Compliance & onboarding

• 2025-26 Clinical Passport
  • Refer to the Clinical Passport guidance document below to ensure you are completing requirements correctly.
• Clinical Passport Guidance
• UW Privacy, Confidentiality, and Information Security Agreement (PCISA) Form
• UW Disclosure Form
• 2025-26 School of Nursing Professional Liability Certificate

Join us for a Compliance Q&A session to learn about the compliance process, your responsibilities, and key deadlines. Each session is designed for newly admitted students and focuses on pre-admission requirements. Questions outside of these topics may not be addressed.

For additional support, contact the Compliance Team at nscomply@uw.edu.

Session topics include:

• Meet your compliance specialists
• Why compliance matters
• Step-by-step compliance process
• Your role and expectations
• Tips & best practices
• Key dates & deadlines
• Open Q&A

There are no sessions scheduled at this time. Please check back soon!

All nursing students must meet compliance requirements set by the School of Nursing Office of Clinical Placements and Compliance, the UW Health Science Immunization Program (HSIP), and our affiliated clinical partners. These include trainings, certifications, vaccinations, and more.

If you are on the waitlist, it’s important to be prepared. Clinical sites require students to be fully compliant at least six weeks before the quarter begins. Applicants admitted from the waitlist often face a tight timeline, so we encourage you to plan ahead and be ready to complete requirements quickly if offered admission.

What to do now:

• School of Nursing Requirements: Review the document sent to your application email address for SON-specific requirements.
• UW HSIP/Immunization Requirements: Review the document sent to your application email address for HSIP details.

Further instructions on documenting and submitting your compliance items will be provided if you are admitted. In the meantime, creating a plan will help you avoid delays in admission or onboarding.

For questions, contact the Compliance Team at nscomply@uw.edu.

Holds will be placed on student accounts when a requirement’s expiration date has passed.

If your hold is listed as coming from the Health Science Immunization Program (HSIP), it indicates that you are not in compliance with your immunization requirements. Please refer to the notes on your registration hold for further instructions.

Contact your compliance specialist at nscomply@uw.edu for questions regarding account holds.

Please add “HOLD on LNAME ACCOUNT” in the subject line so we can respond to you faster.

Additional requirements may be introduced by UW, HSIP, or clinical sites to uphold professional and safety standards. Students must meet all requirements to remain enrolled.

Even though renewal periods are listed above, you may need to renew up to 3 months early to stay compliant.

• Clinical sites require proof of completion 6 weeks before the quarter starts.
• Document review by both the School of Nursing and the sites can take another 2 weeks.

Because of this, compliance deadlines typically fall 6–8 weeks before the quarter begins. Deadlines are strictly enforced by clinical sites—late renewals can delay or prevent your placement.

Check the compliance deadlines in your quarterly reminder document and on this web page to stay on track.

All compliance items must remain current through the last day of each quarter (the final day of exam week; see the UW Academic Calendar).

Renewals must be completed by the compliance deadlines listed in your quarterly reminder document and on this web page.

The Health Science Immunization Program (HSIP) ensures students enrolled in health sciences academic programs comply with the requirements detailed in the University’s affiliation agreements with clinical and practicum training sites.

Please refer to the HSIP website for more information about Immunization requirements and frequently asked questions. If you have questions regarding immunization forms, records, or rejections from CB, please contact 206.616.9074 or myshots@uw.edu.

Students access and submit their School of Nursing compliance forms and immunization and test result documentation to a web-based system called CastleBranch (CB). The School of Nursing will send instructions for creating the CB account to accepted students, along with deadlines for meeting requirements.

You will be instructed to create two trackers with the two package codes that will be provided to you. Once you create both accounts, you can access the required compliance forms. All forms should be completed within CB (no paper/email copies need to be sent to the School of Nursing unless requested).

Tracker #1: School of Nursing – Trainings and Certificates

Please do not create your tracker until you have been instructed to do so by SON Compliance.

To create your School of Nursing Compliance CastleBranch account:

1. Go to: https://portal.castlebranch.com
2. Click Place Order
3. Enter the appropriate code:
   • UQ79 if you are an undergraduate student (enrolling into ABSN or BSN program) OR
   • UQ78bg if you are a graduate student (enrolling into DNP, PhD, MS, Certificates)
4. CastleBranch will guide you through creating your account and ordering your national/state background check, as well as the process of submitting your other compliance requirements.
   Email nscomply@uw.edu if you have any questions or rejections made by CastleBranch to any compliance material.
5. There will be a one-time $96 account setup fee that includes your initial background check. Annual background check renewal will cost $24 and will be good for one year.**

Tracker #2: HSIP – Immunizations

As of Fall 2025, the HSIP program will no longer be using CastleBranch. Please await further instructions from SON Compliance.

Visit the UW HSIP page for further information regarding your immunization requirements.

