After being accepted into a health career program, students will receive a health packet detailing all health and safety requirements that must be met prior to the first clinical course. Failure to maintain compliance with the health and safety requirements each semester will result in the student's inability to attend the clinical portion of their program and may result in withdrawal from the clinical program (see program or school handbooks for further information). The following is a summary of the requirements that are explained in more detail in the student health packets. The health packets also provide required forms and more contact information for affiliates mentioned below. This packet is only provided to students upon initial enrollment in clinical programs. Annual compliance is required as detailed below.
Additional information can be found in the document “Health Polices for All Students”. Students should contact the Office of Health and Safety if they have any questions regarding these requirements.
MMR, TD & Meningitis are immunizations that are required for all students. See “IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS” above. NOTE: Meningitis Immunization is required for all PA (Physician Assistant) and Medical Laboratory Science students.
All University students enrolled in clinical courses must provide evidence of varicella (chickenpox) immunity. Acceptable evidence of varicella immunity includes either of the following:
• Documentation of two doses of varicella vaccine; OR
• Serologic evidence (blood test) showing immunity to varicella or laboratory confirmation of
prior disease. History of disease is not sufficient.
In accordance with the Louisiana Department of Health Region II that includes hospitals in the Baton Rouge area, all students in programs providing direct patient care must have current influenza immunization. Immunization against the flu must be updated annually. When students submit documentation of annual flu vaccination to the Office of Health & Safety, a colored tag will be applied to the student’s clinical ID badge to wear throughout the flu season to indicate their compliance with the policy.
Any individual who declines to be vaccinated must sign a declination form and complete either a Medical or Religious/Philosophical exception form, if not completed within the previous year. Anyone who declines must also wear a hospital-provided mask while in a patient care area or while conducting a patient care activity when in proximity (six feet) of a patient (in-patient, out-patient, or any type of patient).
All students enrolled in clinical courses must receive the first injection of the hepatitis B immunization series prior to beginning clinical rotation and must complete the series to remain in the program unless contraindicated for medical reasons. If contraindicated, notation of such by the student's physician must be submitted to the Health and Safety Office. Students may receive the hepatitis B series through a clinic or private physician and must submit documentation of the immunizations to the Health and Safety Office. Students must follow the 6 month schedule recommended for completion of this immunization series to remain in compliance with this requirement.
If documentation of the three dose series is not available, a lab test for proof of immunity (Hepatitis BSA) will be required.
An antibody titer is a laboratory test that measures how many antibodies are in a blood sample. The level of antibodies helps determine a person’s immunity level to a particular communicable disease. If the amount crosses a certain threshold, then the person is immune to the specific antigen (or virus), but if not, then they are at risk of contracting the disease.
The clinical sites for some programs require these blood tests to prove immunity. The clinical student health packet will describe this requirement in more detail for each program.
Clinical students may request waiver of immunization requirements for medical or religious reasons by completing a request for exemption form available from the Office of Health & Safety. Requests for exemption will be considered on a case by case basis and will require student to 1) provide supporting documentation for the request AND 2) meet with a University President designee. The President’s designee will make a recommendation to the President to approve or deny the request and the President’s decision is final. Students should understand that if the exemption is approved, clinical placement may not be guaranteed.
In addition to the requirements listed above, the Hepatitis B vaccine series, Varicella vaccine 1 &2 or titer, and Meningitis Vaccines are required for all PA (Physician’s Assistant) students. Documentation of all immunizations must be up-to-date prior to beginning the PA clinical program and updated annually, as necessary (i.e. influenza vaccine).
Prior to beginning a clinical degree or certificate program all students are required to complete a physical examination by their private physician. The form for the physical is provided in the health packet.
A TB skin test is required of all students upon entering a clinical degree or certificate program, then annually thereafter. A TB skin test will also be required as a condition of readmission to any clinical degree or certificate program. All continuing clinical students must submit the results of appropriate screening for TB annually to the Health and Safety Office.
Some clinical sites may additionally require the TB screening to be repeated within six weeks of the clinical assignment.
Clinical students with a history of a positive TB skin test must contact the Office of Health & Safety for information on alternative TB screening methods.
In addition to the “Drug & Alcohol Policies” noted above for all students, clinical students are required to submit to pre-enrollment and random drug screening for the duration of the clinical program as well as drug screening for reasonable cause. All applicants to clinical programs must be cleared for enrollment.
Random drug screening will be done at the University’s expense. Pre- enrollment drug screen costs will be included in the student's fees. All students, as a condition of enrollment in a clinical program, must abide by the University’s drug and alcohol policies and consent, when asked, to submit to urine drug testing to determine compliance with the policy.
See “Drug Screening Policy & Procedure” above for more information.
Upon acceptance into a program or course that requires a criminal background check, student enrollment is contingent upon passing a criminal background check. The University’s general admission and clinical program admission application forms require students to disclose any prior criminal convictions and/or arrests. The background check process is designed to meet agency requirements and insure the accuracy of students’ self-reports. Cases where students have not answered the background question on the application accurately will be dealt with severely and, at a minimum, result in the student being placed on administrative probation.
Undergraduate nursing students (BSN students) will have background checks conducted by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. These nursing students will receive instructions on fingerprinting and the LSBN background check procedure directly from the School of Nursing.
