USU health and safety requirements: immunizations, medical clearance and TB
Before your first clinical course, USU needs proof of seven immunizations or tests, a signed Appendix E Medical Clearance Form and, if you've ever tested positive for TB, extra TB paperwork each year. USU says it can't waive these, and a student who refuses them or asks for a medical waiver must find their own placement.
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The immunization list at a glance
This list comes from the FNP Clinical Handbook's Health and Safety Requirement Descriptions and the Appendix A PAC checklist (November 2025). The RN-BSN, Nurse Educator and Health Care Leadership handbook has essentially the same list, and the DNP handbook has its own Appendix A checklist for the practice immersion.
| Requirement | What USU accepts |
|---|---|
| TB | Negative 2-step PPD, then a 1-step PPD every year; or a QuantiFERON or T-Spot every year |
| Tdap | Given within the last 10 years |
| MMR | 2 doses or positive titers |
| Varicella | 2 doses or positive titers |
| Hepatitis B | 3-shot series or a positive titer; Heplisav-B doesn't meet the requirement |
| Influenza | Every year |
| COVID-19 | Listed on Appendix A; USU's COVID-19 declination form is used for exemption requests |
| Hepatitis A | Recommended, not required |
FNP students submit these through the Immunization package in Complio, which you pay for. Each item is reviewed before OFE marks you compliant.
Hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap and flu
Hepatitis B has the most specific rule. USU accepts the 3-shot series or a positive titer, and the handbook says plainly that Heplisav-B does not meet the requirement. If your records show Heplisav-B, ask your CPC what to submit, and talk to your own provider about a titer or the 3-shot series while there is still time before the deadline.
MMR and varicella follow the same pattern: two documented doses, or positive titers. If you can't find old vaccine records, a titer is the route USU's list allows.
Tdap has to be within 10 years, and the flu vaccine is required every year. Both are renewals you'll likely meet again during your clinical courses, and Complio sends expiry notices at 60, 45, 30 and 15 days before an item lapses.
Heplisav-B does not meet USU's hepatitis B requirement. Plan for the 3-shot series or a positive titer instead.
TB testing and the Appendix F questionnaire
USU gives two routes for TB. You can have a negative 2-step PPD skin test and then a 1-step PPD every year, or an annual blood test, either QuantiFERON or T-Spot. Either way, TB is a yearly renewal.
A history of positive TB changes the requirement. USU asks for a negative chest X-ray, repeated every 5 years, plus an annual TB health evaluation. Appendix F, the Annual Positive TB Skin Test Questionnaire, is the handbook form for this situation, and it appears as Appendix F in the FNP, DNP and RN-BSN/MSN handbooks alike.
Time your TB test with review times in mind. A test done a few days before a deadline can still miss it, because Complio takes 2 to 5 business days to review an item and OFE about 2 more to update your status.
Appendix E: the Medical Clearance Form
USU asks for a signed Medical Clearance Form after a physical exam. It's Appendix E in all three clinical handbooks (FNP, DNP, and RN-BSN/Nurse Educator/Health Care Leadership), and the Appendix A checklist lists it as the Signed Medical Clearance Form.
Book the physical early and take the form with you, so your provider can complete and sign it at the visit. Check that every field, date and signature is there before you upload it; a form that comes back for a missing signature costs you another review cycle.
The USU pages we checked don't say how often the form must be renewed. If your clinical courses run across more than a year, ask your Clinical Placement Coordinator whether you'll need a new one.
Waivers and exemptions: what they mean for placement
USU's catalog says the university can't make exceptions to waive health and safety requirements, and Appendix D says USU generally doesn't accept exceptions. For COVID-19, USU names its own COVID-19 declination form for exemption requests, which you upload to Complio.
The consequence is set out in the catalog: a student who refuses the required health and safety documents, or asks for a medical waiver, must find and secure their own placement. In practice, OFE won't offer you a placement through its placement support, and the whole search is yours.
If you're considering a waiver or exemption, raise it with your CPC before your preceptor leads are due. Knowing early leaves you time to search for a site that will take you on those terms.
Under USU's catalog, asking for a medical waiver means self-placement. Decide early, because it changes who finds your site.
Deadlines, and when a site asks for more
Every health and safety approval must be on file with OFE at least 16 weeks before your clinical course, and USU's admission requirements say these documents must stay current through all of your clinical courses. The full sequence is on our clinical deadlines page.
USU's list is the minimum a site will see. The FNP handbook says sites may impose their own requirements and that students provide what a site asks for, with examples such as fingerprints, OSHA training and an American Heart Association Healthcare CPR lesson. Some sites also test for nicotine, which our background check and drug screen page covers.
Ask about site-specific requirements as soon as a site agrees in principle, and tell your CPC what you learn. Site extras need to be done before your first day, just like USU's own items.
How our search accounts for your health file
Your vaccinations, clearance form and Complio review run through your own provider and USU. We search with your compliance status in mind: when we look for a preceptor and site, we ask what the site itself requires, so you're matched with a clinic whose extra checks you can finish in time.
USU approves every placement. Tell us your course and start date and a placement advisor will reply.
Questions USU students ask
Does USU accept Heplisav-B for the hepatitis B requirement?
No. USU's FNP handbook says Heplisav-B does not meet the hepatitis B requirement. USU accepts the 3-shot series or a positive titer. If your records show Heplisav-B, ask your Clinical Placement Coordinator what to submit and talk to your provider about a titer, early enough to allow for Complio's review time.
Can I use a QuantiFERON instead of a TB skin test for USU clinicals?
Yes. USU accepts a negative 2-step PPD followed by a 1-step PPD every year, or an annual QuantiFERON or T-Spot blood test. Students with a history of positive TB need a negative chest X-ray every 5 years and an annual TB health evaluation instead, with Appendix F as the handbook form for that situation.
Can I get a medical waiver for a USU vaccine requirement?
USU's catalog says it can't make exceptions to waive health and safety requirements, and that a student who asks for a medical waiver must find and secure their own placement. For COVID-19, USU has a declination form for exemption requests, uploaded to Complio. Talk to your Clinical Placement Coordinator before you submit anything.
Do RN-BSN, Nurse Educator and Health Care Leadership students have the same requirements?
Essentially, yes. That program's practicum handbook lists American Heart Association BLS, TB, Tdap, flu, hepatitis B, MMR and varicella titers, health insurance, a background check and a drug screen. It has its own Appendix E Medical Clearance Form and Appendix F TB questionnaire. Its health page doesn't name Complio, so confirm with your CPC where documents go.
How long do USU health documents stay valid?
It depends on the item. Flu and TB are annual, Tdap must be within 10 years, and a positive-TB chest X-ray is repeated every 5 years. USU requires every item to stay current through all your clinical courses, and Complio warns you 60, 45, 30 and 15 days before something expires. An expired item stops your clinical hours.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against USU's own catalog, handbooks and disclosures. USU's current handbook and your Clinical Placement Coordinator have the final word.
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