Why Exactly Do Colleges And Universities Require Immunization Records
Colleges and universities every year admit millions of people into their confines. A good percentage of these students decide to live in housing provided by the university or college. With this, there is a huge increase in the risk of students contracting transmittable diseases. These diseases can easily spread in communal showers, bathrooms, kitchens and other living areas that are common within dorm rooms and apartment complexes. With that being said, colleges and universities, as a precautionary means, will require all incoming students to provide a record of their immunizations before being allowed to take classes.
Tools To Record Your Vaccinations
Today we move, travel, and change health care providers more than we did in previous generations. Finding old immunization information can be difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, it is critical that you keep an accurate and up-to-date record of the vaccinations you have received. Keeping an immunization record and storing it with other important documents will save you time and unnecessary hassle.
Ask your doctor, pharmacist or other vaccine provider for an immunization record form or download and use this form pdf iconexternal icon. Bring this record with you to health visits, and ask your vaccine provider to sign and date the form for each vaccine you receive. That way, you can be sure that the immunization information is current and correct.
If your vaccine provider participates in an immunization registry, ask that your vaccines be documented there as well.
Why Does A College Need My Immunization Records
There is nothing more exciting than going to college for the very first time in your life, however, one of the things that many first-time college students find annoying is the sheer amount of college paperwork. Whether it is sending in test scores, transcripts, or letters of recommendation, another important form of paperwork that all colleges will require is your immunization records. Every year, millions of students enter colleges and universities and potentially carry the risk of exposing other students to a variety of transmittable diseases such as measles, chickenpox and hepatitis. However, the good news is that with being immunized, students reduce their risk of contracting these potentially deadly diseases. Here is an overview of why your college needs your immunization records.
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Health Care Providers Records
Health care providers must maintain a record of all vaccines that they administer and must ensure that information is accurately and completely recorded. In addition to recording information about the vaccines given , providers’ records should include:
- all relevant serologic data, for example, rubella or hepatitis B serology)
- documentation of adverse events following immunization
- documentation of contraindications or reasons for deferring or withholding immunization
- other immunization related documentation, such as pre-vaccine and provider administration check lists .
Electronic medical records used by health care providers should have the capacity to record, to collect and to retrieve easily all information outlined in Immunization record contents, and should permit production of line listings of persons who received a specific vaccine in the event that the vaccine is recalled.
At each immunization visit, information should be sought regarding adverse events that may have occurred following previous doses in an immunization series. Vaccine providers should fully document all clinically significant adverse events in the medical record as soon as they become aware of such an event.
Refer to National Guidelines for Immunization Practices in Part 1 for additional information about the use and maintenance of immunization records.
How Do I Request A Medical Exemption
Persons may be exempt from any or all of these requirements if a physician certifies in writing that the immunizations may be detrimental to their health. Students may request a medical exemption for the MMR vaccine requirement by having their physician complete this form Medical Exemption Form. Students may request a medical exemption for the COVID-19 Vaccine requirement by having their physician complete the COVID 19 Medical Exemption Form.
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Finding Vaccines In Your Area
Vaccines may be available at private doctor offices, pharmacies, workplaces, community health clinics, health departments or other community locations, such as schools and religious centers. If your primary healthcare provider does not stock all the vaccines recommended for you, ask for a referral.
Federally funded health centers can provide services if you dont have health insurance or a regular source of health care you pay what you can afford based on your income. Locate a health center near youexternal icon.
You can also contact your state health department to learn more about where to get vaccines in your community.
Where Can I Get A Copy Of My Immunization Records
- Your health care provider- must be signed/stamped by health care provider.
- Childhood record- only acceptable if signed/stamped by health care provider.
- High school or previous college record- sometimes immunizations are found on high school transcripts if not kept separately in your high school.
- Military immunization record
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How To Locate Your Vaccination Records
Unfortunately, there is no national organization that maintains vaccination records. The CDC does not have this information. The records that exist are the ones you or your parents were given when the vaccines were administered and the ones in the medical record of the doctor or clinic where the vaccines were given.
Talk with your doctor about the best options to make sure you are up-to-date on vaccines.
If you need official copies of vaccination records, or if you need to update your personal records, there are several places you can look:
- Ask parents or other caregivers if they have records of your childhood immunizations.
