Undergraduate Nursing Student Requirements | Nursing

Decker School of Nursing undergraduate students must fulfill several requirements.

Health/clinical practice requirements
HIPAA policy
Device requirements
Assessment kits
Uniforms
Additional expenses for clinical experiences

Health/Clinical Practice Requirements

Pre-licensure 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 before 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 an appropriate, corresponding add/drop deadline date; if the date isn't posted yet, keep checking back.

Baccalaureate Accelerated Track students — June 1
Traditional (junior) students — fall semester add/drop deadline

Student health packet download

Download the packet from this Decker Clinical Health Requirements Google folder corresponding to your student status (BAT or junior traditional program) and follow the 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 their 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, dates of birth, social security numbers or medical records numbers. This includes all demographic data related to the person's physical or mental health, the provision of healthcare to the individual or payment for the provision of healthcare to the individual (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 will be 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 student's expense.

Decker School of Nursing students and faculty must follow these guidelines:

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 that 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, dates 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 individuals who are not directly involved with the patient's care.

Information shared during the clinical day and pre/post conference is not to be shared outside 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 cannot 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. You should also review pertinent information in the Undergraduate Student Handbook.

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. You must have an active Binghamton email address to obtain this free software. Visit the University's Information Technology Services Office 365 webpage for instructions and information.

Assessment Kits/Uniforms

Nursing students will need uniforms and assessment kits for clinical and simulation experiences beginning with the fundamental assessment course (NURS 321, Nursing Assessment of Clients).

Assessment kits

The following medical equipment is needed during the first week of classes in Decker's undergraduate nursing programs:

Adult aneroid blood pressure cuff, nylon, any color
Professional level stethoscope with a diaphragm and bell, any color (for example: MDF MD or Littman Classic III level at a minimum)
Penlight with pupil gauge (do not buy a disposable model)
Bandage scissors
Hemostat, straight 5.5 inch
Wristwatch with a second hand
Small carrying bag to hold equipment

These items can be purchased separately at most locations that sell medical scrubs or in medical supply stores.

Special pricing available: As an option, Decker has partnered with the following companies for Undergraduate Assessment Kits with special offers:

MDF Instruments: 10% of every purchase is donated back to Decker College
MyStethoscope: one stethoscope is donated to a Decker student for every 10 purchased
Pristine Medical with optional pulse oximeter: Decker students get free shipping
Pristine Medical without optional pulse oximeter: Decker students get free shipping

Uniforms

Decker's uniform for undergraduate nursing students includes a hunter green, V-neck scrub top with the Decker School of Nursing logo on the left side and black scrub bottoms. A green scrub jacket with the Decker School of Nursing logo on the left side is optional. Shoes must be closed toe and closed back, and all black or all white. Review the Uniform Policy in the Undergraduate Student Handbook for details.

Additional Expenses Related to Undergraduate Clinical Experiences

Students in Decker's undergraduate nursing programs incur several expenses in addition to those noted above. See also "Expenses Beyond Tuition and Fees" on the Tuition, Expenses and Funding webpage and Additional Information, Expenses in the Decker School of Nursing Undergraduate Student Handbook for more information.

Questions?

If you have questions about these requirements, email 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 where they plan to practice.