Graduate students new to UCSF are required to meet immunization and TB screening requirements in accordance with the UC system-wide Immunization Policy.
Student enrolled in a Graduate Division program: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, Biomedical Sciences, Biophysics, Biomedical Imaging, Translational Medicine, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Genetics, Epidemiology and Translational Science, Equity in Brain Health, Global Health Sciences MS, Global Health Sciences PhD, History of Health Sciences, Medical Anthropology, Biological and Medical Informatics, Biomedical Research, Neuroscience, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics, Sociology
Instructions:
Review and understand the Graduate Student Immunization Requirements.
- Gather your historical immunization documentation (vaccination cards or historic medical records showing dates of administration).
- Obtain healthcare services (titers or vaccination) for elements you do not have records of (this may require a visit to your healthcare provider).
- Hard copy documentation is mandatory for all requirements.
Enter COVID-19 Vaccine information into UCSF Occupational Health Services (OHS) Portal.
- All new UCSF students must enter their initial COVID-19 vaccination series and booster vaccination through the OHS Portal.
- The OHS Portal is the central repository for the entire UCSF community COVID-19 vaccination data and used for compliance and reporting.
- Upload your COVID-19 records via the Occupational Health Services Portal. You must be logged into a UCSF network or sign on to Pulse Secure VPN. Find out how to access the VPN.
- COVID-19 records submitted via the OHS Portal will transmit to your Student Health electronic medical record via a nightly update.
Enter your immunization, titer, and TB screening dates AND upload your hard-copy documentation in the MyHealthRecord Student Portal.
- Click on Medical Clearances in the left navigation bar.
- For each required element click on the “Update” button and enter dates and vaccine that was administered.
- You are required to enter dates for all requirements and upload an image of all hard copy records.
- Your COVID-19 records submitted via the OHS Portal (submitted in STEP 2 above) will transmit to your Student Health electronic medical record via a nightly update.
- Vaccine, titer, and TB screening documents are uploaded via the “Verification Docs Upload” section.
- The dates and test results you enter become part of your permanent medical chart at UCSF Student Health. Data entry errors are the most common cause of health hold clearance delays. PLEASE double-check the accuracy of your entries.
- File types accepted for records upload include: PNG, PDF, JPG, JPEG, GIF
- If you do not have a scanner, you can use your phone to take a picture of your documents.
- Ensure that the images of your hard copy documents are:
- Are legible (including procedure name, dates, results, and identifying information)
- Include your name on every page of documentation
- Include the name of the provider of care for that service
- Keep a copy of all records for your personal use as you will need to produce them periodically to clinical sites.
- Health holds cannot be cleared until you have manually entered your dates, test results and supporting documentation into the portal. Uploaded documents submitted without entered dates/results will not be reviewed by the nursing staff until you have manually entered your dates/results. Any file "SUBMITTED" with absent or incomplete data will result in delays in health hold clearance which may lead to a "Study List Late Fee" being assessed.
- EXCEPTION: If you have met all requirements but have to wait more than 4 weeks to get a titer AND that date falls after the start of your program, please press submit so the nurse can verify the records you have entered and submitted.
Check that your health hold has cleared.
- All new graduate students have a health hold in the SAA Student Portal until they meet their immunization and TB screening requirements.
- Once you successfully submit dates and supporting documentation for ALL of your requirements and SHCS verifies the documentation, your hold will be cleared (review time after submission is approximately 1 week).
- To check if your health hold has cleared you can visit the SAA Student Portal or the "Immunizations" section in the left navigation bar of this portal for a more detailed view.
- SHCS will send you a secure message through the "Messages" section of this portal if the data is insufficient in some way.
Have Questions?
Use the MyHealthRecord portal - “Messages” section to message someone directly about your new student immunization requirement.
FAQ's
Q: What are titers?
A: A titer is a blood test that indicates if you have the antibody in your bloodstream to the particular disease for which you are being screened. A positive titer indicates immunity to the disease. A negative or equivocal titer means you are not likely immune and might need to receive additional vaccination.
Q: What do I do if my titer result is negative?
A: If your titer result is negative, a clinician should review your immunization history. It’s possible if you were immunized several years ago you may need a booster immunization. You should also check your immunization documentation to confirm that you completed the immunization series. If you didn’t receive the full vaccine series, you might not be immune and need to finish the series.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) is a standard childhood immunization series. If you have a negative measles, mumps, or rubella titer it is likely you will need a booster. For example: If you had a negative Measles titer on 1/1/2022 you should receive an MMR booster which is one dose of MMR vaccine. If the booster was administered on 1/3/2022 you can re-titer for measles on 2/3/2022 (4 weeks post-immunization). If you have documentation of at least three MMR vaccine doses and the most recent titer result (obtained at least 4 weeks after the 3rd vaccine) is negative a fourth booster vaccine would not be recommended. Please contact Student Health with any questions.
Q: When should I obtain my vaccine titer?
A: Titers can be drawn 4 weeks after completing a vaccine series. If you have no previous records of positive titers and you completed your immunization series at least 4 weeks prior, you may obtain a titer.
Q: The instructions say I need a TB test within the 3 months before school starts. What date exactly represents “the 3 months preceding entry into school”?
A: The 3-month window is based on your date of first attendance (start of the first term in which you will enroll) OR the due date set by your school.
Q: Why can’t I get a TB skin test after a live virus vaccine (MMR, varicella)?
A: Vaccinations with live viruses may interfere with TB test reactions (possibly resulting in a false positive TB skin test). For persons scheduled to receive a TB skin test, testing should be done either on the same day as vaccination with live-virus vaccine or 4-6 weeks after the administration of the live-virus vaccine.
Q: How do I know if I need to get a chest x-ray and when does it need to be done?
A: You need a chest x-ray with three months of entering UCSF if you:
Have a history of a positive PPD skin test (and have not taken BCG) or have a positive Quantiferon test or Tspot test
AND
Have not received treatment of Rifampin, Isoniazid or a combination of Isoniazid and Rifampin.
If you meet these guidelines, a chest x-ray is needed no earlier than 3 month prior to the start of your program.
Q: What testing do I do if I received BCG vaccine and always have a positive reaction to TB skin tests?
A: : If you have had a positive reaction to TB skin tests in the past AND have received the BCG vaccine, it is highly recommended you submit a recent QuantiFERON Test. If this test and the TB sign and symptom questions you complete on MyHealthRecord.ucsf.edu are both negative, you can avoid the chest x-ray requirement.
Q: What if I have a medical condition that interferes with my ability to meet the requirements?
A: If you have a medical condition that is of concern related to the requirements, please call Student Health and Counseling Services at (415) 476-1281 as soon as possible.
Q: What if I don’t have somewhere to go to obtain an immunization or TB screening?
A: SHCS can perform this service for you on a fee-for-service basis if you are in San Francisco. Simply come to SHCS Mission Bay or Parnassus (not during the lunch hour) and request services. SHCS will not bill your insurance. If you wish to use your insurance, go to a network provider. Be careful not to wait until the last minute as the process can take a while. Your local public health department is another low cost option.
Q: Why isn’t my hold released? I’ve completed and submitted all my immunization/TB data.
A: You should allow 1 week after entering your data into the portal to verify your hold has been released. If after one week you still have a hold, go to MyHealthRecord.ucsf.edu – Immunization section to view which element is still out of compliance.