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Health Sciences Special Requirements

Special Requirements

Professionalism

Students are expected to adhere to the policies and procedures of the university and the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. Failure to stay informed of the policies and procedures is not an acceptable excuse for non-compliance. All students are expected to adhere to the Professional Competencies, Technical Skills and Essential Functions in both clinical and classroom settings. Students are advised to review these competencies, skills and functions on their departmental websites.

Students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences are expected to act with honesty, integrity, and respect for the privacy rights of others. Students are advised to review the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Social Media Policy. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in probation, suspension or dismissal from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences.

Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences students are required to be aware of their rights and responsibilities under the Massachusetts Right to Know Law regarding chemical hazards in the workplace.

Liability Insurance

The university maintains a Comprehensive General Liability Policy that provides coverage for professional liability of non-licensed students, while they are serving in a supervised internship program in satisfaction of course requirements, or while acting at the direction of, or performing services for, or on behalf of the university. Nursing, Exercise Physiology, Exercise Science, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, Clinical Laboratory Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Applied Biomedical Sciences and Community Health Education non-licensed students who perform services as part of their education program are covered under this policy. Registered Nurse students must provide their own professional liability insurance.

Health and CPR

Health requirements mandated by the university for all students are listed in the Undergraduate Admissions section of this catalog. Additional specific requirements for students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences are listed on departmental websites. Documentation of health requirements is required by individual departments and by Student Health Services. These requirements are mandated by State Law and contractual agreements with our clinical sites and other affiliations. Students are advised to review health requirements posted on UMass Lowell Health Services website. Failure to comply with health and CPR requirements may jeopardize continued matriculation and enrollment in clinical courses.

Uniforms/Attire

Students are expected to present a professional appearance in all clinical activities. Students are advised to review Uniform Policy and Dress Codes on departmental websites.

Clinical Placements and Transportation

Final decisions regarding clinical placements are the responsibility of the faculty of each respective department. All students must provide their own transportation to clinical placements. Car pools are often arranged among students.

National Criminal Background Check

By law, certain agencies have the right to require a criminal record check on any student affiliating at their institutions. Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences students are advised that any student whose course-work, placement, community service, voluntary activity or service learning related to the university that requires direct and unmonitored access to children, elderly, patients, disabled people or other at risk populations may be required to undergo a national background check. The Health Sciences background check process includes a National Criminal Record Search along with CORI, SSN trace, Fraud and Abuse Control Information System (level 3) search, 7 year county criminal search, 7 year federal criminal search, and 7 year sex offender registry search.

Depending on the individual agency’s policy, students may be expected to pay for the cost of the background check. Students who refuse to consent to a background check will be deemed ineligible for placement and continued matriculation in their program may be jeopardized. Personnel who are authorized to request, access and review background reports are identified in the UMass Lowell CORI Policy for Students available on the UMass Lowell Human Resources web site. Failure to pass a background check may also jeopardize a student’s continued matriculation, clinical placements, and state licensure. The process and standard of review for determining a student’s eligibility for engagement in covered activity based on the background report, including whether any criminal offenses may disqualify an individual, is also available on the UMass Lowell Human Resources website.

If a Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences student is cleared for a clinical practicum experience but the College subsequently discovers a violation on the student's CORI (from any state) or a violation of any criminal background check required by an agency, the student will immediately be removed from their clinical practicum experience pending further investigation, which may include a delay in a return to the practicum experience or possible academic probation or academic dismissal from the program or from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences.

Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences students who receive a new violation on their record while in a clinical practicum experience but do not notify the Assistant Dean of the College of Health Sciences within 5 business days of the violation may be subject to additional disciplinary actions. These may include, but are not limited to, academic probation or academic dismissal from the program of from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences.

The purpose of the background check is to ensure public safety and to avoid unacceptable risk to vulnerable populations. As most agencies sponsoring a clinical/practicum experience require CORI and or background checks prior to offering a practicum experience to students, the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences cannot guarantee a practicum experience to a student if a sponsoring agency refuses to accept the results of any background check required by the sponsoring agency. Students found to have criminal convictions or pending actions which represent unacceptable risk to vulnerable populations will be presumed ineligible for practicum experiences.

Clinical Affiliate Random Drug Screening

Students enrolled in Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences programs may also be required to undergo and pass a drug screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in an off campus learning experience. Per the university’s contractual obligations with certain external agencies, students assigned to clinical educational experiences at some facilities may be required to undergo and pass random drug screening analysis in order to remain at that clinical facility. Test results obtained during testing will be held in confidence and treated as medical information. If a student tests positive and further action is required, only those personnel with a need to know will be provided access to test results. Depending on the individual agency’s policy, students may be expected to pay for the cost of drug screening. Students who do not have a negative drug screen or refuse to consent to a drug screen analysis will be deemed ineligible for clinical placement which may affect their ability to progress in the program.

Social Media Policy

The Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences recognizes that all involved in health care have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to maintain individual’s rights to privacy. HIPAA protects patient privacy by law and includes individually identifiable patient information in oral or recorded form where the information could identify an individual by name, medical condition, demographic data or other means. Students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences are expected to act with honesty, integrity and respect the privacy rights of others. All students in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences are expected to meet their professional responsibilities when using social media and other electronic networks including but not limited to blogs, instant messaging, social networking sites, email, public media sites and photographs. This policy prohibits posting written material or photographs that identify patients, health care agencies, educational institutions or other students in clinical sites or patient related activities. This policy applies whether using university devices and computers or personal equipment. In addition, all Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences students are required to abide by clinical policies related to the use of social media and technological resources. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in probation, suspension or dismissal from the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences and/or legal prosecution under the requirements of HIPAA.