- Try looking through baby books or other saved documents from your childhood.
- Check with your high school and/or college health services for dates of any immunizations. Keep in mind that generally records are kept only for 1-2 years after students leave the system.
- Check with previous employers that may have required immunizations.
- Check with your doctor or public health clinic. Keep in mind that vaccination records are maintained at doctors office for a limited number of years.
- Contact your states health department. Some states have registries that include adult vaccines.
Back To School Immunization Requirements
Beginning fall of 2014, all students entering, transferring, or advancing into kindergarten through 12th grades will be required to show proof of receipt of 2 doses of mumps and 2 doses of rubella vaccine. In addition, students entering, transferring, or advancing into kindergarten, 6th, or 9th grades are required to show proof of receipt of 2 doses of varicella vaccine. Most students likely have already received the vaccine and simply need to provide the school with verifying documentation from their healthcare provider. To learn more, see Fall 2021 School Immunization Requirements.
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I Am A Nursing Dental Hygiene Or Medical Laboratory Technology Student
2. Titers MUST be submitted, with lab report, for the following: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella, Hepatitis B
3. All forms are to be submitted through Castle Branch system. Note: 1st year students Nursing and Medical Lab Tech students must also submit copies to the Health and Wellness Center. Dental Health students must submit records to Health and Wellness each year.
Submission Of Immunization Records:
Accepted Forms of Immunization Documentation Include:
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What To Do If You Lose Your Vaccine Shot Records
Your child has had all or most of their vaccines, but you can’t find their vaccine records. Your doctor can’t find them either. What do you do? Does he need to start getting shots all over again? Unfortunately, this happens much more often than you would think.
Returning Students In A Health
Please allow 10 business days for Health Services to process your records and update UB Learns.
Submitting your immunization records via email is the easiest way to comply with the requirement. Include your first name, last name, and person number on each page of the documentation that you submit via email.
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How Do I Request A Religious Exemption
Students who hold a genuine and sincere religious beliefs which are contrary to immunization may request a religious exemption. Filing for an exemption is a rigorous and demanding process. Students must complete the COVID-19 Religious Exemption Form, and submit it to their campus Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
Heres How To Make Sure Youre Up To Date On All Your Vaccines
If youre anything like me, you spent a good part of your adulthood assuming that you were up to date on your vaccines because, well, your parents probably took care of it. Right? Its a reasonable assumption to make. To keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests an immunization schedule for everyone in the United States, including children and adolescents. I have no reason to believe my parents didn’t follow it. But Ive never actually talked about this with my parents, and as much as I wish I were this particular brand of responsible adult, I definitely dont have a copy of my immunization records.
Truth be told, I didnt think about whether or not I was up to date on all my vaccines until the recent measles outbreak in New York City, where I live. Since September 2018 there have been over 640 confirmed cases of measles in New York City, the CDC reports. The outbreak hasnt affected my neighborhood, but it didnt take a stretch of my anxiety-prone mind to imagine the short chain it could take for measles to get to me. Of course I started wondering if I had anything to worry about.
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Regarding New York States Mandatory Student Vaccination Expectation
Last month, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that all SUNY and CUNY students taking in-person classes for the fall would be required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination. However, this requirement is contingent on a COVID-19 vaccine receiving full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . At this time, there are three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use only within the United States by the FDA, but the process for any of these vaccines to be granted full approval has not yet been completed. If and/or when full approval is granted by the FDA, then the vaccination requirement will go into effect. Until such time as a full FDA approval is granted to a vaccine, we will continue to urge all students to get vaccinated as soon as possible and to advise any student who is not vaccinated that when full FDA approval is granted, even if it is in the middle of a semester, you will be required to be vaccinated in order to continue to come onto a campus unless you have a valid medical or religious exemption.
In addition, and independent of the forthcoming policy from SUNY, students in certain programs or courses involving clinical, field, or internship placements may find that certain sites, such as healthcare settings, will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of working at the site. Students in affected programs are being advised regarding these requirements as they become known to the affected programs.
