College of Nursing > Office of Student Affairs
The following packet includes detailed information about the onboarding process for the V-CARE program at the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing for the Fall 2024 semester. It is essential that you read the packet in its entirety.
The V-CARE program is a full-time program on the Tampa campus. Transportation for clinical experiences is the responsibility of the student, and some locations may be as much as two hours from the USF Tampa campus. Generally, you will have courses, clinicals, and labs during the day Monday – Friday, and a Preceptorship in your last semester that may include overnights and weekends; however, the College of Nursing reserves the right to require clinical/lab participation on weekends as well as overnight. You will have common test times throughout the program that may take place during evenings or weekends.
All students admitted to the V-CARE Fall 2024 pathway have an academic program plan that is structured sequentially over five consecutive semesters: Fall 2024; Spring 2025; Summer 2025 (12 weeks); Fall 2024; and Spring 2026. The anticipated graduation date is Spring (May) 2026.
In addition to University tuition and fees, there are other costs associated with the nursing program. Please ensure to review the estimated costs for incoming students. Please note, Veterans benefits typically will only cover tuition and fees, and not other required costs for the nursing program. If you have questions on what your Veterans benefits will cover, please consult with USF's Office of Veteran Success.
All students must adhere to their program plans and academic continuity:
- Each student must adhere to the program plan received upon admission.
- Should a student break progression due to earning a non-passing grade or withdrawal, per the College of Nursing Progression Policy found in the College of Nursing Student Handbook, the student must petition and receive permission from the Baccalaureate Progression Committee to remain in or be readmitted to the program. The student’s program plan will be reviewed by the Program Director and/or Assistant Dean for any courses, clinicals, or labs that need to be repeated and to determine when there will be room in the next available cohort. Students must remain in their pathway at their home campus for which originally admitted.
- Should a student break progression due to a withdrawal with cause (WC), failure to register, or cancelation of enrollment by the University for financial reasons will be considered grounds for progression violation or dismissal. Students may not progress in their pathway if they voluntarily withdraw or withdraw with cause from any pre-licensure course, lab, or clinical in their designated pathway. The withdrawal will be considered a failed course and grounds for progression violation or dismissal.
- The student acknowledges that breaks in progression for any reason may result in pause for up to two years.
- If the break in progression causes the student to be outside of the graduation timeline outlined in the USF System Policy 10-505: Degree Progression and Completion Deadline for Undergraduate Students, permission must be received by Undergraduate Studies for the student to be readmitted to the major.
Action Items to Complete
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title | Complete College of Nursing Compliance Requirements |
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All College of Nursing students are required to complete a Background Check, Verification of Health Insurance, Immunization Verification, and Drug Screening for the College of Nursing via CastleBranch.com. This is not the same as the Medical History Form from USF Student Health Services. The Castle Branch requirements are required for all undergraduate students in the College of Nursing.
IMPORTANT: Watch this Compliance Video: UG Compliance Orientation Video
IMPORTANT: Along with the video above, the College of Nursing has created a Guide to Castle Branch (click to access guide) to assist you in the compliance process. Please reference both of these guides in its entirety, as it contains crucial information and will answer questions on completing College of Nursing compliance requirements.
Verification of health insurance must be submitted to Castle Branch and the College of Nursing must have clearance on your drug test and background checks by June 30, 2023 or your seat in the program will be forfeited. All other Castle Branch requirements need to be completed by the first day of classes. Please start the process IMMEDIATELY.
The COVID-19 vaccination documentation has been added to the Castle Branch immunization tracker.
At this time we do not require COVID vaccinations for students to enroll in any of our nursing pathways/programs. While we do not require a vaccination many of our clinical partners require vaccinations of students based upon the federal mandate. We expect that most if not all of our clinical sites will require COVID vaccinations by the end of February to comply with the federal mandate. Medical and religious exemptions may be granted but this is at the discretion of our clinical partners. We cannot guarantee an exception will be made.
