Immunization Requirements

A titer is a blood draw. This lab test can identify the different kinds and levels of antibodies present in a person’s bloodstream, which can indicate immunity to diseases. 

• If all health science students, this is an annual requirement. 
• For non-health science international students, this is a one-time requirement. 
• It is not a requirement for any other student.

Students required by University policy to complete an annual provider review visit for TB screening must have an appointment or have this tuberculosis provider form completed by an outside medical provider.

If you complete these items, you are considered compliant: 

• Upload your negative Hep B Surface Antibody (HBsAB) titer
• Obtain another Hep B vaccine and upload it to the BirdHouse  
• Attempt another Hep B Surface Antibody Titer (HbsAB) 30 days after the Hep B vaccine, and upload it to the BirdHouse

If you are still not immune: 

• Obtain another Hep B vaccine a month from the first one and upload it to the BirdHouse 
• Obtain yet another Hep B vaccine six months from the first dose and upload it to the BirdHouse 
• Obtain another Hep B Surface Antibody Titer (HBsAB) 30 days after your last dose and upload it to the BirdHouse

If you are still not immune after completion of two full series of the Hep B vaccine, a Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAG) is required. 

If needed, you can refer to a visualization of this process.

You have two options:

• The T-Spot or QuantiFERON Gold Test meets the requirement (single blood draw; requires one office visit) 
• A Two Step TB Skin test (PPD) may be completed (requires four office visits: see below) 
  1. Day 1: TB/PPD antigen is injected under the skin 
  2. Day 3: TB/PPD test is read within 48-72 hours of placement 
  3. Day 7-21: a second TB/PPD skin test is applied  
  4. 48-72 hours after placement: the second test is read 
     Both TB skin tests must be completed within 28 days.

If you haven’t uploaded your immunization records because you aren’t sure where to find them, we recommend checking the following sources.

• Your parents: Many parents maintain vaccine records for their children. We may be able to accept good quality digital photos of these documents.
• Your doctor or pediatrician: Your doctor’s office may have a copy of these records available for you. If you turned 18 recently and switched from a pediatrician to a family practice physician, your pediatrician’s office may still have your records. To receive these records, you may need to complete a Release of Information form, and that process takes about a week at most doctor’s offices.
• Your high school or previous university: Many states require you to submit your vaccinations to maintain enrollment as a high school student. Contact your school and ask them for a copy of your vaccination records.  If you are a transfer student, graduate, doctoral or law student, your previous university’s health center may be able to locate the immunizations you submitted. 
• Your state’s vaccine registry: Many doctor’s offices upload vaccines given to children to their state’s vaccine information registry system, and many of these systems have online portals for a state’s citizen to access their immunization records. You can find contact information for state registries on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. Remember, these registries collect only information from their residents, so be sure to contact the registry for the state(s) where you lived between the ages of one and six years old.
• The military: If you did any kind of military service, you very likely have vaccine records on file with the military. Contact your last military healthcare provider for records.

If you’ve tried these methods without results, you will need to obtain blood draws (titers) to check for immunity. Measles IgG, Mumps IgG, Rubella IgG, Varicella IgG, and Hepatitis B Surface Antibody Titer (HBsAb) are all available blood draws to check for immunity.  

Follow these steps to find any immunizations you are missing.

1. Log in to the BirdHouse. 
2. Select the Immunization tab.
3. Select Print.
4. Scroll to the Missing Requirements section of the report.

If you need to fulfill a missing requirement, you can do so in one of the following ways:

• Make an immunization appointment at the CHI Health Student Care Clinic. Call 402.280. 2735 and select option 2.
• Visit Walgreens, CVS, or local pharmacies for walk-in immunizations.
• Contact your primary care doctor’s office about immunizations and titers (blood draws).

If you are having difficulty uploading new records, make sure the filename of the document you are trying to upload does not contain any special characters such as :-_()*&^% or is longer than 20 characters. Also ensure you follow these steps: 

1. Scan or take a photo of your documents and send them to your computer, ensuring the file is a .gif, .png, .tiff, .jpg, .txt, or .pdf.  Multiple files must be uploaded separately. 
2. Use the dropdown menu to indicate the type of document you’re uploading.  
3. Click Select File and choose the file. Note that the file must be smaller than 4 MB; you can scan in black and white or at a setting of 150 DPI to achieve a smaller file size.  
4. Click Upload.

If you made a mistake, delete the file by clicking the “x” at the end of the document name. Successfully uploaded documents will appear below the words Documents already on file.

If you need a copy of the records you’ve submitted, visit the BirdHouse, click Immunization in the top navigation bar, and then click the Print button.