Immunizations, CPR and insurance for UNCW clinicals

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the UNCW Preceptor placement team

UNCW DNP students document hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap and seasonal flu, a yearly TB test, CPR, personal health insurance and a one-time health history, and UNCW bills professional liability insurance each clinical semester. Clinical sites can add their own items, and many North Carolina hospitals also expect a shared student orientation and credentialing passport.

Get matched Chat now

Get your placement plan

Tell us your UNCW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your UNCW course.

Table. DNP health and insurance items (DNP clinical handbook and DNP Student Handbook): Hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Immunization records; Tdap, Immunization record; Influenza, Seasonal flu vaccine; Tuberculosis, Two-step skin test on admission; after that a skin test or QuantiFERON, or a chest X-ra — DNP health and insurance items (DNP clinical handbook and DNP Student Handbook): Hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Immunization records; Tdap, Immunization record; Influenza, Seasonal flu vaccine; Tuberculosis, Two-step skin test on admission; after that a skin test or QuantiFERON, or a chest X-ray after

The health items in a UNCW DNP file

UNCW's Fall 2025 DNP clinical handbook sets out the health records every DNP student provides. Most are documented once, on admission; the TB test and the flu vaccine come back every year, and a few others simply have to stay current.

DNP health and insurance items (DNP clinical handbook and DNP Student Handbook)
Item	What UNCW asks for	How often
Hepatitis B, MMR, varicella	Immunization records	On admission
Tdap	Immunization record	On admission
Influenza	Seasonal flu vaccine	Each flu season
Tuberculosis	Two-step skin test on admission; after that a skin test or QuantiFERON, or a chest X-ray after a positive skin test or an allergy	Every year
Physical and health history	UNCW's form	Once, on admission
CPR	American Heart Association or American Red Cross certification	Keep current
Health insurance	Proof of current personal coverage	Keep current
Professional liability insurance	Billed by UNCW to your student account	Each clinical semester

These health records share one file with the background check and drug screen; the platform and the July 15 deadline are explained in clinical compliance, and the two checks in background check and drug screen.

CPR: which card counts depends on your program

Here UNCW's handbooks disagree across programs. The DNP clinical handbook accepts CPR certification from either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. The MSN Nurse Educator handbook asks for American Heart Association Basic Life Support, says Red Cross certifications are not accepted, and allows that ACLS may be accepted instead. The Prelicensure and ABSN clinical handbook also requires AHA BLS and rules out both Red Cross courses and totally online BLS courses.

The simplest way through is an AHA BLS course with an in-person skills session, which satisfies every UNCW handbook at once. If you are a DNP student holding a current Red Cross card, it meets the DNP handbook as written; if you are unsure whether your cohort's instructions have changed, confirm with the Graduate Clinical Coordinator before the card comes up for review.

Health insurance, the health history form and injuries

DNP students show proof of current personal health insurance and complete UNCW's physical and health history form once, when they are admitted. MSN Nurse Educator students also need a health and physical assessment and health insurance. BSN and ABSN students complete a health and physical plus training in bloodborne pathogens and infection control.

Health insurance carries more weight since Fall 2025. A clinical handbook policy marked new that term says the cost of any first aid or medical services provided to a student is the student's own responsibility. An injury on a clinical shift becomes your bill, so keep coverage active through every practicum semester, summer included.

Separately from UNCW's one-time form, some sites ask for a physical exam from within the last 12 months. If a site you are considering asks for one, schedule it before the semester begins rather than during orientation week.

Professional liability insurance

UNCW requires professional liability insurance for each clinical semester and handles it through your student account. According to the DNP Student Handbook, the charge is billed every semester and may change over time. There is no separate policy to shop for; it shows up with your other university charges.

Coverage minimums vary by program. The MSN Nurse Educator handbook sets higher per-incident and aggregate limits than the DNP handbook does, and for BSN students the cost is covered in student fees. If a site asks about limits, the handbooks list them. Some systems ask the school rather than the student for proof: Novant Health, for one, asks for a certificate of insurance from the school, renewed yearly.

Extras a clinical site can add

UNCW's list is the minimum a site will see. The DNP clinical handbook allows site-specific extras case by case: proof of OSHA training, proof of HIPAA training, a digital photo, a physical exam within the last 12 months and a student CV. If a site's extras are more than you want to take on, the handbook's answer is to pick another site.

Vaccines are where sites differ most. UNCW's ABSN admission page notes that agencies used for clinical rotations may require proof of a COVID vaccine or documented proof of need for an exemption. That note sits on a BSN page, but the agencies set the rule, so ask any prospective site whether it applies to graduate students too.

Flu timing varies as well. Cape Fear Valley Health in Fayetteville treats the flu vaccine as mandatory for students from August through March. UNCW's own dates run later: by October 1 in the BSN and ABSN handbook and by November 1 in the MSN Nurse Educator handbook, while the DNP handbook says during flu season.