At this time:
What If You Cant Find Your Childs Records
Your child should be considered susceptible to disease and should be vaccinated if you cant find his or her records or their records are incomplete. It is safe for your child to receive a vaccine, even if he or she may have already received it. Alternatively, your child could also have their blood tested for antibodies to determine his or her immunity to certain diseases. However, these tests may not always be accurate and doctors may prefer to revaccinate your child for best protection. Talk to your childs doctor to determine what vaccines your child needs for protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
book icon If youre adopting or caring for a foster child, ask for vaccination records so you can confirm which vaccines your child has received. See Adoption and Vaccines.
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Where Can I Obtain A Copy Of My Immunization Records
Parents should keep track of their child’s vaccination history. The only records that exist are the ones provided to parents when the vaccination is administered, and the ones in the medical record of the doctor and/or clinic where the vaccines are given. New York State law requires that schools keep individual immunization records 6 years, or 3 years after the individual reaches age 18, whichever is longer.
Finding old immunization records can be especially difficult for adults. To avoid having to hunt for old records and possibly repeating vaccinations that cannot be documented, patients should make sure that all immunization providers give them a written record of their vaccines. If a patient’s immunization record has been lost, see below for some helpful resources.
Learn more:
How Do I Access Vaccinations
Free Immunization Clinics for MMR Vaccination
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services periodically offers free immunization clinics.Call 854-0333 for information and directions to:
Suffolk County Department of Health Services3500 Sunrise Highway Suite 124PO Box 9006Great River NY 11739-9006
Free immunization clinics are also held on Suffolk’s three campuses during the fall and spring enrollment periods.
Free Immunization Options for COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccines are widely available at local pharmacies, New York State-run vaccination sites, local health departments, clinics, and other locations across the state. Some sites are offering vaccinations on a walk-in basis, without an appointment. You can find locations with availability near you and search by vaccine type using the resources from:
Suffolk County:
- Appointments available at or by calling 311
NYS Department of Health: /
Vaccines.gov: , text your zip code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233
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How Do I Comply With The Meningitis Requirement
Students must indicate, on the Health History and Meningitis Acknowledgement form, either that they have received the meningitis vaccine within the past 10 years or that they have decided not to obtain the meningitis vaccine. All students who have received the vaccine must submit appropriate documentation of the vaccination. Health History Form
Enter Dates You Received Your Immunizations And Upload Documents On The Healthypack Portal
You will receive messages via the HealthyPack Portal from our Immunization Coordinators after they have completed a review of your Immunization documents. It is important to check your HealthyPack Portal periodically so you are aware of your Immunization compliance status. To access the HealthyPack Portal,
Please Note: You can initiate a message to the Immunization Coordinator by selecting Compose New and choose Immunization Coordinator from the drop-down menu. Compose message and send.
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When You Find Your Immunization Record
- If the record you looked for was not originally found in NYSIIS or the CIR, ask your health care provider to enter it into the appropriate registry. This will give you an electronic immunization record that will be saved for a lifetime.
- Ask your provider to document the immunization history on an official record and make a photocopy or scan the immunization record for your files.
- Obtain a free wallet-sized immunization record card from NYSDOH and record your own immunizations. Go to our Publication Order Form and order the card that you need.
- New York State Adult Immunization Record, Publication #2376
- New York State Childhood Immunization Record, Publication #2302
How To Track Down Your Childhood Immunization Records
Those applying for a healthcare IT job might be surprised to discover that for a hospital to hire you, you must provide a copy of your childhood immunization records. True, some healthcare IT jobs wont be bedside, but hospitals must maintain a sterile environment and avoid outbreaks against the major childhood diseases.
Unfortunately, there is no central bank of immunization records. Your records will either be with your parents, who were provided with a copy to enroll you in school, or at the doctors office or clinic where you received the vaccination, according to The Center for Disease Control . The schools you attended likely threw out the documents a year or two after you left each school, so unless your parents keep meticulous files of your childhood, you will have to find another way to secure your immunization records after you send your resume. Here are your options for tracking them down:
Ask your parents where you received your childhood immunizations, and make sure you find out all the places you may have had them. Since many children see multiple healthcare providers over the years, you may have had the vaccines over several different locations. Keep in mind that most doctors offices only store immunization records for a few years after you stop going there, so they may not be there.
Contact the college you attended. If youre a recent graduate, your college health department may still have some of your records, including your immunization record.
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