Clinical Compliance for Kentucky Health Science Programs

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 Kentucky facts for program directors and clinical coordinators, including the Kentucky Board of Nursing and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), with a link to each official source, and shows how Drug Free Schools helps.

Kentucky facts for program directors

Board of Nursing. The Kentucky Board of Nursing is the state agency that develops and enforces Kentucky laws governing safe nursing practice. (source)
Board of Nursing. The Kentucky Board of Nursing publishes a list of approved nursing programs showing each program's type and approval status. (source)
Licensure background check. Kentucky Board of Nursing applicants must get state and federal criminal background check reports through the IdentoGO live scan fingerprint process. (source)
Licensure background check. Kentucky Board of Nursing rule 201 KAR 20:070 requires exam applicants to submit a criminal record check by the Kentucky State Police and the FBI, completed within six months of the application. (source)
Before clinical rotations. Kentucky's national background check program for long-term care and state health facilities (906 KAR 1:190) says a prospective employee does not include a student participating in an internship program. (source)
Immunizations. Kentucky law (KRS 164.2867) requires colleges with a residential campus to provide information on meningococcal meningitis vaccination to students. (source)
Community and technical colleges. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is made up of 16 colleges. (source)
Clinical placement. Tri-State area nursing programs, including Northern Kentucky schools such as Northern Kentucky University, use The Health Collaborative's Centralized Clinical Placement System (CCPS) with its member health systems. (source)
Clinical sites. St. Elizabeth Healthcare, which serves the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region, says it provides hands-on clinical experience for nursing students from affiliated schools. (source)
Allied health. In Kentucky, anyone who operates radiation-emitting equipment for medical imaging or radiation therapy must hold an active state license from the Kentucky Board of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy. (source)
Allied health. Kentucky offers a Temporary Student Radiography License for students in an accredited radiography program who have completed at least half the program. (source)
Nurse aide training. Kentucky rule 907 KAR 1:450 requires nurse aide training programs to have at least 75 clock hours of instruction, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. (source)
Drug screen policy. Kentucky's medicinal cannabis law (KRS 218B.040) says nothing in it requires an employer to permit or accommodate medicinal cannabis use in the workplace; clinical sites set their own drug screen rules. (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

Most compliance problems are found the week rotations start: a titer that was never uploaded, a CPR card that expired over the break, a background check still pending. A system that reviews every document as it arrives and reminds students before anything expires moves that work weeks earlier. 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky Board of Nursing or a clinical site requires a fingerprint check, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint, IdentoGO or the local police department.

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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.

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Frequently asked questions

Who approves nursing programs in Kentucky?

The Kentucky Board of Nursing. Its list of approved nursing programs is on the board’s website.

What does Kentucky require on criminal history for nursing licensure?

Kentucky Board of Nursing applicants must get state and federal criminal background check reports through the IdentoGO live scan fingerprint process. That licensure step is separate from the name-based background check students complete before clinicals.

What is Kentucky’s community and technical college system?

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is made up of 16 colleges.

Is there a clinical placement system in Kentucky?

Tri-State area nursing programs, including Northern Kentucky schools such as Northern Kentucky University, use The Health Collaborative's Centralized Clinical Placement System (CCPS) with its member health systems. Our portal keeps each student’s records current for whatever system or site you place through.

Do you take fingerprints?

No. Our background checks are name-based. If the Kentucky Board of Nursing or a clinical site requires fingerprints, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint or IdentoGO, or their local police department.

Sources

This page summarizes Kentucky 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.