In addition, the State of Texas requires the applicant to
provide proof of the following immunization requirements.
Source: Title 25 Health Services,
§§ 97.61-97.72
of the Texas Administrative Code
- This section applies to all students enrolled in
health-related courses, which will involve direct patient contact in
medical or dental care facilities. This includes all medical
interns, residents, fellows, nursing students and others who are
being trained in medical schools, hospitals, and health science
centers listed in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's
list of higher education in Texas; and students attending two-year
and four-year colleges whose course work involves direct patient
contact regardless of the number of courses taken, number of hours
taken, and the classification of the student.
- Students may be provisionally enrolled for up to
one semester or one quarter to allow students to attend classes
while obtaining the required vaccines and acceptable evidence of
vaccination.
- Students cannot be provisionally enrolled
without at least one dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine if
direct patient contact will occur during the provisional enrollment
period.
- Polio Vaccine is not required. Students
enrolled in health-related courses are encouraged to ascertain that
they are immune to poliomyelitis.
- One dose of
tetanus-diphtheria toxoid (Td) is required with the last ten years.
- Students who were born
on or after January 1, 1957 must
show, prior to patient contact, acceptable evidence of vaccination
of two doses of measles-containing vaccine administered since
January 1, 1968.
- Students must show, prior to patient contact,
acceptable evidence of vaccination of one dose of rubella vaccine.
- Students born on or
after January 1, 1957 must
show, prior to patient contact, acceptable evidence of vaccination
of one dose of mumps vaccine.
- Students shall
receive a complete series of hepatitis B vaccine prior to the start
of direct patient care or show serologic confirmation of immunity to
hepatitis B virus. Vaccination consists of a three dose
series. This series may commence following acceptance into the
dental hygiene program. Individuals unable to receive the HBV
must inform the program director. In such cases the applicant
must sign a declination form.
- Students shall receive two doses of varicella
vaccine unless the first dose was received prior to thirteen years
of age.
- Exceptions to Immunization Requirement
(verification of Immunity/History of Illness)
(a) Serologic Confirmations of immunity to measles,
rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or varicella, are
acceptable. Evidence of measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A,
or hepatitis B, or varicella illnesses must consist of a laboratory
report that indicates either confirmation of immunity or infection.
(b) A parent or physician validated history of
varicella disease (chickenpox) or varicella immunity is acceptable
in lieu of vaccine. A written statement from a physician, or
the student's parent or guardian, or school nurse, must support
histories of varicella disease.
(c) Annual TB testing
Communicable
Disease Statement
Students who plan to enter dental hygiene
will be required to read and sign a communicable disease statement and
waiver of liability form. This form will become a part of the
student's permanent record and will state that the student:
- has been informed of their risk for
exposure to blood and body fluids
- understands the potential
transmission of bloodborne diseases during patient care activities
- Is financially responsible for any
necessary testing/treat, resulting from an occupational incident
and/or communicable disease exposure
- agrees to treat all patients that
are assigned regardless of disease state presented by the patient
Students who are minors must have the
form signed by a parent or legal guardian and the form must be
notarized.
Although there are no documented cases of
occupational spread of HIV to dental workers, students enrolled in the
Dental Hygiene Program are at a slight risk of exposure to blood and
body fluids and potential does exist for transmission of bloodborne and
other infectious diseases during patient care activities. The risk
of disease transmission from dental patients to members of the dental
team is extremely low. Nevertheless, there is some small potential
for this to occur. The Americans with Disabilities Act forbids
discrimination against patients with HIV or Hepatitis, therefore,
students are required to treat all patients assigned, regardless of the
disease state of the patient. Refusal to treat any patient may
affect the student's academic success.
Collin County Community College District
is not responsible for any medical cost associated with you contracting
any communicable disease during your education and/or participation in
college sponsored functions. If you contract a bloodborne
infectious disease during your enrollment appropriate health experts
will be consulted regarding your ability to continue to treat patients.
Applicants who believe they are at an
increased risk of contracting an infectious disease should seek testing
and counseling prior to making application to the Dental Hygiene
Program. Applicants/students who are HIV/AIDS or HBV positive will
not be barred from working, teaching, attending classes or participating
in college sponsored activities unless the applicant/student is unable
to follow Universal Precautions. All decisions will be made on a
case-by-case basis.
Reporting
Infectious Status
Any student or employee who knows, or has
reasonable basis for believing that he or she is infected with HIV/AIDS,
HBV or other infectious disease which may pose a threat to others, and
whose curriculum or job requires performance of patient care procedures
which may be exposure prone, has an obligation to share that
information. Disclosure will allow the College to protect the
welfare of employees, students and patients/clients from the spread of
disease, and so that we can respond appropriately to the individual's
health and employment/educational needs.
Students, faculty and staff of CCCC
identified as having HIV/AIDS, HBV will not be barred from working,
teaching, attending classes or participating in college activities
unless it is determined that he/she is unable or unwilling to conduct
themselves in a ethical, responsible and safe manner on campus.
All decisions will be made on a case by case basis.
Individuals in need of assistance will be
referred to counseling services. The individual will receive the
College's bloodborne policy and the Aids in the Workplace brochure that
provides information regarding the availability of further assistance.
Confidentiality/Disclosure
Collin College abides by the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law that protects
the privacy of student education records.
All health information disclosed by an
applicant, student, patient, faculty or staff member is strictly
maintained. We want to assure you that your personal health
history will not unnecessarily be made available to others outside of
the dental hygiene department. We will use and communicate your
health information only for the purpose of providing you treatment, in
cases of abuse or when required by law.
The College recognizes the importance of
protecting to the greatest event possible, the confidentiality and
privacy of any employee/student found to have HIV/AIDS, HBV or other
infectious disease. This information will be handled with care and
sensitivity and will be kept confidential. The College also
has a responsibility to protect employees, student and patients/clients
from the harmful acts or conditions of its employees/students.
Complete confidentiality will be protected to the highest degree,
however may not be guaranteed in such cases that would prevent
responsible actions.
A personal physician in keeping with the
current standards, requirements and recommendations of the Centers for
Disease Control must routinely assess all students/employees who have a
known infectious disease. An evaluation of the individual will
include the physician's statement of the individual's ability to
adequately and safely perform the objectives/job performance required of
the dental hygiene curriculum. The physician's statement must also
indicate the nature and extent of the individual's susceptibility to
infectious disease often encountered when performing the objective/job
skills required for the individual's curriculum.
Health Records for
Students and Employees
As stated in the Collin County Community
College Faculty and Staff Handbook AIDS Policy "CCCC shall comply with
any state and federal laws regarding the confidentiality of educational
and medical records of students and staff. Health information
about a student or employee is personal and confidential and should be
treated as such. Records will be maintained in a secure and
confidential manner."
Health Requirement
All students who plan to enter a health
related field of study must be able to prove immunity to mumps, rubella,
rubeola, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, varicella zoster, hepatitis B and
tuberculosis. Those students who reject immunizations could
jeopardize their health and ability to fulfill clinical requirements.
Students who elect not to be immunized must sign a declination waiver
form.
