Health Clearance

Health clearance is required by the New York State Department of Health to determine that health care workers and students do not pose a health risk to clients, families or co-workers and to assure that the student is physically able to fulfill the objectives of the educational program.

Each student in the Department of Nursing must have a current health clearance form submitted three months prior to the first day of each clinical course; this applies to students in the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs. The Health clearance form must be completed by a physician or appropriate designee and is valid for one year from the date in which performed. 

Health Clearance Form

It is the student’s responsibility that all required information is included in the Health Clearance form by the required deadline provided by the Clinical Coordinator. If the form is incomplete, or any required clinical documents are missing, the student will not be allowed into the clinical agency and, as a result, will be unable to progress in the nursing program.

• Documentation of immunization/immunity to communicable disease (including titres) needs to be completed only once if immunity is confirmed.
• Hepatitis B vaccine is strongly recommended for all students. Students who decline the Hepatitis B vaccine are required to sign declination statement prior to placement in a clinical area.
• *Those students who have a positive tuberculin test must provide documentation of the date and result of a chest X-ray.

*Read the position statement of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): policy and guidelines for prevention and management of human immunodeficiency virus and Hepatitis B virus infection in the nursing education community.

Summary of Required Health Clearance

• Annual Physical Examination
• Laboratory Tests: B Evaluation of test results as “Normal” or “Abnormal” must be done by the physician.
  • CBC with Differential
  • Urinalysis with Microscopic exam
  • VDRL B This test must be done within one month prior to the first day of classes.
  • Hepatitis Antigen/Antibody Titre
  • Rubella Titre
  • Measles, Mumps and Varicella Titres (if no documentation of immunizations available)
• Immunizations
  • Tetanus-Diphtheria B Within 10 years (give exact date)
  • Polio B give exact dates
  • PPD B, if PPD positive, physician follow-up and chest x-ray required.
  • Mumps B Documentation of immunization or positive titre required.
  • Measles B Documentation of immunization or positive titre required.
  • Rubella B Positive titre required (give exact numbers).
  • Immunization required if titres are not immune.
  • Varicella (Chicken Pox) B Titre required.
• Additional requirements may be imposed by specific agencies with which the Department of Nursing affiliates.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification (Health Care Providers)

All students entering a clinical nursing course must have a valid CPR certification from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Lehman College students can register for an upcoming on-campus CPR training here.

Criminal Background Check and Drug Testing

A criminal background check and drug screening are required for clinical clearance and are conditions of participation in clinical experiences at affiliated healthcare facilities.

These requirements are established to comply with contractual agreements between the Lehman College Department of Nursing and its clinical partners. All students must meet the clinical clearance requirements established by the assigned clinical agencies.

Please note that clinical agencies reserve the right to deny a student's participation in clinical experiences based on the results of a criminal background check or drug screening. If a student is denied access to a clinical site, the student may be unable to complete required clinical coursework and, therefore, may be unable to progress in or complete the Nursing Program.

Students are responsible for understanding that eligibility for admission to the Nursing Program does not guarantee eligibility for clinical placement or licensure. Lehman College is not obligated to provide an alternative clinical placement, refund tuition or fees, or otherwise accommodate a student who is unable to meet clinical agency requirements or who is subsequently denied eligibility for nursing licensure based on the results of a criminal background check or drug screening.

Annual Drug Screening and Background Check Requirements

• Drug screening must be completed 30 days prior to the start of each semester:
  • Fall: Between the last week of July and the first week of August.
  • Spring: Between the last week of December and the first week of January.
• Background checks must be completed annually.

Medical Malpractice Insurance for Nursing Students

All students enrolled in the RN-BS and graduate nursing programs are required to maintain the maximum professional liability insurance coverage available. Students in the Traditional Generic and Accelerated Generic nursing programs are exempt from this requirement.

RN-BS students must maintain professional liability insurance as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Students enrolled in the Nurse Practitioner (NP) program must maintain malpractice insurance appropriate for their role as an NP student throughout the program.