Undergraduate students will register for an account with Clinical Placements Northwest to complete additional training modules for clinical sites. Training includes, but is not limited to, bloodborne pathogens, patient rights/safety, and standard precautions.

You will need to complete eLearning modules annually. We prefer that you take the modules during July-August, as you will need to renew them before the start of the next year.

The CPNW website also includes links to site-specific paperwork and onboarding requirements for some clinical sites. If your site is not listed in CPNW, wait to hear from your clinical instructor.

There is a one-time account setup fee of $100 for A/BSN students and $75 for DNP students.**

DNP students

DNP students are only required to create a CPNW account if their clinical site requires it. Clinical practice begins in the second year of the program, during spring quarter. Once you receive confirmation from your Clinical Placement Coordinator, check your clinical site’s Canvas page to see if a CPNW account is needed. If CPNW is not mentioned, you do not need to create an account. You must repeat this process each quarter for every new clinical site assignment throughout your program.

Register online

Register for a CPNW account using the appropriate access code below. Allow 48-72 hours for account approval.

For technical support, email support@cpnw.org or nscomply@uw.edu.

All UW Seattle School of Nursing students must meet compliance requirements set by the UW Health Science Immunization Program, the School of Nursing, and our affiliated clinical sites. As guests of these sites, students are expected to maintain the highest professional and safety standards by completing required immunizations, trainings, and documentation.

Compliance is managed through two platforms: CastleBranch and CPNW. Requirements in these systems must stay current throughout your program. Many items need periodic renewal, and some may be due earlier than the expiration date shown in the system—clinical sites can request verification up to 8 weeks before each quarter begins.

It is your responsibility to track renewal dates and complete items by the posted compliance deadlines to ensure a smooth clinical onboarding process.

For help at any point, email nscomply@uw.edu.

• CastleBranch is the secure system where you upload and store your immunization records, trainings, and other required documents for clinical sites.
• CPNW is used by certain clinical partners in the CPNW consortium to manage onboarding. Through this platform, you’ll complete training modules and upload your clinical passport. Some sites, like UW Medical Center, prefer to receive passports by email instead.

Each site sets its own requirements, even within the consortium. Be sure to check your UW email regularly for updates.
Who needs a CPNW account?

• ABSN and BSN students: Always required, since you will rotate through at least one CPNW site.
• DNP students: Only required if your site’s onboarding instructions specify CPNW.

Clinical passports are required at all sites. They document your clinical experiences, competencies, and immunizations in a standardized format, making it easier to track your progress and confirm that you’ve met essential requirements for practice.

As a guest in each healthcare setting, your passport also reflects your professionalism and commitment to patient safety—key qualities in your development as a future nurse.

You must renew your clinical passport every quarter, even if none of your items are expiring. This ensures your record stays accurate and up to date, as required by clinical sites.

Regular renewal keeps you prepared for unexpected changes or new opportunities and demonstrates your commitment to maintaining high standards in clinical practice.

Clinical placements and compliance are separate processes, with each team handling different responsibilities that seldom overlap.

• Clinical Placements Team: Arranges your placement by working with clinical sites and curriculum specialists to secure clinical hours. Contact: sonocp@uw.edu
• Compliance Team: Ensures you meet site-specific requirements (such as trainings, immunizations, and onboarding), including items beyond CastleBranch and CPNW. Contact: nscomply@uw.edu

In short, placements determine where you go, and compliance ensures you’re cleared to be there.

Clinical sites review student onboarding documents 6–8 weeks before the quarter begins. They must confirm that your immunizations, trainings, and certifications will remain valid for your entire rotation.

Renewing early helps sites meet legal and safety standards and gives them time to process documents for all students across multiple schools. This advance planning keeps your onboarding on track and ensures you’re ready for your clinical placement.

• ABSN and BSN students: Yes. A CPNW account is always required since you will rotate at a consortium site during your program.
• DNP students: Only if your site’s Canvas onboarding instructions tell you to create one. Clinical rotations begin in Spring of your second year. When you receive your placement confirmation email, check your site’s Canvas page right away to see if CPNW is required.

Allow up to 72 hours for account approval after registration, and give yourself enough time to complete the CPNW eLearning modules. Clinical sites will not review your onboarding until all modules are finished and current.

If you take a Leave of Absence (LOA), here’s what you need to do:

1. Notify us by email – After your LOA is approved by your DNP adviser, email nscomply@uw.edu and CC dnpclinicals@uw.edu. Include:
   • Your cohort year
   • The quarter/year your LOA begins
   • The quarter/year you plan to return
   • Confirmation that you will not be enrolled in non-clinical courses during your LOA
2. Compliance during your LOA – You do not need to keep your compliance items current while on LOA.
3. Important distinction – An LOA is different from simply not completing a clinical rotation. If you remain enrolled in any courses (even non-clinical), you must keep all compliance requirements up to date.