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 Rhode Island facts for program directors and clinical coordinators, including the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (RI Department of Health) and the Community College of Rhode Island, with a link to each official source, and shows how Drug Free Schools helps.
Rhode Island facts for program directors
- Board of Nursing. Rhode Island's nursing regulations name the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education as the board that licenses nurses. (source)
- Board of Nursing. The same regulation sets the standards the Board uses to approve basic nursing education programs in Rhode Island. (source)
- Licensure background check. Nursing license applicants in Rhode Island apply to the Bureau of Criminal Identification for a national criminal records check that includes fingerprints sent to the FBI. (source)
- Community and technical colleges. The Community College of Rhode Island describes itself as the largest public two-year, degree-granting college in the state. (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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (RI Department of Health) 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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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 Rhode Island?
The Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (RI Department of Health).
What does Rhode Island require on criminal history for nursing licensure?
Nursing license applicants in Rhode Island apply to the Bureau of Criminal Identification for a national criminal records check that includes fingerprints sent to the FBI. That licensure step is separate from the name-based background check students complete before clinicals.
What is Rhode Island’s community and technical college system?
The Community College of Rhode Island describes itself as the largest public two-year, degree-granting college in the state.
Do you take fingerprints?
No. Our background checks are name-based. If the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (RI Department of Health) 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 Rhode Island 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.