Students in other clinical programs will have criminal background checks conducted by Background Research Solutions (BR-Solutions.net). Students will receive information on the procedure for completing the criminal background checks in the student health packet. Student health packets will be issued after the student has been accepted into a clinical program or pre-clinical course.
NOTE: Depending on your clinical placement, you may be required to complete an additional background check through the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information.
Students who fail a University mandated drug screen or criminal background check will not be permitted to apply for any clinical program until the record is cleared as verified by the Safety Office. This policy applies as well to enrollment in any course with a clinical component. The Safety Office will accept reports only from approved agencies. Students denied admission may reapply after a period of one full year following appropriate and documented treatment (or resolution of the problem) and follow up and presentation of a negative drug screen at a University designated facility and at a time appointed by the University.
All students, upon entering a clinical degree or certificate program, are required to submit evidence of current certification in Healthcare Professional CPR prior to beginning the clinical program. Also Healthcare Professional CPR recertification will be required as a condition of readmission to any clinical degree or certificate program.
All clinical students must maintain current certification in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the Healthcare Provider Level for the duration of the clinical program. The only type of CPR certification accepted to meet this requirement is the American Heart Association Basic Life Support. CPR certification may be completed at an agency of the student’s choice, but it must be of the type indicated in this section.
The online CPR programs that issue a card via their website are not approved by American Heart Association nor are they accepted by the University. The only acceptable online program is a two-step program by the American Heart Association called HeartCode BLS which requires a certificate for the online portion and a face-to-face skills demonstration for the card to be issued by an approved training site (including OLOL American Heart Training Center). If students are interested in this online method for CPR certification or renewal, please contact the Training Center at 765-2196.
All students enrolled in clinical courses should notify their instructor and the Director of Campus Health and Safety as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. A written report from the student's obstetrician stating she may continue in the program is necessary. This is to ensure that the student and her unborn child are not exposed to undue hazards inherent within the clinical program. The written release by the student's physician is kept in the student's confidential health record in the Health and Safety Office.
It is the responsibility of pregnant students to voluntarily declare their pregnancy in writing to the Program Director or Clinical Coordinator as soon after conception as practical. The student must provide the expected date of delivery. The student will be counseled in regard to radiation safety and protection practices and use, the risks of prenatal exposure to ionizing radiation, an equivalent dose limit for the embryo/fetus and a copy of the US NRC Regulatory Commission Appendix to the Regulatory guide 8.13 "Instruction Concerning Prenatal Radiation Exposure." The program's radiation safety and protection guidelines are reviewed with the student. The opportunity for further discussion of the written instructions is given to the student. Following counseling, the student may choose one of the following options:
1) Choose to continue in the program without modification;
2) Choose to resign from the program; student may re-apply for the next class.
3) Choose a modified clinical rotation schedule (This option would allow the student to continue in the program without having rotate through fluoroscopic procedures not limited to i.e., Diagnostic Imaging fluoroscopic procedures, Surgery, Pain Management, C.V. /I.R., Radiation Therapy, ERCP, Nuc. Med. Once the student is no longer pregnant they will be required to make up these rotations as well as any time lost during pregnancy.)
A student choosing to continue in the program will be given a second "Special Purpose" personnel monitoring device, an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter to monitor exposure to the unborn embryo. The OSL dosimeter is to be worn at waist level. During fluoroscopy, OSL dosimeter is to be worn underneath the protective lead apron at waist level. The student must not confuse the designated location of the two monitors. Incorrect placement of the dosimeter will result in incorrect monitoring results. The maximum equivalent dose limit during the gestational period shall not exceed 500mrem (State Radiation and Nuclear Regulatory Commission).
The pregnant student is advised on the importance of radiation safety during clinical assignments. The student assumes responsibility of proper radiation protection during clinical assignments. Neither Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, the Radiologic Technology Program nor the Clinical Education Settings will be responsible for radiation injury to the student or embryo/fetus should the student choose to continue in the program.
A student may decide to withdraw their previous notification of pregnancy at any time. The decision must be submitted in writing to the Clinical Coordinator.
A student who is unable to complete the semester may initiate a request for authorization of an incomplete "I" grade(s). The request must be signed by the student and instructor and approved by the director. The student must resolve the "I" grade(s) by the first day of class of the next semester (refer to the University Catalog - Policy on Incomplete Grades).
Should a student choose to resign from the program, the "Withdrawal from Courses" and/or "Resignation from the University" guidelines in the University Catalog must be followed.
Once enrollment is interrupted, the student is not allowed to progress through the Radiologic Technology program with the class to which she was admitted. A position will be held in the next class admitted (fall semester) for a student desiring to re-enter the program provided that the student was academically in good standing and that the withdrawal/resignation guidelines in the University Catalog have been followed. The student must submit an Application for Readmission to the Office of Admissions and Records and a written request to the Program Director by March 15 for re-entry in the fall semester (refer to the University Catalog for policy on Readmission to the University).
Rev. 11/15
Professional liability coverage provided through OLOLRMC covers the University, its students and faculty members, as well as its allied healthcare programs, in the event of medical malpractice lawsuits.
Much like trained healthcare professionals, students are liable for their actions and should consider purchasing their own individual professional liability coverage. Healthcare professions students need to be aware that when they enter the workforce, there may be gaps in coverage provided by their employer.
Nurse Anesthesia Students are required to have their own individual professional liability coverage. Nurse Anesthesia students must follow the program’s requirements for liability insurance as referenced in the Nurse Anesthesia Program Student Handbook.
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