Immunization Instructions

To achieve compliance, the following two requirements must be completed: 

Requirement 1: Hepatitis B 2-dose or 3-dose vaccine series 

• Documentation of the full two (2) series. The 2nd dose should be administered at least (1) month after the 1st dose. OR
• Documentation of the full three (3) shot series. The 2nd dose should be administered at least one (1) month after the 1st dose; the 3rd dose should be administered at least six (6) months after the first dose with a minimum of two (2) months between the 2nd and 3rd doses.
• If there is no documentation of previous Hepatitis B vaccines, the entire series must be repeated before the titer is collected.
• A positive Hep B surface antibody titer will not be accepted without proof of the vaccine series.
• Please see note at the end of the requirements for further explanation
• After completion of the 2-shot or 3-shot series, a positive hepatitis B surface antibody test (titer) must be completed and documented.
• If the titer is negative, the series must be repeated and an additional titer must be completed 1-2 months after the last dose of the vaccine.

Requirement 2: Hepatitis B Surface Antibody Test (Titer). You must complete requirement 1 before completing requirement 2. 

• The titer must be positive (reactive) and show proper immunity.
• If the titer is negative, the series must be repeated and an additional titer must be completed 1-2 months after the last dose of the vaccine.
• A single booster dose and a repeated titer is also acceptable as long as the repeated titer is positive. If the repeated titer is still negative, the 2nd dose of the 2-shot series or the 2nd and 3rd doses of the 3-shot series must be given, and another repeated titer must be completed 1-2 months after the last dose of the vaccine.

• Two (2) shot series, with one (1) month between each injection
• Vaccines must be completed after the first year of life
• Surface Antibody tests for Rubeola (Measles), Mumps Rubella will be accepted in place of the vaccines

• Positive varicella titer OR
• Two (2) shot series of varicella vaccine, with one (1) month between each injection. 

• One (1) Tdap vaccine is required within the last 10 years

• An initial two-step PPD test is required
• 2-step skin test - A 2-step PPD involves getting two 1-step skin tests done in rapid succession, usually about a week apart. The second test will give a more accurate result, based on a "boosting" of the body's response.
• A TB blood test will also satisfy this requirement. It can go by the following names: Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA), QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G), and T-Spot TB test.

Returning Students: 

• Submit the completion certificate for the Infection Prevention training annually unless you are placed in a high-risk unit or your clinical site agreement requires a TB test. 
  High-risk units were identified by the Wexner Medical Center and include the following: Clinical Microbiology (AFB lab and processors); Ear, Nose and Throat; Infectious Diseases; Pulmonary; Pulmonary Diagnostic Lab; Respiratory Therapy (main medical center campus and east hospital).
• To complete the Infection Prevention training, follow these steps:
• Log into BuckeyeLearn at buckeyelearn.osu.edu with your name.#
• Search the exact title for “Infection Prevention Starts With You FY26” in the search bar at the top right corner, then hit enter
• Choose ‘Staff in Inpatient and ED Settings’ (for undergraduate/prelicensure GE) or ‘Provider’ (for MS/DNP/post licensure GE)
• If you are not able to locate the module, please email concompliance@osu.edu
• Complete the training
• Save the Certificate of Completion to your computer
• Submit the Infection Prevention Certificate of Completion through MyBuckMD using the Health Professional Student – Compliance Document tag.
• If there is a history of a positive PPD, a chest x-ray in addition to documentation of a positive PPD test is required.
• The certificate must contain your name and date of birth on the document. 

• Documentation of an annual flu vaccine administered during the current flu season is due before November 1.
• Please be sure to include processing time in your timeline for vaccination.
• Students requesting a medical or religious exemption for the flu vaccine must submit documentation to Wilce by September 15.

The following information is for students with documentation of a positive Hep B surface antibody titer, but no documentation of the 3-dose vaccine series. 

The Hepatitis B requirement for the Ohio State University College of Nursing is based on the CDC recommendations of immunizations for health care professionals and students. These recommendations are implemented to ensure all professionals, students, and the patients themselves are not at risk for becoming infected with or transmitting diseases during their education and clinical rotations. The CDC recommends health care professionals and students provide documentation of both the 3-dose Hepatitis B vaccine series and a positive surface antibody titer to prove that they have long-term immunity to the disease. This is because long-term immunity has only been demonstrated in individuals who have completed a full vaccination series with a positive antibody titer completed afterwards. 

For students with a positive titer alone without any documentation of the vaccines, or with less than 3 documented doses of Hep B, we cannot guarantee the student will remain immune throughout the duration of the program. Even though all 3 doses of Hep B were more than likely completed in childhood, for the safety of the student and the patients, a lack of documentation must be treated the same as if they were never completed. With less than 3 doses of Hep B given, the immunity demonstrated in the positive titer could technically subside to a non-immune level at any time. Rather than having the student repeat the titer periodically to check if they are still immune, the protocol is to repeat the Hep B vaccine series, then repeat the titer 1-2 months afterwards to have a full and complete Hepatitis B record. You only need to repeat as many vaccines as needed to have 3 full doses of Hep B on file. If you need to repeat the vaccines due to a lack of documentation of your original series, you will be considered temporarily compliant for Hep B while you are in progress of repeating the shots. Please contact the Preventive Medicine department at Student Health Services for any questions or concerns regarding the Hep B requirement of the College of Nursing.

All medical documentation should be submitted to the Wilce Student Health Services via MyBuckMD and you may use this form.

You may receive an email notifying you that you are non-compliant, even after submitting your documentation. Compliance documentation submitted to Wilce can take up to two weeks to be processed. Our system updates from Wilce each day with recent submissions. It is possible that your documentation has not yet been processed by Wilce.

When a Hepatitis B titer comes back negative you will need to repeat the vaccination series and an additional titer. As long as you have informed Wilce of your status and complete the series in the timeframe required, you will be considered temporarily compliant during this time. You will become non-compliant if you do not follow the timeline required by Wilce.

• A 2-step PPD involves getting two 1-step skin tests done in rapid succession, usually about a week apart. The second test will give a more accurate result, based on a "boosting" of the body's response.
• 1-step skin test - also known as a PPD. This is a two-stage process. In the first stage 0.1 mL of purified protein derivative (PPD) is injected into the top layers of skin of the forearm (PPD Give). In the second stage, 48-72 hours after the PPD Give, a certified healthcare professional will evaluate the area by noting the amount of swelling (PPD Read). It is very important that the PPD Read occur within the time frame of 48-72 hours after the PPD Give. PPDs that are read outside of this timeframe are considered invalid and will not meet the TB requirements of your health professional college.

Student Health Services needs all four parts of the TB skin test in order to enter your PPD for compliance. This includes the placement date, read date, induration (mm) and the overall result (positive or negative). Submissions with less than complete information regarding the TB test will be rejected until the proper documentation is received.

If using OSUWMC or Employee Health to update your TB compliance status, you will need to submit the completed TB surveillance form in addition to the basic immunization history printout to achieve full compliance.

You must submit a signed note or letter from a medical provider (MD, DO, CNP, PA) with a brief explanation of why you cannot receive the vaccination. The letter or note must then be submitted to the Wilce Student Health Center via MyBuckMD. For further questions regarding medical documentation or vaccination requirements, contact the Wilce Student Health Center via email.