Medical Student and Resident Orientation

Health requirements for students/instructors can vary based on site. Please confirm with the school coordinator which requirements are needed for a specific site.

Physical Exam- Physical exams may be required prior to start of the program to include: a health history, physical examination by a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice nurse prescriber, verifying that the instructor is free of clinically apparent communicable disease. 

SEWNA Provision: Physical exam by primary healthcare provider (MD, DO, APNP, PA) is required prior to initial clinical start AND annual history update & verification. Physical Examination to include: Instructor is free of clinically apparent communicable disease, Instructor is able to meet physical demands of the work, i.e. lift 50 pounds, any ADA accommodation requirements, a health history with signed declaration by instructor that the report is correct to the best of their knowledge, annual declaration by instructor that health status is unchanged to the best of their knowledge.

Tuberculosis Test - He/she is free from active tuberculosis as documented by a negative Mantoux skin test or negative chest x-ray (dated after skin test conversion) and is free from signs and symptoms of tuberculosis. Quantiferon TB test acceptable in lieu of annual Mantoux skin test. TB testing is required annually.

Please see the CDC Guidance regarding the timing of TB testing in conjunction with COVID Vaccination.

MMR Vaccination/Immunity - Documented immunity to Rubella, Rubeola, and Mumps (MMR); positive titer or medical documentation of 2 MMRs, 1 month apart, with the 1st dose after the first birthday, and the 2nd dose at least 1 month thereafter.

Varicella Vaccination/Immunity - Documented immunity to Varicella; positive titer or 2 doses of varicella vaccine 4 weeks apart.

Hepatitis B Vaccination/Declination - Have been advised of the risks of Hepatitis B and have either begun the Hepatitis B vaccination series or, in the alternative, have completed the appropriate declination of immunization form.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination- Have received the seasonal influenza vaccine each year no later than October 31st. (For experiences taking place between September 1st and March 31st ) Please Note: Any reason other than medical contraindication the instructor will not be permitted to participate in a clinical experience. The academic partner is to track compliance with this requirement, and send statistical documentation of the same to the designated Ascension education contact. This documentation should include total number of  clinical participants at an Ascension facility, how many received the vaccine, and how many had a documented medical contraindication to the vaccine. Documentation of shall be on file at the education setting.
Students/Instructors with exemptions to the vaccine are required to wear a surgical mask during the influenza season whenever in buildings where patient care takes place, regardless of whether the student/instructor is a direct patient caregiver or not.

Drug Screen - Drug screens may be required by certain Ascension sites. 

SEWNA Provision: A 10-Panel Urine Drug Screen is required prior to initial clinical start.
 
• A negative result will require no further screens unless indications of impairment are present, in which case additional screens may be requested. 
• If there is a break in an instructor's employment or the student's enrollment, the urine drug screen will need to be repeated. 
• If an instructor/student has a current positive drug screen result, they will not be able to participate in a clinical placement. Notice of above must be provided to the Clinical Education Setting.

COVID-19 Vaccine- 

As of 11/12/2021, proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required by Ascension.  A person is considered to be fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose in a 2-dose series of the Pfizer or Modern vaccines or 14 days after a single dose of the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. 


In the event that you cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical issue or a strongly held religious belief, please work with your school coordinator to obtain the requirements to submit an exemption to this requirement. 

Each student/instructor is required to have a completed Background Check prior to beginning a clinical placement at Ascension WI. The Background Information Disclosure form can be found here. It is the school's responsibility to complete and appropriately log the results in the individual's record within the ESCPP Database.

Any student or instructor with a finding on the background check must be cleared through the Ascension WI Student Placement Coordinator prior to the start of their clinical experience. Background check materials must be submitted for review at least 4 weeks before the anticipated clinical start date.