Alabama Clinical Requirements for Health Science Students

This page collects what Alabama law and state agencies say about background checks, immunizations and training for nursing and allied health students, with a link to each primary source. Most day-to-day clinical requirements, such as the drug screen panel, TB schedule and CPR level, are set by your clinical sites and affiliation agreements rather than by the state; see your program’s guide for those.

Background checks

Compact and endorsement licenses. Since 1 January 2020, the Alabama Board of Nursing has required all applicants for multistate (Compact) licenses, and all applicants for licensure by endorsement, to submit to a fingerprint criminal background check. (source)
Fieldprint only. The board says it can only use fingerprints processed through Fieldprint, for a federal and state background check under Alabama Code § 34-21-20.01. (source)
Before clinicals. Background checks for clinical rotations are set by your program and clinical sites. See student background checks.

Immunizations

Set by each college. The Alabama Department of Public Health says college vaccination requirements are specified by individual institutions and there are no state-regulated college requirements for vaccination. (source) Clinical sites still set their own lists; see titer testing.

Nurse aide training

Federal minimum. Federal rules require state-approved nurse aide programs to provide at least 75 clock hours of training, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. (source) See CNA programs.

Medical cannabis and drug screens

No accommodation required. Alabama’s medical cannabis law (Act 2021-450) does not require any employer to permit, accommodate or allow the use of medical cannabis, and lets employers keep drug-testing policies. (source) Clinical sites set their own drug screen rules; see marijuana, CBD and drug tests.

Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints. For Alabama Board of Nursing fingerprinting, the board accepts only Fieldprint. For any other fingerprint check, students use the provider the agency or site names, usually Fieldprint, IdentoGO or the local police department. We handle the name-based background check, the drug screen and the tracking, so the rest of the student’s clinical file is ready.

How Drug Free Schools helps programs in Alabama

On-campus drug screening from $25 a student, depending on cohort size: our team comes to your campus and screens the whole cohort in one visit. Students who miss the date can test at any Quest location for $40–$55.
Name-based background checks through Checkr: Standard ($35) covers SSN trace, national criminal, sex offender and global watchlist searches; Premium ($70) adds 7-year county criminal and FACIS Level 3 healthcare sanctions.
N95 fit testing on campus, $25–$35 a student.
Tracking for every requirement in our clinical compliance tracking portal: every upload reviewed within 24 hours, email and text reminders before anything expires, $30 per student, one time.

$30

per student portal, one time for the whole program. Free staff accounts.

From $25

per student for on-campus drug screening (by cohort size); $25 in-house kits for small groups

$40–$55

10-panel, 11-panel with alcohol or 12-panel at Quest locations nationwide

$35/$70

background checks; N95 fit testing on campus $25–$35

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Frequently asked questions

Does the Alabama Board of Nursing require fingerprints?

For multistate (Compact) licenses and licensure by endorsement, yes, since 1 January 2020, and only through Fieldprint. Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints.

Does Alabama require vaccines for college health science students?

Not at the state level. The Alabama Department of Public Health says college requirements are set by each institution. Clinical sites usually set their own immunization lists.

Can Alabama clinical sites still drug test students who use medical cannabis?

Alabama’s medical cannabis law does not require employers to accommodate medical cannabis use and lets them keep drug-testing policies. Clinical sites set their own rules for students.

Sources

This page summarizes Alabama statutes, rules and state agency pages as checked on 14 October 2026, with a link to each source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your school and your clinical sites. Clinical sites can require more than the state does. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Quest Diagnostics, Checkr, Fieldprint and IdentoGO are trademarks of their respective owners.