COVID-19 INFORMATION AND UNIVERSITY RISK STATEMENT
Students are responsible for staying current and complying with the most recent requirements related to COVID-19 at the University and within any clinical/practicum site. Students should remain flexible to adapt to changing COVID-19 conditions during the academic year.
For those students who are completing labs, clinical hours, or practicum hours, additional screening/testing and PPE may necessary. For those students completing clinical or practicum hours at an offsite facility, the current minimum PPE guidance by the facility must be followed. Students should not complete clinical or practicum hours in sites that do not follow the minimum PPE requirements. For those students who will be at the Hershey campus, please follow the classroom and PPE guidance issued by the College of Medicine. Please contact your course faculty with questions.
The CON may have compliances for this academic year due to COVID-19. As part of the American Data Bank compliance package, all students will be required to complete a COVID-19 Attestation and a COVID-19 Clinical Experiences Acknowledgement of Risk.
COVID-19 Vaccination Status
Students may be required by a clinical site to demonstrate proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination. Students who are not able to demonstrate this proof of vaccination may be at risk of not completing clinical coursework. The University is no longer processing religious accommodation requests for COVID-19 vaccination.
If You Feel Sick or Test Positive
Individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 should follow CDC guidance for masking, testing, and isolation, as needed.
Students who test positive should report their results via email to contacttracing@psu.edu and Contact Tracing will provide them with their isolation dates via email. Students living off campus should self-isolate at home and wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around their roommates. Students living on campus are encouraged to isolate at home, if possible, as on-campus isolation space specifically for COVID-19 is no longer available. The University will work with students who are unable to return home so that they can isolate as safely as possible. Additional guidance regarding isolation will be provided to students living in campus housing.
Instructor notification
With the elimination of on-campus isolation space specifically for COVID-19, the university is no longer communicating student’s isolation status to instructors. Students are expected to communicate directly with their instructors if they must miss class and/or lab related activities due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 and they are strongly encouraged to share their isolation dates with their instructors.
University Risk Statement for Infectious Diseases
Attendance at any public event involves certain unavoidable risks such as exposure to or infection by transmissible diseases, viruses, and other illnesses (including, but not limited to, COVID-19 and its variants). Your presence at events or programs hosted by The Pennsylvania State University indicates your assumption of any and all such risk as well as your agreement to adhere to all University policies including, but not limited to, those intended to mitigate the spread of transmissible illnesses. As a member of our community or guest, it is your responsibility to practice basic health, safety, and sanitation measures and avoid engaging in Penn State sponsored programs and activities when symptomatic with any commonly spread transmissible illness.