Student Requirements

Due to the nature of health professions, College of Medicine students are held to a high standard of professional behavior and conduct. As health care professionals in training, we expect students to be familiar with and adhere to the immunization requirements listed on this webpage.

Compliance Requirements (Background Checks, Drug Screens, Immunizations, and others)

All students in the College of Medicine are required to have full background checks and ten-panel drug screenings before beginning at UK COM. The college works with a company called CastleBranch to meet these requirements.

Students are also required to submit proof of immunizations and other program specific requirements. Immunization requirements are listed below. Other program specific requirements will be listed on your class Canvas page prior to orientation week.

All matriculating students must provide evidence of immunity to certain vaccine-preventable illnesses at the time of entry into the UK College of Medicine. These requirements reflect Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and UK HealthCare policies. The following immunizations are required for all students:

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis (Tdap)
Varicella
Hepatitis B
Influenza (annually Sept. 1 – Nov. 1)

If a learner has a medical contraindication or would like to request an individual exemption to any of the requirements, they should contact the student affairs officer at their campus for guidance.

Note: Health care systems will not allow non-compliant learners to participate in clinical activities in their facilities, which will delay program progression and ultimately result in failure of academic progress. Therefore, medical students are bound by the same requirements as UK HealthCare, Med Center Health (Bowling Green), St. Claire, or St. Elizabeth providers.

Please click click here for the full list of details for immunization requirements.

Please click here for CastleBranch frequently asked questions and answers.

Incoming students, please click here for CastleBranch registration steps. We will provide details on when to register via the Admitted newsletter. However, please look ahead at immunization requirements and plan accordingly.

Requirements for incoming students:

Prior to your start with UK COM, you must complete a TB Risk Assessment Questionnaire (available here and have proof of a CDC compliant Tuberculosis (TB) test completed within a month prior to your start date. Documentation of an IGRA blood test for TB must be submitted. If the test is positive, you may speak with a health provider regarding the implications and accuracy of the result.

If you have a confirmed positive blood draw (IGRA) you must also have a chest x-ray after the positive TB test. Please provide documentation of the positive test and a chest x-ray report.

If you have a history of a prior positive TB test, we will need all documentation about that test, follow-up evaluations you had (including chest x- rays) and any treatment received.

Requirements for returning students (Lexington campus):

Returning Lexington campus UK COM students will be required to take a TB risk assessment questionnaire annually. Any student who is determined to be at increased risk of exposure based on the questionnaire would then need a TB test.

The TB risk assessment questionnaire can be found here. You are required to complete the questionnaire and drop it off at the 2^nd floor front desk at student health by June 15. If you are identified as increased risk for TB exposure, you will be contacted to come back to student health for a TB test. Otherwise, you will receive a letter in MyChart that documents your TB compliance. You are required to upload the letter from MyChart to CastleBranch. If you require further testing after the questionnaire, you must submit TB testing documentation to CastleBranch by June 30.

Requirements for returning students (Regional campuses):

All regional campus medical students must undergo testing for tuberculosis (TB) at the time of entry and annually thereafter. At the time of entry, an Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA, which is a TB blood test) is required. Each year after, students may choose to get either a TB skin test or IGRA.

Titers are not required for matriculation; however, students opting to complete visiting (“away”) rotations in fourth year will likely have to provide titers as part of the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) application.

Students are required to maintain health and disability insurance to cover expenses related to hospitalization, accident care, and surgical services and must demonstrate proof of health insurance coverage at the beginning of each academic year. A student health insurance plan is available for students without individual health insurance plans or for those wishing to transfer to a potentially less expensive plan. Health insurance premiums are included in the mandatory fees if the student will not be covered by another health insurance policy. Disability premiums are also included in the mandatory fees paid with tuition.

The UK College of Medicine has educational and training sites across the state of Kentucky. Medical students must maintain reliable transportation as required coursework may be at off-site locations.

For details and specifics, please refer to our page here.

The demands of the medical school curriculum consume the entire efforts of medical students. As such, students are not permitted to have outside employment during the fall semester of first year, except under exceptional circumstances. Beginning in the spring semester of first year, students are permitted to work up to five hours per week. Exceptions to this policy may be requested of the Student Progress and Promotion Committee.