Warning to Students!

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Hello, this post is really for future nursing students.

I currently work in a Student Health Center of a University. We have had dozens of nursing students who are supposed to start their first quarter of classes in 3 weeks. They are all in major panic mode because they just found out they have to have 5 titers including hep B, varicella, measles, mumps and rubella. You cannot get these titers if you are not up to date on your immunizations. Some of them are way behind on immunizations, and will not get to start this quarter.

I agree that it's totally not fair, but it doesn't change their status.

Soooo...for all of you planning to start a program in the near or distant future!

Please, start bugging the nursing department of the requirements for clinicals.You will not regret being prepared.

Good luck all!:)

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Personally I didn't have my childhood records but was fully immunized.When I entered school I had a varicella titer (I had the pox as a child). and since I couldn't prove my other shots I just got an MMR, Hep B, TB, TD, and a waiver for P (not recommended for adults according to my doc). Anyone can get a titer done if they want. It simply measures your antibodies to specific diseases. Procedure where you work may dictate they have to show proof of immunization, but a titer will show proof or lack of immunity....

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I am in the same boat but luckily my program does not start until Aug '07 and all immunization records must be turned in by July1. I just had blood work drawn for 4 titers: measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. I was immunized as a child but I don't have my records and my mother can't seem to put her finger on them. I just also received my first round of Hep A, and Hep B. Those will be completed before my classes begin. My question is about the DPT and Polio? I have to call the student health clinic and ask what we are to do about those. Anybody else know what I am talking about?

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Specializes in Maternity, quality.

We weren't required to prove the polio vaccine for nursing school so I'm not sure about that, but we do need to have had a tetorifice booster within the past ten years. Your current provider may have that information.

I'm not sure if this is nationwide or not, but in the northeast they have recently (within the past year or so) added a pertussis booster to the tetorifice immunization because of some outbreaks of whooping cough. Our program is requiring that we have had that version of the vaccine, so some people are needing to get the tetorifice vaccine again, even though they may technically be current on it. You may want to check with your school on that.

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilities, LTC.

Yeah, this was the 1st in my many frustrating battles with the administration @ my school. BTW...good idea posting this in here - a friend of mine just told me yesterday she's been accepted to start school in January & I was just thinking last night I have to tell her about this.

My school required a 2-step TB test (which just means I had to have the test done twice), a physical, which included a signed form from my physician, & proof that you'd been exposed to the chicken pox. The TB requirement was easy enough. After going in to my Dr for my physical, he refused to sign the aforementioned form...something about being afraid of being liable for other parts on the form that had to be filled out by other people. I ended up having to go to a community health clinic & having another physical done there & having them sign the damn form.

The chicken pox part was my favorite. Maybe some parents take their kids to the Dr when they get chicken pox, but my mom didn't. The administration at my school informed me that the only way to fulfill this requirement was to have Dr. records from my childhood stating I'd had the chicken pox sent to them. Well, my pediatrician is DEAD & even if he wasn't, I live in another state from my hometown - I don't even know where I would have had to start looking for these records. They didn't even tell me about being able to have titers drawn until I'd just about pulled every hair out of my head, thinking that I wasn't going to be able to participate in clinicals over this. Yeah, for awhile administration was actually accepting emails from student's parents simply stating their child had chicken pox as a child.

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I didn't have any of my immunization records since they don't take a doctor's initials. I just went in and got all my blood titers done and I was in and out in 5 min. Quick and easy.

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I didn't have any of my immunization records since they don't take a doctor's initials. I just went in and got all my blood titers done and I was in and out in 5 min. Quick and easy.

Same here. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

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Exactly. That's the point of getting the titer done.

I didn't have any of my immunization records since they don't take a doctor's initials. I just went in and got all my blood titers done and I was in and out in 5 min. Quick and easy.
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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Unfortunately where I work, in order to have the titers done, our clinic required proof of all the immunizations, which was a hassle for a lot of students. That's why I posted what I did, so the future nursing students might have a chance. I know the requirements vary from state to state and school to school. I was just providing a heads up.

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I guess I just don't get why you would need a titer if you had proof of the immunization?

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Specializes in OR Internship starting in Jan!!.

Our school requires this stuff to even apply. It's nice to be prepared!

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Unfortunately where I work, in order to have the titers done, our clinic required proof of all the immunizations, which was a hassle for a lot of students. That's why I posted what I did, so the future nursing students might have a chance. I know the requirements vary from state to state and school to school. I was just providing a heads up.

If you have the immunizations, why a titer - unless they're just proving immunity, which is a personal soapbox I will refrain from standing on in this forum, just to avoid boring everyone to death?

And isn't the point of a titer to PROVE you have the immunizations? If your titers come back positive, OBVIOUSLY you're immune (no comment - remember, I've said I'm not getting on that soapbox, and anyone who is about to hit the "Quote" button to blast me knows exactly what I'm talking about. Let's speak in generalities, shall we?). Never get an immunization you KNOW you don't need - that's what I've always been told, and that's precisely what all four universities I applied to, and got accepted by, told ME.

This is completely new to me, and sounds like a way for a student health service to make money money money. Titers are EX-PENSIVE, and vaccines are EX-PENSIVE (hyphenated for exaggerated emphasis). Money money money. And furthermore, just for the sake of arguement and because I love stirring stuff up, why in the world would a clinic care if I have titers drawn with or without immunizations? If they're getting paid, why would they care? Dumb!

I hate to say it, but I would find another clinic to do my labs! Duke wouldn't do anything for us until we were actually students - and then they make sure you pay - either you or your insurance, or both, will be billed. Fortunately I'm ex-Air Force and have my shot records and am WELL vaccinated courtesy of the USAF - but STILL.

Sorry so prolific, but this just struck me as very weird....

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