Augusta University clinical compliance: every item and every deadline
Before a single clinical hour counts, the College of Nursing expects your immunizations, TB screen, background check, drug screen, AHA BLS card, HIPAA training and insurance to be current. Two Augusta University documents give different due dates for the immunization form and for the background check, so plan around the earlier one. Clinical sites then stack their own requirements on top.
Get a clearance timeline built around your site
Tell us your track, your next clinical course and when it starts.
The College of Nursing checklist under CON16
College of Nursing policy CON16 lists what every student keeps current for clinicals. Most items renew on a cycle, and CON16 allows no grace period once a certification lapses.
What CON16 requires
- Student Health Services requirements, sent in on the clinical immunization form described below
- TB screening within three months before you matriculate: a PPD skin test or a QuantiFERON Gold blood test, followed by a chest x-ray after any positive result
- A flu vaccine every year
- A criminal background check and drug screen through a vendor chosen by Augusta University
- A HIPAA training certificate, renewed annually
- American Heart Association BLS taken in person; American Red Cross classes and other providers' healthcare CPR courses do not count
- ACLS and PALS as well for Nurse Anesthesia students
- Professional liability insurance and your own health insurance
- Signed clinical affiliate documents, a notice of any latex allergy or health condition, and an acknowledgment covering blood and biohazard exposure
- Mask fit testing wherever the clinical placement calls for it
- An active RN license; CON16 adds that certain rotations or agency rules can call for a multistate compact license
Licensing has its own guide: RN license rules for Georgia and South Carolina clinicals.
The clinical immunization form, dose by dose
Student Health Services publishes one Clinical / Healthcare Professional immunization form. It covers the DNP nurse practitioner tracks, Nurse Anesthesia, the MSN to DNP pathway, post-graduate certificate students and the MSN Clinical Nurse Leader. Records are uploaded through the Medicat Connect portal that Student Health Services runs.
| Item | What the form wants to see |
|---|---|
| MMR | Two doses, or an IgG titer showing immunity |
| Varicella | Two doses, or a titer |
| Tdap | A dose given after June 10, 2005, plus a Td or Tdap booster once more than 10 years have passed |
| Hepatitis B | The complete series with a quantitative surface antibody and a surface antigen result; a booster and repeat test if the antibody comes back negative |
| Influenza | Every year |
| TB test | Every year |
| COVID-19 | Strongly recommended rather than required |
The form itself warns that some clinical sites ask for more testing. CON14 adds that COVID-19 vaccination is not an admission requirement but can be one at a clinical agency, and that a student without it may end up training at a more distant site.
Background checks and drug screens under CON12
Three months ahead of matriculation, every new student completes a criminal background check and drug screen, paid for personally, and any repeat is billed to the student as well. DNP and Nurse Anesthesia students should expect several more: CON12 says these programs require numerous checks and screens because students train at multiple clinical agencies, each one paid by the student.
Each clinical agency reviews your results itself and decides, on its own criteria, whether you may train there. Some sites also want a fingerprint-based check, again at your cost. You are expected to verify that your results are accurate, and any conviction after your last check must be reported within 30 days.
CON16 names the screening company only as a qualified vendor selected by Augusta University. The Graduate School says ordering instructions appear in your applicant portal after acceptance. BSN and Clinical Nurse Leader students repeat the check and screen each May.
Two deadlines that disagree
Augusta University's own documents give two different lead times for each of the two biggest items, and none of them says it replaces the other. The safe reading is the earlier date in each row.
| Item | Earlier published date | Later published date |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical immunization form | At least six weeks before the semester starts (CON14) | At least two weeks before the semester (the Student Health Services form) |
| Background check and drug screen | Three months before matriculation (CON12) | Received at least four weeks before your first semester begins, described as typically three to four weeks ahead (Graduate School admission page) |
The costly mistake is working to the later date. Aim for six weeks on immunizations and three months on the background check and drug screen, then ask the College of Nursing which date it enforces for your cohort. A clinical site's own onboarding clock, covered below, can run earlier still.
What you pay for, in words
Augusta University's policies put these compliance costs on the student. Amounts change, so check the tuition and fee pages and each vendor for current figures.
