The School of Nursing’s Curriculum Committee has approved updates to the Nursing Student Compliance Policy. The updated version is attached here and will go into effect for continuing Traditional BSN, Accelerated BSN, DNP, PhD and post-graduate certificate students at their next term of enrollment (i.e., either summer or fall). The updates were made to reflect current guidelines, changes in offerings (e.g., trainings), and/or clinical agency requirements. Impacted requirements are those related to Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Training. Details on the changes and rationale for each follow:
Tuberculosis (TB)
- Current State: Currently the school accepts any of the following to demonstrate immunization: one-step PPD skin test, two-step PPD skin test, or the QuantiFERON-TB Gold blood test. In addition, students with two consecutive annual negative TB skin tests need only submit a TB Symptom Risk Assessment Form for the third-year and subsequent screenings.
- Change: Upon program matriculation, students will submit either the two-step PPD skin test or the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test. For annual renewal, the one-step, two-step, or QuantiFERON-TB will be accepted. The TB Symptom Risk Assessment will no longer be accepted; annual renewal for the third and subsequent years would be satisfied by one-step, two-step, or QuntiFERON-TB.
- Rationale: The issues were the school’s acceptance of the one-step PPD skin test upon matriculation and the TB Symptom Risk Assessment for the third-year renewal. Many agencies require two-steps or the blood test and do not accept the one-step PPD skin test nor a risk assessment. UW Health is one very important example. This change aligns the minimum school-level requirements with those of its clinical agencies.
Hepatitis B
- Current State: If a student’s Hepatitis B vaccine series is new, the student must submit evidence of a positive surface antibody titer after the third dose of the vaccine. In addition, the school does not accept serological laboratory evidence of immunity to Hepatitis B (positive antibody titer) for students who completed the Hepatitis B series in past.
- Change: For students completing the Hepatitis B series for the first time as part of their compliance requirements, the school will no longer require them to receive a titer following the third dose. In addition, the school will accept serological laboratory evidence of immunity to Hepatitis B (positive antibody titer) from students who completed the Hepatitis B series in the past.
- Rationale: The CDC does not routinely recommend the post-vaccination titer following vaccination of infants, children, adolescents, or most adults. In addition, the fact that the timeline for the titer after the third does is lengthy (up to 16 weeks), which provides many complications for students working to complete compliance requirements by the given deadlines. In addition, many insurance companies do not cover the titer itself or a repeated series, if necessary.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training
- Current State: Currently the school does not accept the blended training program options provided by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association for first-time certification; students must participate in instructor-led training and skills sessions. The blended format is accepted for bi-annual renewals.
- Change: The school will accept the blended learning delivery method (i.e., online training with in-person skills session) for first-time and renewal CPR certification.
- Rationale: Both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association offer these blended formats and they have proven to be very effective. They allow for a high quality of training, consistency, and convenience. In addition, certification cards to not indicate delivery method, which makes it challenging for compliance staff to enforce the current policy.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Training
- Current State: The school utilizes the university’s online campuswide HIPAA training program.
- Change: The university changed its method of delivery and streamlined the offerings. The policy language has been updated to reflect these changes.
- Rationale: The changes would be made to reflect the training program offerings.
If you have any questions regarding the policy or adherence, please contact the school’s compliance unit at compliance@nursing.wisc.edu
This post was authored by Karen Mittelstadt on 04/12/2019.