Overview
University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) compliance requirements must be completed by Friday, June 14th, 2024. If you do not complete all the items on the compliance checklist by this deadline, your offer of admission may be rescinded. If extenuating circumstances apply and you are unable to complete all requirements by June 14th, please contact the Office of Compliance at somcompl@uw.edu for assistance. Deadline extensions will not be considered unless sufficient notice is given, and extenuating circumstances apply. If you need to request a medical or religious exemption (or accommodation) for any UWSOM compliance requirement, you must make the formal request in advance, and we recommend doing so at least 4-6 weeks in advance of the deadline. Students with a disability or chronic illness that may impact their ability to meet any compliance requirement must contact the Disability Resources for Students office as soon as possible to request accommodations.
All students will be required to have a compliant status before they may participate in the Orientation and Clinical Immersion programs. It is strongly recommended you start this process ASAP. Immunizations and titers may take more than 2-3 weeks to complete, especially if you receive an unanticipated negative titer result.
A note on Compliance while at UWSOM: UWSOM takes the development of your professional identity, including accountability and a culture of safety, very seriously. We expect our students to keep track of and complete all program requirements, including compliance and credentialing, on-time throughout the M.D. program. UWSOM offers formal recognition in your final year to all students who met their compliance requirements throughout medical school, which will appear on your transcript and can be noted for applications to medical residency programs. If compliance deadlines are missed, just like with practicing physicians, there are consequences. For example, our Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) requires students to complete annual vaccinations, including flu shot and COVID-19 booster, unless they have an approved medical, disability, or religious accommodation. When you miss the compliance deadline, our policy requires us to hold you accountable including, restricting your ability to participate in activities and placing a registration hold.
In preparation for entering the first-year curriculum, there are a number of administrative tasks you'll need to take care of. Compliance is monitored primarily through CastleBranch and can be grouped into two categories:
- Immunization Compliance (CastleBranch UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker)
- General Compliance (CastleBranch UW71 General Compliance Tracker)
This is reflected through CastleBranch as your immunization requirements are met by establishing a CastleBranch UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker and submitting your documentation to that tracker. Your general compliance requirements are met by establishing a CastleBranch UW71 General Compliance Tracker (it includes items such as CPR/BLS Healthcare Provider Certifications and various forms) and submitting documentation to that tracker.
Some requirements are not included in the trackers above. These include:
- Establishing a UW Net ID and email account
- Completing your Criminal Background Check. This is completed through Certiphi. If the CBC is not completed by the compliance deadline, your offer of admission may be rescinded. Contact uwsomapp@uw.edu i f you have questions or concerns.
- Completing your WATCH report. This is only required for non-Washington state Residents. The report is ordered through a CastleBranch portal. Instructions will be sent from somcompl@uw.edu.
Timeline
The table below lists the items you need to complete. Please go through the entire list as certain items can take longer to complete; start working on all items you can complete as soon as possible.
| Requirement | Recommended completion date Deadline for all requirements is: June 14th 2024 |
|
Establish a UW Net ID and email account |
March 20th |
|
Establish a CastleBranch UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker account and submit a full COVID-19 vaccination series. |
March 30th |
|
Submit a medical or religious exemption request. |
March 30th |
|
Establish a CastleBranch UW71 General Compliance Tracker account. |
May 26th |
|
Submit immunizations, titers and TB screening to your CastleBranch UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker.
|
June 14th |
|
Complete your criminal background check through Certiphi. |
June 14th |
|
Complete your WATCH report criminal background check through CastleBranch. Instructions will be sent via email from somcompl@uw.edu. The check is only required for non-Washington state Residents. |
June 14th |
|
Upload the CastleBranch UW71 Compliance Tracker five components listed below:
|
June 14th |
|
Submit influenza vaccination documentation. |
October 1st |
Immunization Compliance
Requirements
Download a copy of the HSIP Checklist for reference.Below is the list of the immunization items needed:
- Childhood Immunizations
- MMR: Measles (Rubeola), Mumps & Rubella
- Varicella
- Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
- TB (tuberculosis) Screening
- Covid-19 Vaccine
- Hepatitis B
- Influenza
Gather immunizations records and obtain needed vaccines and titers and submit to your CastleBranch Immunization tracker. Please note thatimmunizations and titers may take more than 2-3 weeks to complete, especially if you receive an unanticipated negative titer result. Also, lab results can take many days to become available. Regarding TB screening, please note that the 2-step PPD can take a minimum of 10-14 days to complete. The Health Sciences Immunizations Program (HSIP) is happy to provide guidance to individual students regarding their immunization requirements and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Please contact HSIP at myshots@uw.edu if you have questions or if you need to request a medical or religious exemption (or accommodation) prior to the deadline. Students with a disability or chronic illness need to contact the Disability Resources for Students office as soon as possible to request formal accommodations related to HSIP immunization compliance. COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines may be administered without regard to timing per updated CDC guidance on coadministration of COVID-19 vaccine with other vaccines. In alignment with University of Washington Medical Center, titers may also be drawn without regard to timing of COVID-19 vaccination.
Note: If you are currently relying on insurance through your undergraduate program, make sure to complete any immunizations or titers prior to leaving your current program.
Pre-requisites and purchasing
Please note that aUW NetID and email account are requiredin order to establish the UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker account.Students will set up an UX54 HSIP Immunizations Compliance Tracker account. The account requires a one-time $43 activation fee paid directly to the CastleBranch vendor. You can then begin submitting documentation for each immunization requirement.
Compliance monitoring
CastleBranch generates weekly reports on student immunization compliance status with compliance determined by HSIP, not by the University of Washington School of Medicine.If your Hepatitis B, MMR, or varicella vaccine series are ‘in process’, you will be considered compliant as long as you adhere to your vaccine schedule.A registration block will be placed for students who have not completed their requirements by the June 14th deadline. The UWSOM Compliance Office does not process or interpret student health records and we cannot advise students about vaccine requirements. If you have questions about the immunizations requirements please visit theor contact HSIP via email ator by phone.
General Compliance
Requirements
This tracker includes the non-immunization items that the UWSOM monitors. Below is the list of the items needed:
- CPR/BLS Healthcare Provider Certificate
- UW Request for Criminal History - Self Disclosure, Consent and Release of Information Form (this is NOT your background check report)
- UW Data Stewardship Training and Privacy, Confidentiality, and Information Security Agreement form
- Infection Control Training Certificate: We will email you a link to the training once you have established a UW NetID. The training is completed through canvas. You will receive your certificate by somcompl@uw.edu which you then have to upload to your tracker.
- HIPAA Training Certificate. You will need a NetID and Student ID Number.
- E24 Compliance Acknowledgement of Review Form
Pre-requisites and purchasing
You will set up UW71 General Compliance Tracker account. The account requires a one-time $43 activation fee paid directly to the CastleBranch vendor. You can then begin submitting documentation for each requirement.
Compliance monitoring
The UWSOM Compliance Team in the Office of Student Affairs is here to support all our matriculating and current students throughout their medical education. Compliance is generally monitored weekly, and if you have questions about the requirements above, please contact us at somcompl@uw.edu.