Purchase your CastleBranch account IMMEDIATELY using your USF email ($205):
For fingerprinting purposes, you must purchase your CastleBranch based on where you are currently residing and will be doing your fingerprints (this is not your state of residency). If you will be getting your fingerprints done outside of Florida, you must purchase the out of state fingerprinting package (Code UD99osfp).
- Go to https://portal.castlebranch.com/UD98
- Select Place Order –> College of Nursing –> Undergraduate Program –> Upper Division
- Select Code UD99: I am a new student ordering for the first time
- If you are currently residing out of state*- Select Code UD99osfp: I am new student ordering for the first time and need an out of state* fingerprint
- Once purchased you will receive instructions from CastleBranch within 48 hours
- The urine drug screen must be completed within 72 hours after receiving your instructions
- If the drug screening is not completed within 72 hours of purchase, an additional cost will be required as the drug screen package will need to be re-purchased ($38)
*Out of State Coding: Out of state is considered where you are currently physically residing and not your state of residence
Purchase, complete, and upload your HIPAA Compliance in Castle Branch ($10):
- Go to https://portal.castlebranch.com/UD98
- Select Place Order –> College of Nursing –> Undergraduate Program –> Upper Division
- UD99hipaa: HIPAA eLearning Tracker
Please contact Castle Branch at 888-723-4263 with any questions regarding the uploading of documentation or requirements for your profile. The USF College of Nursing Compliance Team (con-compliance@usf.edu) can assist you if the Castle Branch Customer Service cannot resolve an issue. Please ensure to email through your USF email and include your name, program (V-CARE), and cohort (Fall 2023).
Due to military documentation not being in line with civilian documentation, there is the possibility that your military documentation will be rejected. If this happens, please contact the College of Nursing's Student Academic Compliance con-compliance@usf.edu). Each rejection will be reviewed by on a case-by-case basis. Please remember to include your U-ID in your email.
Please note that this is not a one time process. You, the student, must monitor all requirements and keep them up to date during the time of your enrollment in The College of Nursing. Failure to keep the programmatic and clinical requirements up-to-date can result in being restricted from attending clinicals.
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Click here for specific instructions: MyClinicalExchange Instructions |
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If you are a brand new University of South Florida degree-seeking student, welcome! You MUST attend the University's General Orientation in addition to the Nursing Student Orientation. You can register for Orientation online at http://usf.edu/orientation/. Once you register and pay for Orientation, you will be assigned a registration time ticket within 15 business days. Please note that your registration time ticket is created after you register for orientation, not after you attend orientation. The College of Nursing has no preference on when you attend your Orientation; therefore, please select a date that is most convenient for you. You should sign-up for an orientation through the USF Tampa campus USF Orientation will advise you need to make an appointment with your advisor in order to register for classes, but you do not have to do so: your mandatory Nursing Student Orientation is considered your advising appointment. University policy mandates that brand new University of South Florida degree-seeking students MUST attend a University orientation before the start of classes for the semester; those students that fail to do so will have their enrollment canceled by the University, which will result in cancellation/forfeiture of their seat in the nursing program |
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Per USF Policy 33-002, it is mandatory for USF students to submit all required immunization documentation and sign the official Medical History Form prior to course registration. A hold preventing registration will remain on your account until you have fulfilled the following requirements.
If you are missing any vaccine and/ or labs, please contact your current healthcare provider or schedule an Immunization Compliance Appointment by clicking here. For an exemption request, please contact our office directly. Please refer to the tabs on the left side for additional information particular to your student status/population. For questions on USF Compliance, please contact USF Student Health Services directly at 813-974-4056 |
title | Attend the Mandatory College of Nursing Orientation |
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We are very excited for you to start your nursing journey with us and officially welcome you at the College of Nursing's Student Orientation on Friday, April 26 from 9am-3:15pm either In Person. Those who do not attend will forfeit their seat in the program. The Nursing Student Orientation is for admitted students only and there is no room for guests.
The College of Nursing's Student Orientation is mandatory.
Attire: Business Casual
You must RSVP for the Nursing Student Orientation by April 13th at midnight. Click here to RSVP.
