Texas programs may place students across several cities and health systems, each with its own requirement list and its own way of asking for records. Keeping every student current with every site is work that never stops between cohorts. This page is for program directors and clinical coordinators in Texas: nursing, radiography, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, medical lab, PTA and OTA, dental hygiene, EMS, medical assisting and every other program with clinicals.
Texas facts for program directors
- Clinical placement. Harris Health System says schools request student placements through the Centralized Clinical Placement System (CCPS). (source)
- Clinical placement. Texas Children’s Hospital says all pre-licensure RN students are granted placements through CCPS, with requests submitted by clinical coordinators from participating schools. (source)
- Licensure background check. The Texas Board of Nursing says that since 2004 all applicants for Texas licensure must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check completed through the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI. (source)
Checked 18 October 2026 against each official source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your accreditor and your clinical sites.
Why clinical compliance tracking matters
When requirements differ by site, a single spreadsheet stops working: one hospital wants an IGRA, another accepts a two-step skin test, a third adds its own orientation modules. Tracking each requirement by date, flagging who is not cleared for an assigned rotation, and sending each site a secure link to the records it needs keeps students moving and sites satisfied.
What students usually need before clinicals
- Immunizations and titers: MMR, varicella, hepatitis B, Tdap and seasonal influenza, proven by records or titers. See titer testing explained.
- TB screening: a two-step skin test or IGRA blood test, on the schedule your sites set. See TB testing requirements.
- CPR / BLS: a healthcare-provider card, tracked to its expiration.
- Background check: name-based, often with healthcare sanctions screening for hospital placements. See student background checks.
- Drug screen: usually a 10-panel urine screen before the first placement.
- N95 fit test: where a site requires respirators. See N95 fit testing.
- Health insurance, training and site forms: proof of coverage, HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens training, and each site’s orientation and confidentiality forms.
Your clinical sites and affiliation agreements decide the exact list, so treat this as a starting point. Program guides: nursing, radiography, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, EMS and all programs.
Texas rules and your clinical sites
Most day-to-day requirements, such as the drug screen panel, the TB schedule and the CPR level, are set by your clinical sites and affiliation agreements. Your accreditor and your program’s state licensing board can add their own. Confirm the current rules with each of them; beyond the facts above, this page does not summarize Texas law.
How Drug Free Schools helps Texas programs
Students who live far from campus can test at any Quest location, so a spread-out cohort can still clear on time.
- Compliance tracking portal: every requirement on your list in one clinical compliance tracking portal. Every upload reviewed within 24 hours, email and text reminders 30, 14 and 7 days before anything expires, and a rotation check that shows anyone not cleared. $30 per student, one time.
- Drug screens: on campus from $25 a student, based on cohort size, with the whole cohort screened in one visit; or $40–$55 at any Quest location.
- 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.
Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints. If a state agency or clinical site requires a fingerprint check, students use the provider it 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.
Free checklist and help for clinical sites
Free: the Clinical Compliance Requirements Checklist, with versions for nursing, radiography, surgical technology, respiratory therapy, MLT, PTA/OTA, dental hygiene, EMS and medical assisting. Hospital or clinic placement coordinators in Texas: see how student records reach your site, at no cost to the site.
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
Can students who live far from campus still get a drug screen?
Yes. Students order online and test at any Quest location for $40–$55, and results come back to your program. We also run on-campus screening events, from $25 a student based on cohort size.
How do clinical sites see student records?
The school sends the site’s coordinator a secure, read-only link with exactly the records that site requires. Each link has an access code, expires in 30 days, shows when it was opened, and can be revoked. See For clinical sites.
Do you have a guide to Texas state rules?
Not yet. Your clinical sites, your accreditor and your program’s state licensing board can each add requirements, so confirm with them. The free checklist covers the requirements programs most often collect.
Do you take fingerprints?
No. Our background checks are name-based. If a state agency or clinical site requires fingerprints, students use the provider it names, such as Fieldprint or IdentoGO, or their local police department.
Sources
- Harris Health System: schools of nursing
- Texas Children’s Hospital: nursing students
- Texas Board of Nursing: licensure by examination
This page gives general information, plus the state facts above with their sources, for health science programs in Texas as of October 2026. Requirements vary by school, accreditor, state and clinical site; confirm with yours. 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.