Immunizations, TB, flu, physical and CPR for JSU nursing
JSU's graduate handbook lists the health items every graduate nursing student keeps current: measles, mumps and rubella, varicella, hepatitis B, TB, Tdap, a yearly flu vaccine, a yearly physical and American Heart Association CPR. Some are one-time proof and some renew every year. Below is each item, JSU's wording for it and the timing that catches students out.
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The full list in JSU's handbook
The 2024-25 graduate handbook, still the newest one JSU posts, sets out the health records it expects in CastleBranch. Read the list as JSU prints it, then check your tracker account, which shows the exact proof it accepts for each line.
The items behave differently once you are enrolled. TB, flu and the physical come back every year, CPR has to cover each full semester, and the remaining vaccines follow whatever proof and renewal the tracker specifies.
- Measles, listed with a booster and a second titer
- Mumps
- Rubella
- Varicella
- Hepatitis B
- Tuberculosis
- Tdap
- Flu
- CPR
- Physical exam
Health insurance, malpractice coverage and your license sit on the same list, and they are covered on our malpractice and health insurance guide and the CastleBranch overview. This page stays with the vaccines, tests and cards.
TB: four ways to meet it
JSU gives you a choice of TB screening, as long as the result is from within the past 12 months. The handbook accepts any one of these:
- A two-step skin test
- Two consecutive annual skin tests
- A QuantiFERON Gold blood test
- A T-Spot blood test
Whichever route you take, TB renews every year. The practical risk is a result that turns 12 months old partway through a practicum. If your last screen was in the spring and your next clinical course runs through the summer, repeat the screen before the term starts rather than halfway through it.
Upload the result the day you receive it. A screen sitting in your inbox does not count toward clearance until the tracker shows it.
The flu vaccine and JSU's season window
The flu requirement is yearly, and the handbook ties it to the calendar: the vaccine must come "during the current flu season (September-March)." A shot from last season does not carry forward once a new season opens.
For most JSU nursing students the fall shot does the heavy lifting. A vaccine in September or October covers the fall term and the spring term that follows, which is when BSN-DNP students start Practicum I. Get it as soon as the new season's vaccine is available and upload the record right away.
Summer is the gray zone. A practicum from May to August falls outside the September-to-March window, and the handbook does not say which season's record it expects then. Ask the Director of Clinical Services before summer starts rather than guessing.
The physical and the Initial Health Appraisal
JSU asks for a physical exam every year. On top of that, the handbook sets a tighter rule for the paperwork: "The Initial Health Appraisal form must be completed within the past 6 months and signed by a medical professional."
Those two clocks differ, so plan the appointment with both in mind. A physical from ten months ago still meets the yearly rule, but a health appraisal signed that long ago would not meet the six-month window when you first submit it. Book the visit close to your tracker due date and bring JSU's form with you so the provider signs it at the same appointment.
Save a scan of the signed appraisal next to your other health records, so a lost upload or a tracker question never means a second appointment.
CPR: American Heart Association only
JSU's handbook names one card: "American Heart Association CPR for healthcare providers." A lay-rescuer course or a card from another organization is not what the handbook describes, so check with the Director of Clinical Services before relying on anything else.
The card must be valid for the whole semester, not just on the first day. A card that expires in the final weeks of a term leaves a gap in the middle of your clinical hours. Match its date against the term's last day on JSU's academic calendar: for 2026-27, fall finals fall in early December, spring finals run April 21 to 27 and the full summer term's finals end July 29.
If your employer already keeps you current in AHA provider CPR, upload that card; the handbook asks for the credential, not for a JSU-run class.
A renewal checklist by term
Use this table to plan a term before it starts. It lists what renews and when, using the handbook's rules.
| Item | JSU rule | When to act |
|---|---|---|
| TB screening | Result within 12 months | Before the result turns 12 months old |
| Flu vaccine | Current season, September to March | Early each fall |
| Physical exam | Yearly | Before the yearly date passes |
| Initial Health Appraisal | Signed within the past 6 months | At first submission |
| AHA CPR | Valid all semester | Before any term the card will not cover |
| MMR, varicella, hepatitis B, Tdap | Proof as the tracker specifies | At admission, and when the tracker flags an item |
Line this up with your first clinical course, since that is the term when an expired item costs the most.
How we keep your health records from slowing a placement
Jax State Preceptor checks your renewal dates as part of every search. Before we approach a preceptor, we compare your TB, flu, physical and CPR dates with the term you need, flag anything that will lapse and give you a date to fix it, so a site never sees an expired record.
Whether or not JSU takes part in arranging your placement, our search ends with a preceptor and site that suit its rules, and we ask each site early whether its onboarding wants more than JSU does. For DNP students heading into the residency pairing, we plan around a 16-month stretch in which every yearly item renews at least once. Approval rests with JSU's faculty, and the records we help you hand them are current on the day they look. See how it works.
Questions JSU students ask
Does JSU accept a QuantiFERON test instead of a TB skin test?
Yes. JSU's graduate handbook lists QuantiFERON Gold as one of four accepted TB screens, along with a T-Spot test, a two-step skin test or two consecutive annual skin tests. The result must be from within the past 12 months, and the screen renews each year, so note the date it expires.
Can I use a CPR card that is not from the American Heart Association?
JSU's handbook names American Heart Association CPR for healthcare providers, valid for the whole semester. A card from a different provider or a lay-rescuer course is not what that wording describes. Confirm with the Director of Clinical Services before your due date if your card is anything other than AHA provider level.
When should JSU nursing students get the flu shot?
As early in the season as you can. JSU requires a yearly flu vaccine given during the current flu season, which the handbook defines as September to March. A fall shot covers both the fall term and the spring term after it. For a summer practicum, ask the Director of Clinical Services which season's record applies.
Do I need titers for JSU nursing clinicals?
JSU's handbook lists measles with a booster and a second titer. For mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B, the public handbook names the item but not the exact form of proof. Your CastleBranch account shows what each line accepts, and the Director of Clinical Services can settle anything unclear.
Can I upload my employer's health records to JSU's tracker?
The handbook asks for proof of each item, not for tests done at JSU, so records from an employer's health service are worth uploading if they show what the tracker requests. The Initial Health Appraisal is different: it is JSU's own form and must be signed by a medical professional within the past six months.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against JSU's 2026-27 catalog, nursing handbooks, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your course faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
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