- Every background check and drug screen, including repeats and any fingerprint check a site asks for
- Subscription access to the approved College of Nursing clinical tracking system where hours and residency logs are recorded; see the tracking system guide
- A fee for the clinical agency credentialing process, per CON14
- Per-semester immunization tracking and nursing liability insurance fees, shown as special fees on the DNP tuition page
- Personal health insurance, TB tests, titers and BLS renewals, plus ACLS and PALS for Nurse Anesthesia
- The nursing skills lab fee the catalog attaches to each NP practice course
- Uniforms, a stethoscope and other equipment, a laptop, travel to clinical sites and any overnight lodging
- Anything extra a clinical site requires
To see how these sit beside a placement service's cost, read what shapes the cost of a placement.
What clinical sites add on top
CON16 lets a clinical site set further requirements at the student's expense, and says site documents must be signed before your first clinical day, within the time frame you are given. That paperwork can include confidentiality and policy acknowledgment agreements, an authorization to release records and a Student Applied Learning Experience Agreement.
Health systems publish their own layers. These examples come from each system's own student pages as checked in September 2026:
- Wellstar (its ACEMAPP pages): background check and drug screen through Advantage Students; from July and August 2026, schools fit test students and complete hand hygiene check-offs before arrival; flu vaccine proof for rotations from October 1 to March 31
- Piedmont (its ACEMAPP FAQ): background check and drug screen through Advantage Students every year and a half at the student's cost, full compliance at least 10 days before the start, and a fresh Student Participation Agreement for each rotation
- Northside Hospital (its page for advanced practice students): compliance at least 30 days before the rotation, 60 days suggested for January starts, with screens accepted only through Advantage Students
- Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (its trainee onboarding page): part one finished 90 to 120 days before the start date, plus fingerprinting and VA mandatory training for trainees
Which systems want a school agreement in place first, and how long that takes, is covered in clinical agreements.
How we keep your clearance ready for each site
Compliance is where a well-matched preceptor can still cost you a term. However your clinical experiences come together, we match you with a preceptor suited to your Augusta University course and build the clearance plan around that site from the day it agrees.
- Map every expirationWe list each item in your file with its renewal date and lay it against your course dates, so a BLS card or yearly flu shot is renewed before it can lapse mid-course.
- Read the site's rules firstBefore you commit, we check the site's onboarding clock, screening vendor and extra documents, so you plan to the earliest deadline in play.
- Assemble the packetEvery form your faculty or the site requests is collected in the order they want it, with anything needing your signature flagged.
- Stay on callWhen a preceptor has to withdraw, we line up a replacement and restart the site checklist with you right away.
The full process is in how it works, or send your course and dates through the request form.
Questions Augusta University students ask
How many background checks will I pay for in an Augusta University DNP program?
Augusta University gives no fixed number. CON12 says DNP and Nurse Anesthesia students complete numerous checks and drug screens because they train at several clinical agencies, and each one is paid by the student. Sites can add their own cycle: Piedmont's ACEMAPP FAQ, for example, asks for a new check and screen every year and a half through its own vendor.
Does the Nurse Executive DNP need the clinical immunization form?
Student Health Services lists the Nurse Executive DNP under non-clinical programs, yet the program page says every Nurse Executive student needs 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours. Those two statements pull in different directions, so ask the College of Nursing before your residency site's onboarding begins, since CON16 lets any site set health requirements of its own.
Who reviews my background check and drug screen?
Under CON12, results go to the College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Student Affairs, who also receives any conviction report. Each clinical agency then reviews your results independently and makes its own final decision about letting you train there. Check your report for errors as soon as it arrives, because CON12 makes accuracy your responsibility.
Can my employer's background check or health records count for Augusta University?
Augusta University does not publish a rule that accepts employer records; CON16 routes the check through its own vendor. Hospitals differ too: Wellstar's ACEMAPP pages say team members rotating as students meet every student requirement through Advantage Students. If you hope to train where you work, read clinicals at your own employer.
What if my BLS card or flu shot expires during a clinical course?
Renew before it lapses. CON16 gives no grace period for an expired certification, and a flu vaccine is required every year. BLS must be the American Heart Association course completed in person. Put every renewal date on your calendar at the start of each term, well ahead of your rotation dates.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Augusta University's own catalog, program plans, DNP handbook and program pages, and Georgia and South Carolina rules. Your course faculty and the College of Nursing have the final word.
- Augusta University College of Nursing: policy CON16, clinical compliance
- Augusta University College of Nursing: policy CON12, background checks and drug screens
- Augusta University College of Nursing: policy CON14, student costs
- Augusta University Student Health Services: clinical immunization form
- Augusta University Graduate School: DNP admission requirements
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