Clinical Clearance

Initial clinical clearance happens before a student’s first clinical experience. You’ll work on gathering, completing and submitting these requirements during the semester before this first clinical course. The Clinical Coordination Office will make a formal announcement. While some requirements can be done ahead of this time, some really need to be done during this semester ahead of the first clinical experience.

Initial Clinical Clearance Deadlines

• Direct Entry MSN students in NURS 426 during the Fall semester: August 1
• 16-month Dix Scholars in NURS 332-AC during the Fall semester: August 1
• BSN students in NURS 295 during the Fall semester: November 1

Initial Clearance

• Health Clearance – Specific immunization requirements can be found under Health Clearance tab below
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification – Current certification in infant, child and adult CPR. Must be BLS for Healthcare Providers (American Heart Association or American Red Cross). We do not accept online CPR certifications. We accept hybrid courses.
• Mandatory Clinical Orientation – Required once per academic year (July 1st-June 30). Modules cover topics like patient privacy and infection control/prevention.
• Background and criminal history checks – Includes national check and Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI). All completed through CastleBranch. For your CORI check process to be complete, please submit a CORI Release Form and a clear copy of your government ID to the Clinical Coordination Office. There is a 60-90 day window between your online order date the auto-cancel date of that order. If you do not submit your CORI Form and government ID to the clinical office within the 90 days (maximum), your online order will be cancelled by CastleBranch. The student must then re-order the CORI check and pay for the additional cost. Refer to Background Checks under the Forms, Links and Instruction section for more information.
• Student Information Form/Pledge – Collects demographics information and asks you to sign off that you reviewed the clinical education policies included in the Nursing Student Handbook:
  • If you are a Traditional Undergraduate, 16 months ABSN or 2-3 YR BSN student, please refer to this student handbook.
  • If you are a Direct Entry or Traditional Graduate student, please refer to this handbook.

Once given a clinical placement assignment

• Agency-specific pre-clinical Requirements – Any hospital-specific paperwork required – once a student knows their clinical setting. Details/deadlines communicated by Clinical Coordination Office.
• Demonstration of Medication Calculation and Administration Safety Competency – Required for undergraduate/pre-licensure direct entry students only. 

Documentation of the following immunizations will be scanned/uploaded by the student to their myCB account. (When you place your background check order on CastleBranch, you will automatically receive a myCB account).

TB Skin Test/PPD
For initial clinical clearance, students can receive either a TB Blood Test (Quantiferon Gold or T-Spot) OR Two-Step Tuberculin Skin Test Method required (per CDC Guidelines for health professionals), meaning one TB Skin Test (planted/read) and then a second TB Skin Test (planted/read) after one week but before three weeks. After the initial two-step, an annual TB Skin Test is required while in the Nursing Program. If more than one year passes without a TB Skin Test, the student must complete a two-step again. The blood test is the preferred method.

If a student has a history of positive TB Skin Test results they will need to submit documentation of the year of the positive result, treatment received, and the date of a negative chest x-ray. The student is then required to complete an annual symptom review with a health care provider.

Measles, Mumps & Rubella (MMR)
Documentation of two MMR vaccinations OR positive Measles and Mumps antibody titers required.

Rubella Titer
All nursing students must have a positive rubella antibody titer.

Varicella (Chicken Pox) 
Two vaccinations OR proof of immune titer is required. A history of the disease is not sufficient. If a student’s titer results come back negative, two vaccinations are required. The second vaccination should administered one month following the first.

Hepatitis B
Completion of the Hepatitis B vaccine series (three vaccines) AND the HBsAB titer is required. A HBsAB titer is also required for students whose series is in process or within last two years. If the series is incomplete at the start of clinical nursing courses, the student will receive temporary health clearance. Full health clearance is granted when the immune titer is complete. Students must be current in the Hepatitis B vaccination series to continue with clinical.

Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis)
Documentation of Tdap required. A Td booster is also required if 10 years has passed since the Tdap.

Influenza
Students are required to have an annual flu vaccination (no FluMist). The season’s flu vaccine is typically available around September and is usually due by October 1st. Date is subject to change based on affiliating agency requirements. Simmons typically hosts flu clinics during the fall semester.

COVID-19
Students should be vaccinated when clinical facilities require it so that they can participate in the clinical experience and progress in their programs. Nursing education programs are mandated by boards of nursing, as well as accreditors, to provide students with clinical experiences. They are not obligated to provide substitute or alternate clinical experiences based on a student’s request or unvaccinated status.

Each clinical partner or agency sets its own requirements for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. At this time, all major hospital entities, community health clinics and private practices with whom the Simmons School of Nursing has a Clinical Affiliation Agreement have mandated our students to obtain a full course of the COVID-19 vaccine as may be recommended by CDC guidelines.

Simmons School of Nursing students must comply with clinical partner mandates to attend clinical at a partner site. Clinical Affiliation Agreements between the School of Nursing and our partner agencies determine the relationships between the School of Nursing and the entities and detail the terms under which each site will provide on-site clinical educational experiences. These agreements account for regulatory requirements, accreditation expectations, and other guidelines, and the sites have been approved as meeting specific educational and clinical regulations. These agreements include provisions requiring students to adhere to agency policies relevant to their clinical experiences.

If a student declines to be vaccinated and is not eligible for a reasonable accommodation under the disability laws* or is not eligible for a reasonable accommodation for a sincerely held religious belief* then, the student may not be able to fulfill the clinical requirements of the program, resulting in them not earning the degree and graduating. Requests for accommodations for students under the disability laws, or for a sincerely held religious belief, will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Even if Simmons University is able to approve an accommodation it does guarantee that our clinical partners will also approve an accommodation.

*In providing an academic adjustment to students with disabilities or on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief, federal law does not require post-secondary schools to lower or substantially modify essential requirements of an academic program. (U.S. Department of Education, 2011).

McGill’s is our uniform vendor. Please visit their website at mcgillsinc.com to order. Go to SCHOOLS ORDERING PAGE. Simmons ordering page code is SIM2023. Students must make their orders 6 weeks before the clinical/lab start date.

• Uniform and Accessory Price List

These mandatory items must be ordered through McGill’s, our designated supplier. Keep in mind that you may have two clinical experiences per week.

• 1 navy scrub top (comes with pre-embroidered Simmons emblem)
• 1 navy scrub pant
• 1 name pin with Simmons logo

Other mandatory items:

• Stethoscope
• For undergraduate and Dix scholars: Littman Classic II SE
• For Direct Entry students: Littman Cardiology IV stethoscope
• Watch with a sweep second hand or a smart watch

Optional item:

• 1 white jacket (comes with pre-embroidered Simmons emblem)

Student Information and Pledge Forms: Please do not start with completing your forms unless your CORI Form and copy of Government ID are ready to upload. There is a location in this form for you to upload your CORI Form and your government ID before you submit.

If you are a Traditional UG or a 2-3 Year DIX Scholar Student, please complete this Student Information and Pledge Form.

If you are a Direct Entry or a 16 Months Accelerated BSN Student, please complete this Student Information and Pledge Form.

Clinical Coordination Office
LeFavour Hall, 4th floor E-415B
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 617-521-3045

CPR Course Resources
CPRBoston.org (American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers Course in Dorchester, MA)
American Red Cross Take a Class (American Red Cross BLS for Healthcare Providers Classroom Course – Various Locations)

Simmons University does not endorse a specific CPR course offering or organization.