Additional Graduate Student Requirements

Health Requirements

As health conscious role models, nurses, student nurses, and other health care providers must practice preventive health behaviors. Therefore, the School of Nursing expects certain health promotion and prevention activities of students.

Some of the requirements can be obtained from the Student Health Clinic, others from the San Francisco County Health Department, and some from your private physician. EACH student is responsible for maintaining current records and those records must be made available to the nursing office prior to each semester. The clinical agency WILL NOT allow nursing students access to the site without proper health, CPR, and insurance clearance. The process begins before admission to the nursing clinical courses and continues throughout enrollment in the program. The fulfillment of the requirement must be good for the entire semester (e.g., CPR certification or TB skin test cannot expire mid-semester).

1. Diphtheria/Tetanus
2. Oral Polio
3. Tuberculin Skin Test by Mantous (PPD only)
4. Hepatitis B Vaccine or documented seropositivity
5. Varicella History (Chicken Pox)
6. Measles
7. Rubella
8. Mumps
9. Proof of Health Insurance

IF STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE THESE TESTS AND IMMUNIZATIONS COMPLETED AND VERIFIED THEY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO BEGIN CLINICAL COURSE WORK AND MAY FORFEIT THEIR PLACE IN THE PROGRAM. THEY WILL RECEIVE AN ACADEMIC DIFFICULTY ADVISING FORM WHICH MAY AFFECT THEIR GRADE AND ABILITY TO COMPLETE THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE COURSE. IN ADDITION, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REGISTER FOR COURSES THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY REGISTRAR'S OFFICE UNLESS THEIR IMMUNIZATION RECORDS ARE UP TO DATE.

C.P.R. Certification

All School of Nursing students are required to have a valid Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification without which they may forfeit their place in the program. The CPR certification must include prevention and recognition of cardiovascular disease, infant, child, and adult CPR, 1- and 2-person rescue, and foreign body airway management. In addition, each semester students must show the instructor current certification as this is a requirement for entry into the clinical laboratory experience. This means students are responsible for the annual renewal of their CPR certification. Only American Heart Association certification is acceptable. NO STUDENT WILL BE ALLOWED ON A CLINICAL UNIT WITHOUT CPR CERTIFICATION THAT IS VALID FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER.

Liability Insurance

All students in the School of Nursing must carry personal professional liability insurance in order to enter the clinical agencies with which the School has contractual arrangements. The fee for liability insurance is paid by the student at the time of registration, along with other student fees.

CDC Guidelines for Standard Precaution for all Patients

All USF nursing students are expected to follow Standard Precautions as established by the Centers for Disease Control.

Information and skill practice will be reviewed with students at the beginning of each clinical rotation and students will be asked to acknowledge in writing that they have reviewed these standard precautions.

Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Emotional Illness

The USF School of Nursing and the California Board of Registered Nursing are concerned about students impaired by alcoholism, drug abuse, and emotional illness because these conditions can affect the student's academic and clinical performance, which is a danger to self and a grave danger to the patients in the student's care.

Therefore, the following actions will be implemented if it is determined a student is impaired by alcoholism, drug abuse, or emotional illness:

1. Referral to the Counseling Center and/or to other health care programs for voluntary diagnosis and treatment.
2. Immediate corrective action, by the clinical faculty, regarding the student's conduct and performance in the clinical setting.
3. Information on the consequences (disciplinary action and prevention from being licensed to practice nursing in the State of California) if voluntary assistance is not sought.

Confidentiality

Students as well as other healthcare workers are required to maintain as confidential all those matters pertaining to the patient. Discussion of the patient with others not involved in the patient's care is inappropriate and unprofessional. When referring to the patient in written work as part of clinical practice, use only the patient's initials. Patient privacy and rights must be protected. Failure to maintain confidentiality may result in legal action from the patient and/or family.