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 Pennsylvania facts for program directors and clinical coordinators, including the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, with a link to each official source, and shows how Drug Free Schools helps.
Pennsylvania facts for program directors
- Board of Nursing. The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, part of the Department of State, approves nursing education programs for RNs, LPNs and CRNPs. (source)
- Board of Nursing. The Board posts PDF lists of board-approved RN, practical nursing, CRNP and clinical nurse specialist programs on its Nursing Education Programs page. (source)
- Licensure background check. New Pennsylvania nursing license applicants must get a fingerprint-based FBI background check, pre-registering for fingerprinting through IdentoGO. (source)
- Licensure background check. Pennsylvania says nurses renewing a Pennsylvania or multistate license do not need a background check for renewal. (source)
- Community and technical colleges. The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges is the membership association and advocate for the state's 15 community colleges. (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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania State 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.
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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 Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Its list of approved nursing programs is on the board’s website.
What does Pennsylvania require on criminal history for nursing licensure?
New Pennsylvania nursing license applicants must get a fingerprint-based FBI background check, pre-registering for fingerprinting through IdentoGO. That licensure step is separate from the name-based background check students complete before clinicals.
What is Pennsylvania’s community and technical college system?
The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges is the membership association and advocate for the state's 15 community colleges.
Do you take fingerprints?
No. Our background checks are name-based. If the Pennsylvania State 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
- PA State Board of Nursing
- PA Board-Approved Nursing Education Programs & Forms
- PA Nursing Licensure Processing Guide
- Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges
This page summarizes Pennsylvania 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.