Clearance and compliance

Clinical compliance at Spring Arbor: the full list

Q: Does SAU require a physical exam before clinicals?

No SAU source we found lists a health physical. The NUR 602R residency does test you on a full history and physical, but you are the examiner there; it is a skills check, not a health clearance. Your clinical site may still ask for one, so check its onboarding list.

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

Before any practicum, SAU expects an unrestricted RN license, your own liability insurance, a background check and drug test, CPR/BLS, TB testing, immunizations and HIPAA training, with the two screenings repeated every year. The detailed list comes from the 2023-24 Graduate Catalog and an undated SAU blog post, so confirm the current version with your program. You pay for all of it.

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Numbered steps. A compliance calendar that works: 1 Get the current list; 2 Start the slow items first; 3 Buy insurance for the whole enrollment; 4 Time the two screenings; 5 Track every expiry date. — A compliance calendar that works: 1 Get the current list; 2 Start the slow items first; 3 Buy insurance for the whole enrollment; 4 Time the two screenings; 5 Track every expiry date.

The list in the 2023-24 catalog

SAU's most detailed compliance list is in the 2023-24 Graduate Catalog, which introduces it as requirements that may include, but are not limited to, the items below. The MSN section applies it to students completing any School of Nursing program, the DNP section repeats it, and certificate students must meet the MSN list.

SAU compliance items in the 2023-24 Graduate Catalog
Item	What the catalog asks for	Timing
RN license	Current, unrestricted and unencumbered, in your state or country of practice	Before the practicum, then kept current
Liability insurance	Professional nursing liability cover for the whole enrollment, at minimum limits the catalog sets	Before the practicum, then kept current
Background check	Criminal check at the federal or international level	Before the first practicum, then every year
Drug test	Started by the student	Before the first practicum, then every year
CPR/BLS	Certification as required	Kept current
TB testing	Proof of testing	Repeat interval not stated
Immunizations	Any required immunizations and vaccinations	Individual vaccines not named
HIPAA training	Proof of training	Repeat interval not stated

The list closes with others as required, and the catalog links the costs to agency requirements, so expect your clinical site to add items of its own.

What SAU's clinicals article adds

An undated SAU blog post on clinicals lists the documents students gather before their first rotation. Alongside the background check, drug screening and HIPAA training, it adds OSHA training, verification of health insurance, immunization records and blood titers. Those extras are covered on our immunizations and TB page.

The same article promises that SAU staff and faculty will walk you through the requirements and hand you a document list, and that you can check whether sites near you already have affiliation agreements with SAU. Because the post carries no date, treat its list as a guide and the list your program sends you as the rule.

Two items students often expect are missing from every SAU source we found: ACLS or PALS certification, and a pre-clinical physical exam. Neither is on SAU's list, but a site may still ask for them.

Who pays and where the records go

You do. The 2023-24 catalog puts every cost connected with these requirements on the student and requires you to keep your records up to date with the nursing department.

No SAU page we checked names a compliance-tracking company. When your program tells you where to upload, use that route, and keep your own copy of every certificate, result and card in one folder. If a site's onboarding asks for the same documents, you can send them the same day.

Budget for each item, including the yearly repeats and policy renewals as well as the first round, since the requirement runs until you finish the program.

Deadlines and the yearly cycle

Everything has to be in place before your first practicum or clinical practice begins. The background check and drug test then repeat every year until you complete the program, and your license, insurance and CPR card must stay current throughout.

Compliance runs alongside the paperwork clock. The 2023-24 catalog, in its certificate section, gives the one firm lead time SAU publishes: clinical agreement, affiliation and preceptor verification forms are due no less than four weeks ahead of the clinical course. Our clinical paperwork page covers those documents; this page covers you.

Permission to start a practicum also rests on your grades, finished prerequisites, and sign-off from both your academic advisor and the nursing department. A clean compliance file is necessary, but not sufficient on its own.

A compliance calendar that works

Get the current listAsk your program for its current checklist as soon as your first practicum appears on your plan. Don't work from the 2023-24 catalog alone.
Start the slow items firstTiters and immunization series can take weeks, so begin them early.
Buy insurance for the whole enrollmentChoose a policy whose dates cover every semester you'll be enrolled, and renew before it lapses. See liability insurance.
Time the two screeningsStart the background check and drug test yourself before the first practicum, then set a reminder for the yearly repeat. See background check and drug test.
Track every expiry datePut license, CPR, insurance and TB dates in one calendar and review it at the start of each semester. What SAU asks of your license is on the RN license page.

RN-to-BSN and DNP students

The online RN-to-BSN uses no external preceptor. Its catalog simply requires that you meet all institutional requirements before starting NUR 494, the Senior Nursing Project. No item-by-item list is published for it, so ask your advisor what applies to you before the project course opens.

DNP students meet the same list in the 2023-24 catalog, which repeats it in the DNP section; that version also expects an APRN license in your state of practice if you hold that role. Practicum hours for the DNP are covered on the DNP page.

Course numbers on this page come from SAU's catalogs, which may have changed; your advisor can confirm the numbers that apply to you.

FAQ

Questions Spring Arbor students ask

Which compliance tracking system does Spring Arbor use?

SAU doesn't name one publicly. The 2023-24 catalog only says your records must be kept current with the nursing department, and none of the SAU pages we checked names a tracking company. Your program will tell you where to submit documents as your first practicum approaches.

Do I need ACLS or PALS for SAU clinicals?

Not according to anything SAU publishes. The catalog asks for CPR/BLS certification as required and doesn't mention ACLS or PALS. A clinical site can set its own requirements, so if your site or specialty expects an advanced card, get it before your paperwork goes in.

Does SAU require a physical exam before clinicals?

No SAU source we found lists a health physical. The NUR 602R residency does test you on a full history and physical, but you are the examiner there; it is a skills check, not a health clearance. Your clinical site may still ask for one, so check its onboarding list.

Do post-master's certificate students have the same compliance list?

Yes. Under the 2023-24 catalog, certificate students must meet the MSN requirements: license, liability insurance, background check, drug test, CPR, TB testing, immunizations and HIPAA training. The certificate section is also where the catalog states the four-week rule for clinical paperwork, the one firm lead time SAU publishes.

Can my employer's records count toward SAU compliance?

SAU doesn't say. The catalog asks the student to start the background check and drug test and to keep records with the nursing department. Some employer documents, such as a current CPR card or TB result, might satisfy an item, but confirm with your program before relying on them.

Keep going

ScreeningBackground check and drug testSpring Arbor asks for a federal-level background check and a drug test before your first practicum, then every year. What is published and what to ask.InsuranceStudent liability insuranceSpring Arbor's catalog asks graduate nursing students to carry their own liability insurance for the whole enrollment. What to check before you buy.Health recordsImmunizations, TB and trainingWhat Spring Arbor asks for before clinicals on TB testing, immunizations, titers, health insurance, OSHA and HIPAA training, and what it leaves unnamed.LicenseRN license for clinicalsSpring Arbor asks for an unrestricted RN license in your state of practice. What that means for your clinical state, compact licenses and moving mid-program.FormsClinical paperwork and the four-week ruleThe clinical agreement, affiliation and preceptor verification forms in SAU's catalog, the four-week deadline, and what to gather before you seek signatures.ApprovalPreceptor and site approvalSpring Arbor faculty approve every preceptor and site for every rotation. What they review, what follows approval, and what tends to hold a decision up.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against Spring Arbor's own published sources. SAU's nursing faculty and current catalog have the final word.

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