Every program with clinicals, from nursing and radiography to respiratory therapy, surgical technology, medical lab, PTA and OTA, dental hygiene, EMS and medical assisting, answers to each clinical site’s own requirement list. This page collects verified District of Columbia facts for program directors and clinical coordinators, including the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health) and University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC), with a link to each official source, and shows how Drug Free Schools helps.
District of Columbia facts for program directors
- Board of Nursing. The DC Board of Nursing is a division of the DC Department of Health and also approves and regulates nursing education and training programs. (source)
- Board of Nursing. DC Health posts the list of approved schools of nursing on its own site. (source)
- Board of Nursing. Nursing programs approved outside DC can request a Letter of Authorization from the DC Board of Nursing to place students in clinical rotations in the District. (source)
- Licensure background check. DC Health requires a criminal background check for all health care license, certification, and registration applications. (source)
- Licensure background check. DC Health uses Fieldprint as its fingerprinting vendor for licensure background checks. (source)
- Community and technical colleges. The UDC Community College is one of the colleges that make up the University of the District of Columbia. (source)
Checked 18 October 2026 against each official source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your accreditor and your clinical sites.
What this means for your program
Each clinical site sends its own requirement list, and each list changes. When a TB result, flu shot or CPR card lapses mid-term, the site can pull the student until it is fixed. Tracking every item to its date, and seeing who is not cleared before rotations start, keeps placements on schedule. Your clinical sites and affiliation agreements still decide the exact list; the free requirements checklist covers what programs most often collect.
How Drug Free Schools helps District of Columbia programs
One clinical compliance tracking portal for every program at your school ($30 per student, one time; every upload reviewed within 24 hours), plus drug screens on campus or at any Quest location, name-based background checks and on-campus N95 fit testing. See pricing.
Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints. Our background checks are name-based. If the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health) or a clinical site requires a fingerprint check, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint, IdentoGO or the local police department.
Want your own demo portal? We’ll email you a login.
Set up in about 5 minutes with your program’s requirements. No meeting needed.
Support 7 days a week by phone, text or email, for students and school staff: call or text (901) 517-7450 · josh.smith@drugfreeschools.net
See the director dashboard (3:06)
Recorded in the live portal: the rotation check dashboard, document review, requirement rules, clinical sites and rotations, and secure links for sending records to a site.
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. Watch on YouTube · Get a demo login
Frequently asked questions
Who approves nursing programs in District of Columbia?
The District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health). Its list of approved nursing programs is on the board’s website.
What does District of Columbia require on criminal history for nursing licensure?
DC Health requires a criminal background check for all health care license, certification, and registration applications. That licensure step is separate from the name-based background check students complete before clinicals.
What is District of Columbia’s community and technical college system?
The UDC Community College is one of the colleges that make up the University of the District of Columbia.
Do you take fingerprints?
No. Our background checks are name-based. If the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health) or a clinical site requires fingerprints, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint or IdentoGO, or their local police department.
Sources
- Board of Nursing | DC Health
- Approved Schools of Nursing | DC Health
- Criminal Background Check | DC Health
- About the Community College | UDC
This page summarizes District of Columbia agency and official pages as checked on 18 October 2026, with a link to each source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your school, your accreditor and your clinical sites. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Quest Diagnostics, Fieldprint and IdentoGO are trademarks of their respective owners.