PTA students complete at least 520 hours of clinical education, including 12 full-time weeks, and DPT students at least 30 full-time weeks. Every one of those placements comes with the site's own health and screening requirements.
PT and PTA programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Your clinical sites and affiliation agreements decide the exact list, so treat this as a starting point, not a substitute for your own standards.
What PT and PTA students usually need before clinical education experiences
- Immunizations. CDC recommends hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap and annual influenza vaccination for healthcare personnel, proven by records or titers. (source) See titer testing explained.
- TB screening. CDC recommends baseline screening for all healthcare personnel and no routine annual testing without an exposure, but many clinical sites still set their own schedule. (source) See TB testing requirements.
- CPR / BLS certification, tracked to its expiration so a lapse is caught before a rotation, not during it.
- Background check, often with healthcare sanctions screening for hospital placements. See student background checks.
- Drug screen, usually a 10-panel urine screen (ours includes oxycodone) before the first placement.
- N95 fit testing where a site requires respirators. Students aren't employees under OSHA, so the requirement comes from the site; when it applies, OSHA's standard calls for a fit test before first use and at least annually. (source) See N95 fit testing.
What's specific to PT and PTA programs
- Tell students up front. CAPTE requires programs to inform students about required health information and the potential for other clinical education requirements, such as drug testing and criminal background checks. (source)
- Clinical education hours. PTA programs require at least 520 clinical hours including 12 full-time weeks; DPT programs require at least 30 full-time weeks at 32 or more hours per week. (source)
CAPTE reports more than 300 PT programs and more than 390 PTA programs. (source)
How Drug Free Schools handles it
- One portal, your requirement list. Set how each item renews: flu by season, CPR through the end of the printed month, Tdap every ten years. Add another way to meet a requirement, or a declination pathway.
- Every upload reviewed within 24 hours. If something is wrong, the student sees the exact reason and what to upload instead.
- Upload guides for every requirement: an example of the right document, the common reasons for rejection, and a blank form to download.
- Deadlines and reminders by email and text, and a dashboard that shows anyone not cleared for an upcoming rotation.
- Clinical sites built in. Track affiliation agreements, assign students to rotations, log clinical hours, and block anyone who isn't cleared from being placed. Send a site exactly the records it needs through a secure link with an access code that expires in 30 days.
For PT and PTA: Publish the full requirement list, with deadlines and reminders, before the first clinical education experience, so the disclosure CAPTE asks for and the clearance itself happen in one place.
Family owned since 1995 in Memphis, with support 7 days a week by phone, text or email for students and school staff.
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 · Request a demo portal
Frequently asked questions
What do PT and PTA students need before clinical education experiences?
Most sites ask for the immunizations CDC recommends for healthcare personnel (hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap and annual flu), TB screening, CPR, a background check and a drug screen, plus N95 fit testing where respirators are used. PT and PTA programs also document the items their accreditor names; the exact list comes from your clinical sites and affiliation agreements.
Do PTA students need drug testing?
It depends on your clinical sites. CAPTE doesn't set one rule; it requires programs to tell students that sites may require drug testing and background checks. We offer drug screens on campus or at Quest locations, and background checks from $35.
How much does the compliance portal cost?
$30 per student, one time for the whole program, not a yearly fee. Administrator and faculty accounts are free, and the school can pay instead of the student.
Can one portal cover all of our health science programs?
Yes. Each program gets its own requirement list and renewal rules, while the school has one portal and one support line, 7 days a week by phone, text or email, for students and school staff.
Sources
- CDC/ACIP: Immunization of Health-Care Personnel
- CDC: TB screening of health care personnel, 2019
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134, respiratory protection
- OSHA interpretation letter on students, 1999
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
- Tell students up front
- Clinical education hours
This page summarizes public accreditor, CDC and OSHA documents as of September 2026. Requirements vary by school, clinical site and state; confirm against your current standards and affiliation agreements. Quest Diagnostics is a trademark of its owner.