Clinical and Practicum Requirements

Health

NE Students: As you are not participating in patient care, the Physical Exam is not required for Nursing Education Practicums.

FNP Students: These are minimum graduate requirements; individual clinical sites may have additional requirements. All students in the graduate nursing program must submit a health history and undergo a physical exam, prior to entering their first clinical or practicum course in the program. For FNP concentration, students must complete prior to starting NUR 532. Students in the Nursing Education and Individualized concentrations must meet the history and physical and immunization requirements prior to starting their clinical practicums. Health examination forms are located on the BrightSpace Platform UMaine School of Nursing Clinical Communication. The purpose of this examination, by a physician, nurse-practitioner, physician’s assistant, is to verify that the student is in a state of mental and physical health compatible with the responsibilities of nursing practice.

Student Accessibility Services

The physical exam may also assess student needs for a reasonable accommodation for a disability. Any student with a disability is encouraged to make early contact with Student Accessibility Services to discuss the possibilities for reasonable accommodation.

Immunizations

Each student must comply with the Maine immunization law for post-secondary students and the University of Maine requirements for student immunizations prior to enrollment.

NE Students: Additional immunizations are not required for Nursing Education students.

FNP Students: Full immunizations are needed by FNP students prior to beginning clinical, or prior to beginning Nurse Educator or I-MSN practicum courses.

• Measles, Mumps and Rubella: 2 MMR’s OR evidence of immunity through documented titers for each, measles, mumps, and rubella. Documentation of prior infection is not accepted.
• Varicella (Chicken Pox): 2 Varicella or evidence of immunity through documented. Documentation of prior infection is not accepted.
• Tetanus: (Td or Tdap): Documentation of immunization within 10
• Hepatitis B Series: The series of 3 doses are required to be initiated, if not complete, before NUR532 Series need to be finished before entering NUR For students participating in clinical practicums for Nursing Education and Individualized concentrations, please coordinate your Hep B series to be complete prior to beginning any practicum work.
• Influenza Vaccine: Clinical sites require annual influenza immunization. Students who decline influenza immunization must sign a declination form and understand this could affect their clinical placement opportunities. The declination form is available upon request. These are minimum requirements; individual clinical sites may have additional requirements.
• Tuberculosis: Students are required to complete baseline screening for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection through one of the following:
  • A two-step tuberculin skin test (PPD). Please look on the BrightSpace clinical platform to learn what a two-step PPD requires.
  • A single Blood Assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (BAMT). Two TB blood tests are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are available in the United States: the QuantiFERON®–TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) and the T- SPOT®.TB test (T-Spot), or
  • Documentation of previous positive testing for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.
• Annual Follow-up Testing for Tuberculosis: Students are required to repeat the PPD or BAMT annually. Students who have a positive follow-up screening are required to be evaluated by a healthcare provider.
• These are minimum graduate requirements; individual clinical sites may have additional.

 Positive Tests PPD or BAMT

Any student who has a positive (current or previous) PPD or BAMT is required to complete a Tuberculosis symptom screening form and be evaluated by a healthcare provider to rule out active tuberculosis disease. This may result in a blood test or chest X-ray. After an evaluation of a positive screening test, documentation about TB status needs to be submitted in writing by the health care provider. Students with previous positive tests are required to complete a Tuberculosis symptom screening form every year. Students with symptoms consistent with Mycobacterium tuberculosis must be evaluated by a health care provider and provide documentation clearing them for clinical participation.

Mandatory CCPS Documentation (Required for all graduate FNP nursing students) instructions can be found on the Brightspace Platform UMaine School of Nursing Clinical Communication.

• HIPPA/Confidentiality and Patient Safety
• Nursing Core Competencies/ Quality Improvement
• Infection Control and Prevention (OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards)
• Environment of Care

Mandatory CCPS is for patient care clinical practicums and not required for Nursing Education students. EXCEPTION:  if the practicum is located in a clinical facility in which you are not employed and centered around patient care, mandatory CCPS documentation may be required – consult your course faculty.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The University agrees to provide appropriate training in health care privacy, consistent with HIPAA and Maine law to all students. The University agrees to document for each student the completion of such training, and shall provide such documentation and any training materials provided to students, upon request.

Background Checks

All graduate nursing students are required to complete a Nursing Background Check. The nursing background check process is through Verified Credentials, and is the Compliance Tracking Software the School of Nursing uses for Background Check Verification.

Students in the FNP Program will be required to create an account through Verified Credentials and order the Background Check 3 months prior to their first clinical rotation.

Students in the Education Program will be required to create an account through Verified Credentials and order the Background Check 3 months prior to their practicum start date, if their practicum will take place outside of their place of work.

Students must create their account on Verified Credentials and order the Background Check ($86). A specific code will be shared with you by the Clinical Coordinator.

The UMaine Nursing Background Check includes:

• Nationwide Sex Offender
• County Criminal Search
• Maine Statewide Search
• Nationwide Criminal Search
• Healthcare Exclusion List (OIG, GSA, OFAC Searches)

Background Check Approval

The health care agency makes a determination regarding acceptance or denial of the student for clinical placement. A student whose CBC reveals convictions from the list below may be denied clinical placement at the assigned, or any, healthcare facility.

• All felonies
• Crimes against an individual(s): Assault Battery Sexual Assault Other related crimes
• Crimes involving theft
• Crimes involving drugs
• Misdemeanors that could compromise the care and safety of

New required items have been added at the request of our clinical partners. Our intent is for students to only have to complete this process once during their MSN Nursing Education. Please note that students who slow their progression, may need to repeat the background check, based on facility requirements.

If practicum placement is in the same setting as the student’s place of employment, a background check may not be required for Nursing Education students.

Licensure Requirements

All graduate students must be licensed as a Registered Nurse in Maine prior to beginning the program and must maintain licensure throughout the program of study.

Students must immediately make written disclosure(s) to the graduate program coordinator in the event of any disciplinary action taken or restrictions imposed on the student by any nursing licensing board, or termination from a healthcare position, whether occurring prior to admission or during the program of study. Information so disclosed may be shared in the sole discretion of the graduate program coordinator to clinical/practicum faculty as deemed appropriate. Failure to disclose may impact program progression, clinical/practicum placements, or potential APRN licensing.

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification

FNP Track: All FNP students are required to be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before enrolling in courses and maintain certification throughout the nursing program. Certification typically expires every two years. Certification is required to be at the health care provider level and provide hands-on training related to adult, child, and infant CPR. Online training programs without a hands-on demonstration and examination of correct techniques are not acceptable. Appropriate courses include the American Heart Association “Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers.”

A copy of the CPR completion card is required to be uploaded to BrightSpace, UMaine School of Nursing Clinical Communication platform, two weeks before beginning the first nursing course.

NE Track: As a UMaine Nursing Education student, documentation of certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification is not required as you are not providing direct patient care. If you are doing your practicum in a clinical facility and is centered on patient care, current CPR documentation may be required.

Infection Control and Blood Borne Pathogens

FNP Track: All students must demonstrate proficiency and understanding of universal infection control procedures and blood-borne pathogen policies before clinical placement in a health care setting. The School of Nursing provides this training through CCPS clinical modules. Instructions can be found on the BrightSpace, UMaine School of Nursing Clinical Communication platform.

NE Track: If you are participating in a nursing lab, simulation or clinical practicum setting, you must complete the Bloodborne Pathogens Annual Training found in your UMS Academy account. Submit your certificate to the Clinical Coordinator, Course Faculty and Academic Advisor.