Graduate Nursing Student Requirements | Nursing

There are a number of requirements Decker School of Nursing graduate students must fulfill.

Health/clinical practice requirements
HIPAA policy
Device requirements
Personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements

Advanced practice equipment
Uniforms
Additional expenses for clinical experiences

Health/Clinical Practice Requirements

Advanced practice nursing students must comply with regulations set by the New York State Department of Health, Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University and affiliated agencies.

Compliance is verified prior to and immediately following all deadlines. Failure to comply and/or maintain health/clinical practice requirements will negatively impact your time to degree.

Deadlines

Refer to the Student Records calendar for appropriate, corresponding add/drop deadline date; if the date isn't posted on the calendar yet, keep checking back.

Fall start graduate students — August 1
Spring start graduate students — December 1

Student health documents download

Download the graduate clinical/health requirements documents and follow the detailed instructions to complete your health/clinical practice requirements.

NOTE: Details about the medical document manager will be provided in February 2025, as Decker is currently transitioning between management systems. In the meantime, students should start gathering the required information so they are prepared to submit the necessary materials.

For continuing students, health/clinical practice requirements are due one calendar year from the date they were completed. Students may need to repeat the requirements within the academic year to maintain current health/clinical practice requirement status.

Decker School of Nursing HIPAA policy

Read the HIPAA Policy
Effective May 14, 2014

Maintaining confidentiality is an integral part of nursing practice. Federal regulations guide the scope of practice of healthcare workers to safeguard protected health information (PHI) through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). PHI is defined by Health and Human Services to mean demographic and health information that makes the individual identifiable. This information includes, but is not limited to, names, addresses, date of birth, social security numbers or medical records numbers. This includes all demographic data that is related to the person’s physical or mental health, and/or the provision or payment regarding provision of care (past, present or future).*

The Decker School of Nursing provides competency training for HIPAA to ensure the student is well versed with these regulations and the required behaviors necessary to ensure compliance. This policy outlines the corrective action for each level of a potential HIPAA violation, which could culminate in dismissal from the Decker School of Nursing. Maintaining HIPAA standards will be a clinical objective and evaluated with each course.

Affiliating agencies that collaborate with the Decker School of Nursing maintain their own HIPAA standards to which students must adhere. These policies supersede Decker School of Nursing policies. A HIPAA violation may mean dismissal from a clinical site and could impede placement at other clinical sites, which may prevent meeting requirements for graduation from the Decker School of Nursing. Any student violations requiring legal representation will be at the expense of the student.

The following guidelines are to be followed by students and faculty at the Decker School of Nursing:

Maintain confidentiality by only sharing PHI with those who are considered individuals who need to know

When you need to discuss PHI, hold conversations in private areas where others cannot hear the conversation.

Shred PHI which is no longer necessary to maintain in approved shredding bins, if shredding bins are not available, destroy the document before disposal.

Do not use patient names, date of birth, medical record numbers or social security numbers on Decker School of Nursing databases, papers or written assignments.

Do not share PHI with family members, peers or those individuals who are not directly involved with care of the patient.

Information shared during the clinical day and pre/post conference is not to be shared outside of the conference area.

Students may not leave/save any patient, family, faculty, clinical facility or student information on any open access desktop or hard drive.

PHI is not to be left open in public areas.

PHI is not to leave the clinical site

Computer screens and electronic health records with PHI are not to be left unattended; students are expected to log out before leaving the workstation.

Students are not allowed to share their personal login or password information.

* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Summary of the HIPAA privacy rule.
View the Decker School of Nursing HIPAA Corrective Actions webpage.

Adapted with permission by Mary Ellen Murray, associate dean, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Device Requirements

Decker School of Nursing students are required to own a laptop or iPad while enrolled in the nursing program. Students will be required to write papers, create presentations, record video and take exams on their device. Students are expected to bring the device as requested, fully charged (power may not be available), and adhere to individual course-use policies.

Minimum power and memory requirements

The Decker School of Nursing follows the device requirements set forth by the ExamSoft exam-testing platform. Students should ensure their device(s) meet these requirements.

Software

Students may be required to download and/or purchase additional software. If this is the case, students will be provided with instructions and links. Technology-related questions should be directed to Binghamton University's Help Desk at 607-777-6420 or helpdesk@binghamton.edu.

Get Microsoft Office software free: Binghamton University provides Microsoft Office free of charge to students, faculty and staff for use on their personal computers and devices. To obtain this free software, you must have an active Binghamton email address. Visit the University's Information Technology Services Office 365 webpage for instructions and more information.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Due to COVID-19 and the challenges healthcare facilities are facing, nursing students and faculty must supply their own PPE for clinical experiences. The PPE required varies by clinical site and is changing regularly.

Decker has partnered with Scrubin Uniforms to offer the necessary items. When you place your order, use access code bingppe607.

All students need the following:

Level 1 disposable masks: The level rating system refers to the mask's fluid-resistance, breathability, bacterial filtration, particulate filtration and flammability.
Eye protection. Goggles or a reusable face shield that covers the front and sides of the face are required. Personal eyeglasses and contact lenses are not considered adequate eye protection.

Students may also need:

Disposable clean gloves, powder free, non-latex
Reusable standard level 1 precaution gown (effective for 75 washings)

Advanced Practice Equipment

Decker has partnered with MDF Instruments for special pricing on stethoscopes. Information about otoscopes/ophthalmoscopes and other supplies will be included in course syllabi/course recommendations if applicable.

Uniforms

Decker School of Nursing graduate students are responsible for maintaining professional behavior and appearance, whether they are performing clinical (direct patient care) or nonclinical (i.e., clinical preparation, community observations) work. Review the Uniform Policy in the Decker School of Nursing Graduate Student Handbook for details.

Additional Expenses Related to Graduate Clinical Experiences

Students in Decker's graduate nursing programs incur several expenses in addition to those noted above. Review Expenses in the Decker School of Nursing Graduate Student Handbook for details.

Questions?

If you have questions about any of the requirements discussed on this page, email us at deckreqs@binghamton.edu.

If you have a felony or child abuse conviction: Students who have a previous felony or child abuse conviction are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or meet the licensure requirements of certain professions. Students with a prior criminal history should also be aware that agencies for clinical, field or internship experiences may require a background check. A prior criminal history may preclude participation in such experiences at these agencies. Students concerned about these restrictions are advised to contact the program director of their intended academic program.

Nursing students who are convicted of a felony or child abuse while enrolled in Decker College must report those convictions to their academic program director, as it may change their progression and ability to be placed in a clinical agency. Nursing students who wish to learn if felony/child abuse convictions will negatively impact their ability for licensure should check with the State Board of Nursing in the state in which they plan to practice.