Purpose
Washington State University (WSU) College of Nursing (CON), Washington State Board of Nursing (BON) and our accreditor, CCNE, requires students to participate in direct patient care experiences in clinical settings as part of their academic requirements. This is a fundamental educational requirement to ensure students can provide high-quality and safe patient care and are qualified to become professionally licensed or certified.
Clinical experiences typically occur outside of WSU and within other organizations and training sites (e.g. hospitals, clinics, community agencies). During these experiences, nursing students will be exposed to materials that could cause infectious illnesses, some of which are preventable by vaccines.
These training sites enter into a contractual agreement with WSU that identifies the expectations they have for students to decrease their risk of infectious illnesses. This is to protect the health and safety of patients. Typical requirements that all students and instructors must meet may include vaccinations, drug and health screenings, and specific education. The CON has legal, ethical and risk management obligations to ensure all students meet these requirements before clinical training begins and throughout their education when clinical training is required. Students are also encouraged to review the WSU Health Sciences Immunization Requirements policy.
On this page
Policy
The CON will, as a condition of admission and progression, require proof of certain immunizations and health screenings, consistent with our clinical partner contracts and agreements, identified as “clinical compliance.” The only exemption to these required vaccinations is students who have a legitimate medical condition that make vaccination medically contraindicated, and who can follow the medical exemption process of the training site where they are placed.
“Facility onboarding” is the process of completing all required site-specific documentation and submission which may include submitting clinical compliance documents in a facility’s system.
All students, newly admitted or returning/ongoing, must maintain compliance of their clinical documentation in DISA and meet all facility onboarding requirements on time. Deadlines are provided for incoming students with their admission packet. Not meeting the posted deadline is cause for admission to be revoked from the CON program.
Returning/ongoing student immunization/document deadlines can be found in their DISA account. It is mandatory that all returning students are compliant in their DISA account before requirements are overdue. Rejected documents are not considered compliant until corrected and approved by DISA or Onboarding Coordinator. Overdue/rejected status is cause for deferral from the current semester. Students who are not compliant during the semester will receive a Compliance Stop email as outlined in the student handbook.
Requirement details are found via the sites for newly admitted students or current ongoing students.
The CON programs have variable credential compliance needs, as seen in the following table:
| Requirement | Prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (PL-BSN) | Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) | Pre-licensure Master of Nursing (PL-MN) | Post-licensure Master of Nursing (MN) | Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Immunizations* | Admission & Annual | N/A | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| COVID* | Admission & Annual | N/A | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| RN License** | N/A | Admission & Annual | N/A | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| Background Checks** | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| Forms** | Admission | Admission | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| Trainings** | Admission & Annual | N/A | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
| BLS CPR** | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual | Admission & Annual |
Core Immunizations
- Hepatitis B
- Proof of immunity by titer. Some programs may require proof of vaccination.
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Proof of immunity by titer may be accepted in lieu of proof of vaccination.
- TDAP (Tetanus, Diphteria, Pertusis)
- Proof of vaccination.
- Initial Tuberculosis screening
- Proof of screening. There are no exemptions for TB screening. Additional screening may be required in areas of high TB prevalence.
- Varicella
- Proof of immunity by titer may be accepted in lieu of proof of vaccination.
- Influenza (annually)
- Proof of vaccination. Medical exemptions may be accepted in lieu of proof of vaccination.
COVID-19 and Potential Boosters
- This vaccine is strongly recommended but is not automatically required. Please note this vaccine requirement may change depending on facility requirements. Facilities may require this vaccination and/or boosters any time at their own will. Facilities may also discontinue previously accepted exemptions or declination approved through the facility. College of Nursing staff will reach out to you to inform you if this additional requirement applies to your placement.
- WSU Health Sciences reserves the right to require additional immunizations in the event of a public health emergency, updated recommendations by the CDC for vaccination and/or health screenings, and/or training site placement requirements.
RN License
- Students must hold a current, unencumbered RN license in the state where they are placed for clinical training.
- It is HIGHLY recommended that students obtain an RN license in the catchment area of their campus. That includes Washington (all campuses), Idaho (Spokane campus), and/or Oregon (Vancouver & Tri-Cities campuses). This drastically increases clinical placement opportunities.
- Compact/MSL licenses are acceptable provided they are multi-state with Washington (and Oregon or Idaho if residing near a state border).
Background Checks
- A national background check is required upon admission and is included in the initial purchase of the DISA immunization tracker.
- WSP WATCH background checks are required annually. To purchase the annual WATCH background check for $11, access the WSP/WATCH website.
Forms
Various forms are required upon admission for students, including criminal history disclosure forms, liability insurance forms, authorization to release information forms, and media release forms. Details are provided via the site for newly admitted students.
Trainings
Various training courses are required for students. Requirements will vary per program but may include Clinical Placement Northwest (CPNW) learning modules (updated versions launched each July), and Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training.
Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR
Students must hold a current BLS Provider card and submit a copy to DISA. This must be renewed every two years with no lapses in certification. The only accepted BLS Provider card is from the American Heart Association (AHA) only. Any course other than AHA BLS Provider does not meet this requirement (e.g. AHA Heartsaver CPR, ACLS Provider Card, & First Aid).
Medical Exemptions
Students who would like to request a medical exemption for any immunizations required above must contact Clinical Affairs at nursing.clinicalaffairs@wsu.edu as soon as possible. The process to explore a medical exemption may take time and students will want to start the process immediately. The CON cannot accept religious exemptions.
Newly Admitted Students
The CON admits students on a provisional basis, until all required clinical compliance documentation is met. To comply with training site requirements, all compliance documentation will be entered into and maintained by students in DISA.
Each student is responsible for submitting their appropriate medical documentation evidencing vaccination, CON forms and required trainings to their DISA account/tracker prior to their given deadline. Deadlines are provided for incoming students with their admission packet. Not meeting the posted deadline could be cause for admission to be revoked from the CON program.
Students must also complete their facility onboarding requirements by the given deadline as stated in the Clinical Placement Onboarding email. This email is sent to students who are placed at facilities requiring site specific onboarding.
Some first semester training sites require additional paperwork or site-specific requirements due several weeks prior to the first clinical date. Deadlines for facility onboarding are provided by training facilities to campus onboarding coordinators. Students must complete the facility onboarding paperwork and/or specific facility requirements by the deadline set by campus onboarding coordinators. These deadlines may vary due to different timelines and requirements established by the training facilities.
Admitted students must meet all DISA compliance requirements by: November 15 (Spring-admits) or June 15 (Fall-admits) each year. If all admission requirements for the program are not met by 11:59pm Pacific Time of the established deadline, the admission offer may be revoked. Applicants are welcome to apply in the next admissions cycle.
These decisions occur at the programmatic level, and complaints related to those decisions must follow the appeal process.
Returning/Ongoing Students
CON students are required to maintain their clinical compliance requirements throughout their clinical education. DISA trackers must be updated and may have additional requirements each semester depending on the onboarding requirements of their training site(s). Specific requirements, deadlines, and instructions are provided to each student regularly in preparation of their training site onboarding.
Returning/ongoing student immunization/document deadlines can be found in their DISA account. It is mandatory that all returning students are compliant in their DISA account before requirements are overdue. Rejected documents are not considered compliant until corrected and approved by DISA or Onboarding Coordinator. Overdue/rejected status could be cause for deferral from the current semester.
Each student is responsible for submitting their appropriate medical documentation evidencing vaccination, CON forms, and required trainings to their DISA account/tracker prior to their given deadline.
Failure to comply with all required documentation and any additional training site requirements for their placement that semester may result in a pause in that student’s progression. They will not be allowed to attend clinical courses or engage in clinical practice (which includes simulation) and may have to sit out for a semester/year until that course is offered again.
These decisions occur at the programmatic level and are communicated to the student by the Program Director. Complaints related to those decisions must follow the grievance process for current students noted in the CON student handbooks.
Process
- Clinical Affairs staff pull credential compliance reports for each program on the 1st and 15th of the month and send to the Program Directors and Department Chairs.
- The Program Directors will share these reports with the respective level or track lead (e.g. J1 Level Lead in PL-BSN, PMHNP Track Lead) who communicate with the student to identify their action plan to address the compliance issue.
- The Program Director, Level/Track Lead, Director of Clinical Affairs, and Chair confer on action plan from the student to determine if the students action plan is achievable within the constraints of the clinical agencies required onboarding timeline and WSU staff availability. The outcome communicated back to the student will be either 1) the student continues their action plan and meets a new deadline for compliance or 2) student pauses their progression due to failure to meet the credential compliance deadline.
- If the decision is to pause a student’s progression, this is communicated to additional individuals who need to know: Academic Director at campuses (if applicable), Campus Coordinators at campuses (if applicable), and Director of Center for Student Excellence.
Submission of Information; Falsification of Records
Students submitting vaccination and health screening information or requesting a medical exemption are required to follow this policy. Failure to comply with these timelines and processes may result in denial of admission or a pause in progression within the applicable program. The CON reserves the right to request additional or supporting documentation and information from a student. The WSU Health Science Immunization policy outlines outcomes for providing false, misleading, or inaccurate information.
Policy Information
| Policy Title | College of Nursing Immunization Requirements |
|---|---|
| Policy Inception Date | Summer 2025 |
| Policy Applicable Party | College of Nursing – all students |
| Date of Last Change | 08/17/2026 |
| Responsible Party, Level I (to create and review) | Center for Student Excellence, Academic Affairs, Clinical Affairs |
| Responsible Party, Level II (to approve) | Executive Committee |
| Responsible Party, Level III (to implement) | Center for Student Excellence, Academic Affairs, Clinical Affairs |