury/exposure involving potential BBP, but cannot substitute for primary and specialty medical care from an individual's regular health care provider for ongoing health needs.
In compliance with University of Washington Infection Control Procedures regarding blood-borne disease, the School of Nursing supports voluntary reporting of HIV/HBV/HCV status. As part of their professional responsibility and accountability, the School encourages all students to be aware of their risk status for HBV/HIV/HCV. If they are at risk for these diseases, they are encouraged to seek testing and to notify the School of Nursing of their status so as not to place patients in a position of risk. In addition to following standard precautions, it is recommended that students adhere to CDC guidelines which state that students with a known blood-borne pathogen are expected to:
- Double-glove during all procedures involving the possibility of blood-borne exposure
- Refrain from all direct patient care and the handling of patient care equipment used in invasive procedures if the student has exudative lesions or weeping dermatitis
- Refrain from direct participation in exposure-prone procedures, which at the minimum include the following:
- Digital palpation of a needle tip in a body cavity
- Simultaneous presence of the student’s fingers and a needle or other sharp instrument or object in a poorly visualized or highly confined anatomic site
If an infected student must engage in such activities, each situation should be reviewed and specific practice protocol developed. All students are taught standard precautions as part of their basic nursing curriculum. Following these policies is essential for the protection of the care provider and the patient, and minimizes risk to either party.
Students who are injured or become ill in the clinical area should notify the clinical instructor immediately. In the case of a clinical site-related injury, the student should follow the procedure (if one exists) prescribed by the institution or agency for students who are injured.
Students at all clinical agencies complete, with the clinical instructor, the UW Nursing Student Clinical Incident/Injury Form. Send one copy to Academic Services, Box 357260, and send the original to UW Environmental Health & Safety, Hall Health Center, Box 354400, Seattle, WA, 98195. The agency may also request that its incident report form be completed. Notify AS of the incident by calling (206) 543-8736. Please do so AFTER you have contacted the clinical site's employee health office or nearest emergency room for immediate triage. If the student is treated in a hospital emergency room, neither the University nor the agency will accept financial responsibility. The student must pay for any care according to the policy of that agency. Students who become ill at the clinical site should, along with their clinical instructor, determine if their illness is communicable and a risk for their patients, or determine if the illness will impair the student’s judgment to safely carry out their responsibilities. Treatment of any illness would be done at the student’s expense.
All Health Sciences students are STRONGLY ADVISED to have personal health insurance, or to join a health care plan, to cover the expenses of their health care, treatments in case of an injury, and/or care for a catastrophic illness or serious chronic condition within or outside the clinical setting.
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