Requirements for clinical and field education
С»Æ贫ý healthcare programs require educational experiences that take place in clinical and field environments. To be eligible for these experiences, students must adhere to individual clinical facility requirements, as well as the and , which outline requirements for healthcare staff in healthcare settings. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) requires all students in a clinical setting to complete all required vaccinations and successfully pass a criminal background check and drug screen through the school-selected vendor, DISA (formerly CastleBranch). Updated June 2026.
Immunization requirements
- Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB): Students who lack documentation of the HepB vaccinations are considered unvaccinated and should receive additional doses as identified by their healthcare provider or obtain a titer to demonstrate immunity. Accepted vaccinations include:
- The new Heplisav-B (Dynavax) two-dose series, with each shot taken one month apart, or;
- The three-dose series – the first and second doses are one month apart, and the third dose is administered 4-6 months after the second dose, or;
- The first two doses of the three-dose series, and obtaining a titer one month after the first dose (note there is a chance that the titer will not show enough immunity after two doses).
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR): This vaccine requires two injections. This vaccine is usually received as a child. If it was not received at that time, it will be required to get two injections at least three months apart, or a titer can be done to prove immunity.
- Tetanus toxoid-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap): A one-time dose of Tdap is If the Tdap vaccination was administered over ten years ago, a Td (Tetanus) booster is required.
- Tuberculin (TB) skin test: The following options fulfill the TB requirement:
- T-SPOT or a Quantiferon blood test.
- Two-step TB/PPD skin test (1-3 weeks between tests) – note that not all programs or clinical sites accept this test; check the specific instructions from your program.
- Or: If positive results to one of the tests above, provide a clear chest x-ray taken within the last ten years.
- Varicella zoster (chicken pox): This vaccine requires two injections at least one month apart, or a titer can be done to show immunity.
- Annual vaccines: Clinical sites may require students to have annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines. At the beginning of each season, when the vaccines become available, flu and COVID-19 shots may be required.
Additional requirements
- CPR certification: The CPR certification must come from an American Heart Association certified instructor (card will say American Heart Association or AHA). The class that is specific to healthcare providers or Basic Life Support (BLS) providers is required. The training must include CPR for adults, children, and infants, as well as AED. The certification must be valid from the student’s first term in the program through graduation. Courses available at С»Æ贫ý include the non-credit course, American Heart Association/Cardiology CEU 3319 BLS (CPR) Provider/Renewal Course, and the credit course, EMS 100 Intro Emergency Medical Services.
- Criminal background check: The OHA requires all health and emergency professions students to complete a state and nationwide background check prior to being placed at their clinical. It is the student’s responsibility to check with any applicable state and national licensing boards to get an indication if their criminal background history will not impact their ability to be placed in a clinical/field setting and get licensed upon completion of the С»Æ贫ý program. See С»Æ贫ý’s licensure disclosures for more information. Students should review the certification exam requirements for their program of study prior to program application regarding criminal background history policies. Note that most clinical rotation sites require that background check results be clear with no criminal history. If, for some reason, a student’s criminal history prevents them from being placed into one of the clinical partner sites, program admission may be rescinded or denied.
- Drug screen: DISA provides industry-standardized drug screening service through Labcorp laboratories to perform a 10-panel test. Clinical rotation sites require “clear” drug screens to ensure patient safety and maintain compliance with federal and state regulations.
Additional vaccination requirements
In addition to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) standards, clinical sites may also have additional policies and requirements for student learners.
С»Æ贫ý will make reasonable efforts to place unvaccinated and partially vaccinated students in clinical/field sites that allow unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals with reasonable safety measures.
These efforts include:
- Contacting current clinical partners to ascertain whether the partner has updated their policy to allow unvaccinated or partially vaccinated students, and if so, whether a rotation spot is available.
- Consideration of alternative experiences that can substitute for clinical experience and still meet the individual program’s accreditation requirements.
Students will be advised of their options if a site or alternative is unavailable.
С»Æ贫ý does not have full control over the clinical site matching process and typically cannot request a particular hospital, clinic, or site, nor any specific days, dates, or times for the program in general or for specific students. Additionally, С»Æ贫ý does not have control over the reasonable safety measures or requirements that clinical sites may adopt for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, and cannot guarantee that any clinical site will permit unvaccinated or partially vaccinated student rotations, even if the student has a medical or religious exception. With this in mind, students may have limited locations, days, or times with clinical rotation options. This could delay or prevent program completion.
Please note that С»Æ贫ý, as well as its clinic partners, must take reasonable safety measures and extra steps to ensure that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated healthcare providers and healthcare staff, patients, and, of course, its student learners are all protected from contracting and spreading disease. Students are expected to comply with all safety requirements established by both С»Æ贫ý and by its partnering clinical sites, and failure to do so could result in removal from the clinical site, disruption in progress towards completion, and/or disciplinary consequences.
С»Æ贫ý will continue to work with you throughout your tenure as a student on considering reasonable accommodations as appropriate.