Required medical testing

Medical testing and vaccination - routine description

Students participating in clinical placements or practical training in health and social science programs must be aware of their infection status regarding tuberculosis (TBC) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Additionally, all healthcare workers are recommended to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio (DTP-IPV), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and influenza.

You are therefore required to ensure that you comply with the relevant requirements for medical testing and vaccination throughout your entire study period.

The infection control regulations at VID Specialized University always follow the recommendations from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Medical testing

If you have been exposed to the risk of infection from tuberculosis (TBC) or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), you must be tested before starting your clinical placements.

To determine whether you may have been exposed to an increased risk of infection, please read the questions below.

If you can answer NO to all the questions, no further action is required. If you can answer YES to one or more of the questions, you must follow the instructions below. You must keep this in mind throughout your studies, for example, if you travel to high-risk countries or are otherwise exposed to increased infection risks.

Students/Interns are considered employees according to the Working Environment Act (§1-6) rules on health, environment, and safety when they perform work in a business that falls under the law. Vaccination is voluntary for each employee, but in general, all employees are recommended to follow the recommendations for occupational vaccination, see below.

Please note that certain internship sites may require that students in internships be vaccinated.

Students in internships are to be considered healthcare personnel while they are in practice. In consideration of protecting vulnerable groups, the internship site, following an assessment of necessity, has the possibility to assess vaccination status and implement measures for unvaccinated individuals. These measures can range from requiring the use of infection control equipment at the internship site, regular testing, reassignment to other tasks, or the internship site being unable to accept you in practice, and the internship period cannot proceed as planned.

Vaccination requirements are set by the internship site and are therefore beyond the control of the educational institution.

For students who, for health reasons, cannot be vaccinated, there is a question of whether they may be entitled to individual accommodation under § 4-3, fifth paragraph of the Universities and University Colleges Act, and, as with employees, students may be reassigned if possible.

Occupational Vaccination

All employees within the healthcare sector are recommended to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio (DTP-IPV), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and seasonal influenza.

VID encourages all students in healthcare and social work programs to follow the Norwegian Institute of Public Health's vaccination recommendations. In this way, you protect yourself and the patients/users you encounter during your internship.

• Regulations on prior screening of health service employees – antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Norwegian)
• MRSA guidance, chapter 4.1 Screening prior to admission and work (Norwegian)
• Regulations on tuberculosis control (Norwegian)
• Tuberculosis guidance, chapter 4: Groups with a statutory duty to undergo tuberculosis screening (Norwegian)
• Vaccination guidance (Norwegian)
• Vaccination recommendations for healthcare personnel (Norwegian)