Policy 02:27:00

All nursing students, full-time nursing faculty, and adjunct nursing faculty who could be assigned to a clinical setting are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.  Faculty who teach in clinical settings are still required to receive an initial series of two vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna) and a booster following initial vaccination when due. Clinical health care facilities continue to require this for nursing students Non-nursing faculty and staff are not required to be vaccinated, but are highly encouraged to do so.

Students will submit verification by uploading their vaccine information through COMPLIO. Students may be requested to provide additional documentation  if necessary for a clinical site.  If boosters are recommended students and faculty assigned at a healthcare facility will be required to obtain booster vaccinations.

Nursing faculty will submit copies of their vaccination cards and updates on booster vaccines for COVID-19 to the Platt College – Executive Administrative Assistant for tracking. Clinical faculty must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to the Clinical Coordinator. It is recommended that non-nursing faculty and college staff obtain full vaccination status. Platt College does collect COVID-19 vaccine data on a voluntary basis from staff and non-nursing faculty to evaluate campus safety.

Vaccination requirements for Platt College students are guided by science. Each clinical partner agency sets its own requirements for affiliated learners (i.e. students). At this time, all major clinical entities with whom Platt College has a clinical affiliation agreements have mandated such individuals are fully vaccinated.

The only exemption for students is a clearly documented medical reason with sound evidence provided by a professional healthcare provider. Exemptions are not automatically approved. Personal reasons for not getting vaccinated do not qualify for an exemption.

In accordance with Platt College's program approval from the Colorado Board of Nursing, students are required to complete 840 hours of clinical experiences which cannot be solely completed through simulation; thus in order to complete the program students must meet the vaccination requirements as set forth by the College and clinical sites.

A student with a medical condition that would place the student at risk for an adverse health outcome from receiving the COVID -19 vaccination may submit a request for a medical exemption to the Associate Dean in writing. A medical accommodation would be considered for a medical condition that would be a definite contraindication for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The request must be accompanied by a dated and signed letter from the student’s medical provider detailing the medical justification.  Requests without supporting medical documentation will not be considered.

Requests for a medical exemption will be evaluated by a review committee consisting of the President, Dean of Nursing, and the Associate Dean of Nursing.  The student will be notified by the Associate Dean by email if the medical exemption is granted. Medical exemptions will be reconsidered each quarter by the Platt review team.

Students are also requested to inform the Associate Dean in writing when they no longer need an exemption status for the COVID-19 vaccine. Supporting documentation from the student’s medical provider may be requested.

Platt College cannot guarantee clinical placements for unvaccinated students or be certain that the student will meet requirements for academic progression if clinical opportunities are not available for unvaccinated students.

Religious accommodations are not currently allowed for nursing students for the COVID-19 vaccination. Alternative clinical assignments are not applicable for religious accommodations.

Students who choose not to be immunized will not be able to complete clinical/simulated experiences.

There may be medical conditions that are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and amendments allowing students and employees in some instances to request reasonable accommodations. Please contact the ADA Coordinator for further information.

Yes. Platt College is legally permitted to take steps to protect the health of its students and communities in the clinical sites where students will actively participate.

Yes, all information submitted by students is uploaded by the student into Complio and is reviewed by College staff on an as-need-to-know basis and the clinical educators in various clinical settings.

Yes, you need to get a vaccine, even if you already had COVID-19. Vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19, and studies show vaccines appear to be more effective against variants than acquired immunity. With the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, it is more important than ever to get vaccinated.

Yes. Due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, face coverings are currently required for everyone indoors on campus and in clinical settings regardless of vaccination status.

The Clinical Affiliation Agreements between Platt College and our partner agencies determine the relationships between nursing students and the entities and detail the terms under which each site will provide on-site educational experiences. These agreements account for regulatory requirements, accreditation expectations, and other guidelines, and the sites have been approved as meeting specific educational and clinical regulations. These agreements include provisions requiring students to adhere to agency policies relevant to their clinical experiences.

Every major hospital or clinical agency with whom Platt College has a contract and in which we have placed students for clinical rotations this quarter has mandated the vaccine for employees and students.

While nursing education programs are mandated by Boards of Nursing as well as other accreditors to provide clinical experiences; they are not obligated to provide alternative clinical experiences based on a student’s request or vaccine preference (Clinical Experiences for Unvaccinated Nursing Students).

In some instances, it may be possible for Platt College to arrange a short-term clinical experience that will permit an unvaccinated student. It is by exception, not obligatory, and is at the discretion of our healthcare partnership site(s).

Platt College has specific restrictions under the Colorado Board of Nursing regarding the maximum amount of simulation that can be offered in a nursing education program for simulation, thus, simulation can not be used to fully replace off-site clinical experiences for students. Further, simulation is an adjunct to clinical experiences and course curriculum, not a complete replacement. AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing) has taken the position that simulation cannot substitute for all direct care experiences in any one sphere or with any one age group, emphasizing the value of in-person direct clinical experiences (AACN, 2021).

Participation in clinical experiences where students engage in care experiences with real individuals or groups continue to be the most important component of experiential education for nursing students. State Boards of Nursing stipulate exact requirements regarding the number of clinical hours to achieve completion of a nursing program. They further define limits for the maximum number of hours that can be substituted with simulation.

Students who refuse to obtain full COVID-19 vaccination have limited options to obtain requisite clinical experience and accept the risk of not being able to advance in their course progression. The unvaccinated student may be prohibited from registering for a NSG course or will be required to withdraw from a nursing course with a clinical component.

Employees and students do not have the same requirements at clinical agencies. Our clinical partners have made it clear that they are not willing to accept more risk to their patients by adding non-vaccinated individuals on their healthcare teams.

Yes. As of February 25, 2022 Platt College expects all eligible students to be boosted.