The NC Core Orientation and credentialing passport

Many North Carolina hospitals share one onboarding standard for students: the Core Orientation and a credentialing "passport" from the NC Consortiums for Clinical Education and Practice, hosted by Wake AHEC and endorsed by the NC Healthcare Association in 2014. It gives member hospitals a common orientation and a common credentialing record for students. How individual systems use it:

Duke hospitals use the consortium Core Orientation and passport, with requests handled through Rotation Manager; the Triangle consortium guide was updated in April 2026.
WakeMed uses the Core Orientation plus a WakeMed module, also through Rotation Manager.
Carteret Health Care in Morehead City requires the Core Orientation every year and takes NP rotations through myClinicalExchange.
Cape Fear Valley Health uses Rotation Manager with its own Workday Learning modules.
Novant Health lists no Core Orientation and runs its requirements through myClinicalExchange.

None of this replaces your UNCW file; it sits on top of it. Finish a system's modules before your first shift, because site orientation and EMR training do not count as clinical hours under UNCW's hour rules.

Why students let us match the site before the paperwork

The quickest route to a clean first day is knowing a site's health requirements before you commit to it. When we place a UNCW student, we match the preceptor and site to your practicum course, then confirm what that site's onboarding expects: a COVID record or exemption form, a flu vaccine by a set month, a Core Orientation module, a recent physical. You hear it from us at the match, not from a hospital the week you start.

We also assemble the preceptor and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, so approval moves as quickly as your health file. For how the large systems take NP students, see North Carolina NP preceptors, or send your course and term through the form below.

Questions UNCW students ask

Does UNCW require a flu shot for nursing clinicals?

Yes. The DNP clinical handbook requires the seasonal flu vaccine during flu season, the Prelicensure and ABSN handbook wants it by October 1, and the MSN Nurse Educator handbook by November 1. Some sites set their own window: Cape Fear Valley Health treats the flu vaccine as mandatory for students from August through March.

Does UNCW accept Red Cross CPR certification?

Only the DNP program does, going by the published handbooks. The DNP clinical handbook accepts American Heart Association or American Red Cross cards. The MSN Nurse Educator handbook and the Prelicensure and ABSN handbook both require AHA Basic Life Support, and the BSN handbook also rejects totally online courses. An AHA BLS card with a hands-on skills session covers every program.

Do UNCW nursing students need a COVID vaccine?

It is not on the DNP clinical handbook's compliance list. UNCW's ABSN admission page notes that clinical agencies may require proof of a COVID vaccine or documented proof of need for an exemption, so the answer depends on the site. Ask each prospective site before you submit it, and keep your vaccine record or exemption paperwork ready.

What TB test does UNCW accept?

The DNP clinical handbook asks for a two-step TB skin test when you are admitted and a TB test every year after that. A skin test or a QuantiFERON blood test works, and a chest X-ray is used after a positive skin test or if you are allergic. The MSN Nurse Educator handbook also lists T-SPOT.

What is the NC Core Orientation for nursing students?

It is a shared student orientation and credentialing passport from the NC Consortiums for Clinical Education and Practice, hosted by Wake AHEC. Duke and WakeMed use it, WakeMed adds its own module, and Carteret Health Care asks for it every year. Complete it before your first shift, since orientation time does not count toward UNCW clinical hours.

ComplianceClinical complianceWhat UNCW nursing students upload to Castle Branch or Certiphi before clinicals, the July 15 deadline, yearly renewals and the liability insurance charge.ClearanceBackground check and drug screenUNCW DNP students repeat a criminal background check and 12-panel drug test every year. What each covers, who sees results and what NC sites add.Hours rulesWhat counts as a clinical hourUNCW counts direct patient care only. Travel, EMR training and orientation are excluded, nothing counts while campus is closed, and telehealth has track limits.StatewideNP preceptors across North CarolinaHow North Carolina's health systems take NP students, which ones name UNCW as a partner, and the windows, platforms and orientation rules UNCW students meet.NC AHECNC AHEC and clinical rotationsWhat NC AHEC offers UNCW nursing students: community preceptors requested by schools, MyAHEC rotation housing, precepting courses and the 2025 preceptor report.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against UNCW's catalog, handbooks and School of Nursing pages. Your course, your cohort's handbook and UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.

UNCW asks you to find your own North Carolina preceptor. Let us run that search.

Tell us your UNCW program, your practicum course and where in North Carolina you can travel. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the CV, license and agency details UNCW's Graduate Clinical Coordinator reviews, well before the deadline.

Preceptors matched to the course: primary care, pediatrics and women's health for NSGL 650 to NSGL 653, adult and older-adult care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP
Preceptor CV with dates and site, license number and agency details ready for your submission
In Wilmington, the Cape Fear region or wherever in North Carolina your clinicals can happen

Start your placement plan

Your program, city and next practicum term is all we need to begin.