Clinical Requirements for All Nursing Students

Beginning in 2019, an outside company, Castle Branch, will be the exclusive vendor to obtain and monitor student pre-clinical compliance documentation. Students will pay a small fee directly to Castle Branch. Students will establish a unique identified login to upload all required paperwork.

In addition to documentation on physical wellness, all clinical students must complete a drug test and initial background check prior to participating in any off-campus clinical learning experiences. Subsequent background checks, drug screening and possibly fingerprinting may be required by individual clinical agencies at other points in the program. Students must be aware that clinical placements sites reserve the right to deny, in their sole discretion, a student's clinical placement based upon the results of the background check and drug screening. The School of Nursing is not responsible for any clinical ineligibility, regardless of whether any possible convictions or potential drug use was disclosed prior to the student's matriculation to the School of Nursing. If a student's clinical placement is denied because of the findings of a background check or drug testing, the School of Nursing does not guarantee the availability of an alternative clinical placement. If a student cannot be placed at a clinical site due to a background check finding, he/she will not be able to complete the nursing program and will be dismissed from the nursing program.

All information from the background check is held as confidential and the information shared with the various agencies notes only that the student has passed the check. Individuals that fail the background check are notified by the College. They then have the opportunity to schedule an appointment with a College-appointed individual(s) to review the results of a background check. A determination on proceeding is then made on a case-by-case basis.

(All information related to this policy is found in the appropriate program handbook, which can also be accessed on the Molloy College website.)