Physical for Nursing School?!

[Michelle1006]

I was just provisionally accepted to Nursing School at Seminole State College (Florida)! My question: What type of physical do I need? Orientation isn't scheduled until July 9th and I would like to know what to expect. There are deadlines for everything (of course) and I'm trying to get ahead of them. Financially I need to plan for certain things. So, I would appreciate any advice! Thanks!

[forevernursem]

Hi Michelle! The physical I had to do for my nursing program was just the annual physical at the doctors office.

[Michelle1006]

What did that entail, exactly? Do they take blood or is it just a regular height/weight/reflexes? Like you would have for a sport physical?

Thanks so much for replying!

[forevernursem]

Yes they took my blood and checked my urine. They did all of the normal stuff like height, weight, reflexes, asked me a bunch of questions about my health. Also you get updated on vaccines and the flu shot. My Doctor had to fill out a paper provided by my school and sign it to make sure everything was looking good with me to join the nursing program.

[tina06]

Hi Michelle,

In addition to the general physical nursing programs usually require a titers test for things like MMR, Varicella, Hep B, a TB test and proof of a recent Tdap vaccination. Depending on your insurance and the specific tests the school requires some of it may or may not be covered. It is in your best interest financially to get all of your vaccination history and titers testing done at your physical so that you don't have to pay for an additional office visit. Also, unless it's included in your curriculum at school, you should budget for a CPR certification.

Hope this information helps you!

Tina

[Wiggly Litchi]

I wasn't required to do a physical, but I did have to provide proof of immunization plus titers for varicella and HepB.

Because I'm foreign, I also had to provide TB test results via blood test, but I think the standard test is the skin test which will require a follow-up visit 72 hrs after administration.

I would start making sure that your vaccinations are up to date, and get documentation for them now. You don't want to be left scrambling closer to the cutoff date and realize that you're missing something.

[JenMH88RN, BSN, RN]

For my physical, the doctor just listened to my heart and lung sounds and said "oh, you're healthy". Blood was taken, the doctor signed off on the form for the physical that I had to upload on a website that my school is affiliated with, and I was on my way. Oh, I also had to get a flu shot (my program started in October of '16) and a TB skin test.

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

Just tell them it's for nursing school with your school. They do so many of them every year that they know exactly what you need.

Most likely, it's going to be a standard DOT physical since that's become the standard employment physical, then you're probably going to have to prove you've had your vaccines, or get your vaccines. It's easy stuff. The physical will probably be the most expensive part of it, typically around $70, and usually not covered by insurance.

Your immunization record from when you were a kid will cover most of your other stuff. Any other vaccines and titers you need are pretty cheap. Usually the city or county has cheap options for vaccines.