Common Requirements for Clinical Placements and Tips for Navigating Them

In healthcare settings, screening requirements go beyond staff and volunteers. As many healthcare education leaders know, students participating in clinicals have a host of boxes they need to check before they start their first rotation. Verified Credentials Scholar helps program staff manage this added workload to ensure that their students are ready on day one.

The requirements for students are determined by each hospital or healthcare system, but often include background checks, health screenings, and other prerequisites to enhance student readiness for their careers in the medical field. But since there is no single standard across the medical community, program directors face many variables when seeking out new affiliates. In the end, this can reduce opportunities for students.

The good news – there are some common requirements that program directors can anticipate. Below, we’ll cover the most common requirements for clinical placements we see to keep you prepared, key factors to keep in mind, and best practices for handling the demanding process that is student requirement management.

What requirements do clinical programs typically have in place?

Requirements for clinical rotation programs can be categorized into three groups: health and immunization, legal, and professional and academic.  

Health and immunization requirements

Ensuring applicants meet health and vaccination requirements can protect the well-being of patients and students in the program. Proof of immunity or vaccination can prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and confirmation of physical fitness can ensure that students are physically capable of meeting the demands of their placement. A standard clinical or fieldwork program typically looks for the following:

• Vaccinations:  This may include MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Varicella (Chicken Pox), Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap), Hepatitis B series, COVID-19, and the annual Influenza vaccine.

• Drug Screening: Often administered in the form of a 10-panel urine test, a negative drug test result is usually mandatory for placement.

• Physical Exam: Programs may require students to be on their feet for extended periods, lift heavy equipment, and perform other physically demanding activities; applicants must verify they can meet these physical demands through a statement from a licensed provider.

Legal and compliance documentation 

In order to comply with accreditation standards and further protect patients and vulnerable parties, programs may require a variety of legal and compliance documentation and background screenings, including:

• Criminal Background Check: A comprehensive background check is typically required. While the individual sources searched can vary, this often means a county criminal record search, a national database search, a National Sex Offender Registry search, and a Global Watch List search. Verified Credentials now offers affordable standard student background check packages to help healthcare education programs with these basic requirements. 

• Insurance: It’s common for students to be responsible for carrying their own malpractice insurance. If the school does not provide it, students must confirm they have active malpractice insurance coverage for placement. Students might also be required to show proof of active personal health coverage for placement.  

• Additional Healthcare Background Searches: Depending on the field, placements may also require other healthcare-specific background screenings, such as adult and child abuse registries or FACIS® reports. These requirements are available as à la carte additions to our new standard student screening package. 

Professional and academic prerequisites 

• Licensure: Graduate-level rotations such as Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant often require students to maintain an active, unencumbered professional license (e.g., RN license) in the state where the placement is located. 
• CPR Certification: Also known as Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, healthcare providers are required to keep these certifications up-to-date. Clinical programs may request applicants to verify the status of their certification.   
  
• Onboarding Modules: Some facilities may require students to complete online training modules for placement. These may include HIPAA (patient privacy), OSHA (safety), and site-specific Electronic Health Records (EHR).

Considerations and best practices for managing clinical placement requirements

There are some important elements that program directors may want to consider when setting up an effective screening and requirement management process. These factors help determine a program’s ability to quickly and effectively place students while meeting complex and varying compliance requirements.

Varying requirements

Institutions must align with varying federal and state laws, institutional policies, and specific health profession requirements that can vary based on the level of degree being pursued. Because of this, the strategy for obtaining compliance documentation must be adaptable to ever-changing requirements across and within programs.

Document verification

Confirming the validity and accuracy of submitted documents, such as immunization records and background checks, is a labor-intensive, time-consuming process. Methods should be optimized to improve efficiency and accuracy.

Timeliness

Applications for clinical placements often come with strict timeframes and deadlines, and any delays in obtaining and verifying required documents can jeopardize those placements. Quick turnaround for results and quick access to them when needed are essential for staying on schedule.

Streamlining clinical placement screening with Verified Credentials Scholar®

When searching for a student requirement management solution, you need one that aligns with your institution’s needs and concerns. Verified Credentials Scholar^® is designed to assist institutions with clinical and fieldwork placement screening needs, including background checks, drug testing, license and document verification, and more. With our focus on the healthcare and education industries, we understand the unique needs of institutions and their clinical programs and have developed easy-to-use tech that addresses the concerns listed above, as well as many more.

• Accommodating unique requirements: We offer a standard student screening package with à la carte add-ons, so you’re getting what’s needed for each program without overpaying for items that aren’t required by your affiliate partners.
• Simplifying document verification: Our experienced in-house document review team handles the legwork of verifying the status, legitimacy, and accuracy of submitted documents, so program directors don’t have to.  
• Tools to help you do more in less time: You can create custom program and session requirements for clinical placement groupings that share the same requirements and monitor unlimited programs and sessions with ease. In addition, students get step-by-step instructions and reminders along the way to keep them on track.  
• Processing in a timely manner: With some of the fastest background check turnaround times in the industry, we can have your results ready in record time. Processing begins right away when a background check order is placed, and estimated delivery dates are provided to help you manage your timeline.  
  

Clinical and fieldwork placements involve curated screening for applicant selection, and that process is influenced by a multitude of variables, from turnaround time to the number of required screening markers. Institutions may want to consider a solution that supports efficiency, accuracy, and ease of access to effectively manage student requirements. Contact us with questions about Verified Credentials Scholar, or if you’re ready to get started.

The content above is for informational purposes only. Consult with your legal counsel to ensure compliance.