Undergraduate Bulletin > Nursing > General Information

General Information

1. Nursing majors are required to purchase uniforms—estimated cost is $180. Uniforms are required for clinical activities in the 300- and 400-level nursing courses. Students usually purchase uniforms in the second semester of the sophomore year.
2. Students will be charged for costs associated with course activities, including the cost of liability (malpractice) insurance (required for students in any clinical course), end of program diagnostic or assessment tests, and junior level lab kits.
3. Students enrolled in 300- and 400-level courses with a clinical component are responsible for their own transportation to and from the agencies used for clinical activities/practicum experiences. Car owners are reminded that current liability insurance is required by North Carolina law.
4. Students admitted to the major must provide evidence of the following by July 1 (forms will be sent to students earlier in the summer):
   1. A tuberculin Mantoux skin test (or chest X-ray if skin test is positive)—annual requirement
   2. A tetanus toxoid immunization—every ten years
   3. Rubella and Measles evidence as required by the University
   4. Evidence of a positive titer for Mumps or evidence of two doses of Mumps vaccine (evidence of 2 MMR is acceptable)
   5. Evidence of chicken pox immunization or positive titre
   6. All students beginning clinical courses must have evidence of Hepatitis B immunization. Students who begin their series of immunizations after January 1, 2007 must also have evidence of a post-vaccination positive titer, or evidence of revaccination, unless they are still in the initial course of immunization. For students in the pre-licensure program, the initial series must be started prior to the first year of clinical, and a positive titer or evidence of beginning the second series of immunization is required prior to the start of the second year of clinical.
   7. Evidence of immunization against influenza (seasonal flu shot) in the last 12 months or declination form on file in the School of Nursing—annual requirement
   8. Rarely, immunization requirements must be changed on short notice. Students will be informed of changes as soon as they occur.
   9. Students beginning clinical courses during the spring semester must submit their immunization information by the preceding December 1.
5. All students enrolled in clinical courses must provide evidence that they are certified to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and must remain certified.
6. Registered nurse students are responsible for the items listed under “General Information” above, with the following modifications:
   1. Registered nurses are not required to purchase uniforms, but must wear identifying name tags and lab coats or uniforms appropriate to the clinical setting. Specific requirements will be discussed in each clinical course.
   2. Immunization requirements listed must be on file in the School of Nursing prior to beginning a clinical course. Forms are sent to students who preregistered for clinical courses. Students who do not preregister and have not received the immunization forms should stop by the Advising Center of the School of Nursing to obtain the forms.
7. Students are responsible for all costs associated with their own health care. Students are encouraged to have health insurance, and to be familiar with its provisions.

8. Beginning January 1, 2005, all nursing students must have an approved criminal background check prior to beginning clinical activity. For RN to B.S.N. students, results must be submitted prior to beginning NUR 474 or any other course with a clinical component (by August 1 for fall semester or December 1 for spring semester). For students in the pre-licensure program, results must be submitted by July 1, prior to enrolling in the required 300-level nursing courses. The University has contracted with Certiphi.com to perform this service. The cost is to be paid by the student.

   The results will be kept in the student’s School of Nursing file and will be destroyed upon graduation, withdrawal, or termination from the program. The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs will receive the results of the criminal background check of each undergraduate student. The School will not use this information in any way except to verify to clinical agencies that students have been subjected to the background check and to release a copy of the information to the agency, if requested. Students must sign two release forms (copies available in the Associate Dean’s Office), which will authorize the release of the information to the clinical agency, if requested. Directions on obtaining the background check are available in the Associate Dean’s Office.

   This criminal background check does not replace the one that will be done by the N.C. Board of Nursing prior to initial licensure as a registered nurse (see item #16).

9. Beginning July 1, 2009, all students must have a urine drug screen by a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) -approved lab prior to clinical activity. The screen must test for the following drugs: AMP (amphetamine), BAR (barbiturates), BZO (benzodiazepines), COC (cocaine), THC (marijuana), MTD (methadone), mAMP (methamphetamine), MDMA (ecstasy), OPI (opiate), PCP (Phencyclidine), PPX (propoxyphene), and OXY (oxycodone). In some cases, such as when results are inconclusive, it will be necessary to repeat the test. Note: Many labs in North Carolina are not NIDA-approved. The agency has contracted with PrimeCare to do the drug screens, although tests from other NIDA-approved labs are acceptable if they screen for all the required drugs. Directions on obtaining the drug screens from PrimeCare are available in the Associate Dean’s Office.
10. If none of the clinical agencies under contract with the School of Nursing are willing to allow a student to participate in clinical activities at that agency because of information gathered from urine drug screen testing, background check, or other pre-clinical screening required by clinical agencies, the student will be required to withdraw from the nursing program.
11. Substitutions for prerequisite courses may be made with prior approval from the Office of the Associate Dean, School of Nursing.
12. Qualified students are encouraged to take Honors courses in the arts and sciences.
13. All students are encouraged to take either Advanced Placement Exams, Biology Department exemption exam, or CLEP exam for BIO 111 which is prerequisite for BIO 271, 277, and 280.
14. The pre-licensure B.S.N. program is designed to be completed in eight (8) semesters [four (4) academic years] of full-time study. Some students may wish to spread the requirements over 10 semesters, or to attend summer school. Depending on the number of transfer hours a student brings to UNCG, registered nurses may be able to complete the program in three (3) semesters of full-time study, but part-time study is also available.
15. A detailed School of Nursing Student Handbook that contains additional information is available on the Web at www.uncg.edu/nur.
16. Graduates of the pre-licensure program are eligible to apply for licensure as a registered nurse. Applicants for initial licensure in North Carolina must have a criminal background check. See the Web page for the N.C. Board of Nursing for questions.