TBC is an airborne bacterial infection.

Answer Yes or No to the following questions:

1. Have you been in contact with tuberculosis infection, or have you been exposed to tuberculosis infection in any other way?

Do you come from, or have you stayed for at least three months in the last three years in a country with a high occurrence of tuberculosis?

• Check the list issued by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health of countries with a high and very high occurrence of tuberculosis.

If you answered YES to at least one of the questions above, the following applies:

1. 3. You have been exposed to an increased risk of infection and have a statutory duty to undergo screening for tuberculosis. You must do this even though you have had the BCG vaccine.
   4. You are responsible for arranging for tuberculosis screening (IGRA blood test and a chest x-ray).
      • Students in Oslo: Contact the health centre in your district or Oslo University Hospital’s diagnosis section
      • Students in Bergen: Contact the Office of Infection Control in Bergen
      • Students in Stavanger/Sandnes: Contact the Office of Infection Control in Stavanger
   5. The student must cover the costs of the medical testing.
   6. You must inform the placement coordinator at your place of study immediately.
   7. You cannot start a clinical placement/clinical studies before a negative screening test result is available.
   8. You must be able to document the result of the testing and present this to the clinical placement institution if required.
   9. If the test is positive, you must undergo treatment. This may mean that you are unable to undertake a clinical placement/clinical studies together with your cohort, which may impact on your study progress. A positive test does not prevent you from following the theoretical part of the programme of studies.

If you answered NO to all the questions, the following applies :

1. 10. You do not need to do anything.
   11. Later on in the programme of studies, it is your responsibility to report if you have been exposed to infection.

MRSA is the name of a bacterium (yellow staph) that has developed resistance to important types of antibiotics.

Answer Yes or No to the following questions:

1. I have previously tested positive for MRSA but have not subsequently had three negative control tests.
2. During the last 12 months, I have:

• tested positive for MRSA but have not subsequently had three negative control tests.
• lived in the same household as an MRSA-positive person
• had close contact** with an MRSA-positive person without using personal protection equipment

**ʻClose contact’ means physical contact over time, i.e. that you often spend time with someone known to be MRSA positive and shake hands, hug them etc. without using gloves and a face mask. Examples of situations where such contact may take place are:
- physical contact with a family member or friend known to be MRSA positive
- visits to a patient known to be MRSA positive who is not in isolation (nursing home/community nursing service)
- working for or being at a healthcare service provider where there is an ongoing MRSA outbreak

• been in a country outside the Nordic region where you have:
  • been admitted to a healthcare institution
  • received a thorough examination or extensive treatment by a healthcare service provider
  • worked as a healthcare worker **

**’Work as a healthcare worker’ means all patient-centred work within and outside a healthcare institution, e.g. as a primary doctor, in the community nursing service, in a nursing home or hospital, in development aid or emergency aid work.

• stayed in a children’s home or refugee camp
• been in a country outside the Nordic region and lived in private accommodation (does not apply to a hotel) for three weeks or more. This only applies to students taking up a clinical placement in Oslo Municipality Nursing Administration.

Several environments other than those mentioned may have an increased incidence of MRSA.

If you answered YES to at least one of the questions above, the following applies:

1. 7. You have a statutory duty to undergo a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus test (MRSA test).
   8. You are responsible for arranging for testing to be carried out by your GP or at the Office of Infection Control in your municipality of residence.
      • Students in Bergen: Students in Bergen can also contact Strandsiden medical centre
      • Students in Stavanger/Sandnes can also contact the Office of Infection Control in Stavanger
   9. The student must cover the costs of the medical testing.
   10. You must inform the placement coordinator at your place of study immediately.
   11. You cannot start a clinical placement/clinical studies before a negative screening test result is available. It may take some time to receive an answer.
   12. You must be able to document the result of the testing and present this to the clinical placement institution if required.
   13. If the test is positive, you must undergo treatment. This may mean that you are unable to undertake a clinical placement/clinical studies together with your cohort, which may impact on your study progress. A positive test does not prevent you from following the theoretical part of the programme of studies.

If you answered NO to all the questions, the following applies:

1. 14. You do not need to do anything.
   15. Later on in the programme of studies, it is your responsibility to report if you have been exposed to infection.

These vaccinations are part of the childhood immunisation programme in Norway. The Norwegian health authorities recommend booster vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio every ten years. This is particularly important for healthcare personnel due to the increased risk of infection and further spread of infection to vulnerable patients/service users.

Read more about booster vaccines here.

VID calls on all students to follow the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s recommendations on taking the influenza vaccine.

Students must get vaccinated at least two weeks prior to starting the clinical placement.

VID calls on all students to follow the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s recommendations on taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine on the Helsenorge website.

It is recommended that people who are exposed to the risk of infection during their programme of studies take the Hepatitis B vaccine. This applies in particular to employees in the health service who are involved in invasive procedures.

As there is a low incidence of tuberculosis in Norway today, the BCG vaccine is not routinely given to Norwegian children as part of the childhood immunisation programme. Up to 1 June 2018, it was recommended that all healthcare personnel and all students in health studies where contact with patients was anticipated to last more than three months should be offered the BCG vaccine. After this date, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health dropped this general recommendation.

In special cases and following an individual assessment, the BCG vaccine may be appropriate for workers in the health service, in prisons, at asylum reception centres or when travelling abroad.