After admission and prior to the start of classes, each student must submit record of the following to comply with clinical agency requirements:

1. Verification of completion and clearance of the Texas Board of Nursing DPS/FBI Criminal Background Check.
2. Nursing applicants who have been arrested, convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation, diagnosed with, treated, or hospitalized in the past five years for schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, paranoid personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or borderline personality disorder, or addicted to or treated for the use of alcohol or any other drug within the past five years, must file a declaratory order ONLY IF they have received a letter from the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) instructing them to do so.  However,  an applicant who anticipates incidents on their criminal background check, may begin gathering information such as statement and court documents, but are NOT to mail these items to the BON unless instructed to do so. Students are required to follow the new student process which can be located at BON New/Accepted Student Process
3. Students are required to take a drug screen prior to the beginning clinical rotation. Details on drug screen will be provided once student is accepted.

After admission and prior to the start of classes, each student must submit record of the following to comply with clinical agency requirements:

1. Health Screening

• Negative PPD or chest X-ray with the last 12 months.
• Negative PPD yearly thereafter while enrolled in the program
• Students with a positive PPD and a negative chest X-ray on admission into the program must complete a TB screening questionnaire annually while enrolled in the program.
• Students whose responses indicate possibility of TB infection must submit documentation of medical evaluation and treatment, if applicable.
• Students with a negative PPD on admission who convert to positive while enrolled in the program must submit documentation of medical evaluation and treatment.

2. Immunizations [Texas Administrative Rule 97.64 and CDC 2005 recommendations]

• Provisional admission with at least one dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine
• One dose of diphtheria-tetanus toxoid (Td) vaccination within the past ten years.
• Complete Hepatitis B series or serologic confirmation of immunity to Hepatitis B. (It takes 6 months to complete the series of 3 injections.)
• One dose of rubella vaccine.
• Two doses of varicella vaccine are needed.
• Persons born 1966-1997 who have self or parental reports of disease are considered immune.
• If born on or after January 1, 1957:
  • Two (2) doses of measles-containing vaccine administered since January 1, 1968.
  • One (1) dose of mumps vaccine.
  • Serologic confirmation of immunity to measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B or varicella is acceptable. Evidence of measles, rubella, mumps and varicella consist of a laboratory report that indicates either confirmation of immunity or infection. During the nursing program, each student will be asked to submit evidence of current immunization requirements to the office. If there are further questions regarding this requirement, call the main office at 361-698-2860.

3. CPR Course

Current CPR course completion card from American Heart Association Health Care Provider or American Red Cross Professional Rescuer. The CPR card expiration date must fall beyond the last day of clinical for the semester.

4. Physical Exam

A standard departmental physical examination to provide evidence of good physical and mental health. Failure to reveal prior or present physical or emotional illness will place a student as subject to dismissal. While information will be held in confidence there are certain circumstances that, for the student's protection as well as others, make health information disclosure a necessity.

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• RN to BSN Online - A comprehensive directory of RN to BSN programs online

• Texas Academic Progression in Nursing Consortium for Advancing Baccalaureate Education in Texas (CABNET)

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