Check-in will begin at 8:30am as orientation will begin at 9:00am sharp. The deadline to RSVP is April 13th.
USF Health Campus Map . Lunch will be provided for those that RSVP on-time. If you do not have a USF Parking Decal you will need to park in the Laurel Garage- 6th Floor. The garage is located off of Holly Drive and USF Laurel Dr- Parking Map If you do have a USF decal you will need to reference the Parking Map for the closest parking location based off of your decal.
You have successfully RSVPed when you get the message ‘We thank you for your time spent taking this survey. Your response has been recorded.’ after submitting the survey.
You will need to bring the devices you intend to use during the program with them for computer checks (E.g. Laptop and mobile devices- cell phone/tablet).
Additionally, there will be a mandatory face-to-face Clinical Onboarding - TBD
title | Register for Classes |
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Please ensure to check and remove all holds prior to registration. You can view registration holds in your myusf: OASIS; Student; Student Records; View Holds. Only the office that placed the hold on your account is authorized to remove the hold. Therefore, if you have questions regarding how to remove a hold, please directly contact the office that placed a hold.
The earliest any student can register for in Nursing courses for the Fall is Friday, April 26, 2024, even if your registration day/time assigned by the University is earlier. Please note that no matter when you register, you will be guaranteed a seat in all nursing courses, clinicals, and labs.
The registration times varies for current USF students and new USF students:
If you are a current USF student, you will be assigned a day and time when you can register for classes by the University. You may register for classes on Friday, April 26 or on/after your assigned registration day by the University; whichever is sooner.
If you are a new USF student, within two weeks after you register for USF Orientation, you will be assigned a time ticket to register for classes. You can then register for classes on or after April 26
Dr. Cheryl Zambroski, Tampa Campus Director, will go over your first-semester schedule in-detail at the College of Nursing Orientation. Therefore, we request that you save scheduling questions until the College of Nursing Orientation.
You will be assigned a clinical region and will need to onboard to the respective hospitals within that region. Please note that the College of Nursing cannot provide any guarantees on any specific clinical regions. Transportation for clinical is the responsibility of the student and may be as much as two hours from the USF Tampa campus. All of our clinical partners provide excellent opportunities to our students. You will find out your clinical region via USF email as soon as that information has been finalized.
title | Apply for Your VA Education Benefit and Complete Clockworks; Review Base Guide (if applicable) |
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The College of Nursing has created a Base Guide to help familiarize our military-connected students with University, College, and Tampa Bay resources.
If you are using VA Benefits, after you register for classes, you will then apply for your VA Education Benefit and Submit a Clockwork Application. For questions on applying for VA Education Benefits and submitting Clockworks, please contact the USF Office of Veteran Success directly at 813-974-2291.
Apply for Your VA Education Benefit
FIRST SEMESTER STUDENTS ONLY* Visit https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/ to either APPLY FOR or UPDATE your VA education benefits. Click the green "Find your education benefits form" button, complete the application, and save a screenshot of the "Claim received" page at the end to upload onto your Clockwork application. In 4-6 weeks, you will receive your first Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in the mail.
Submit a Clockwork Application
To request to use your VA education benefits each semester (Chapter 33, 35, 30, or 1606), you MUST complete steps 1-5 on your Clockwork application EVERY SEMESTER. If you make ANY changes to your class schedule AFTER OVS has certified you, complete a Change in Benefit Request by clicking the button at the top left of your original Clockwork application.
Out of State Student Waiver
*FOR STUDENTS BEING CHARGED OUT-OF-STATE FEES ONLY* You MUST complete an online Out of State Fee Waiver with the Office of Veteran Success EVERY SEMESTER that you qualify. Keep in mind that this waiver DOES NOT change your residency status at USF, but instead waives 100% of your out-of-state charges each semester.
title | Purchase your Nursing Uniforms |
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All undergraduate students participating in clinicals and lab must follow the College of Nursing's uniform and dress code, which can be found in the College of Nursing Student Handbook. You will need a minimum of one nursing scrub top and nursing scrub pant. The lab coat is optional- More information regarding a lab coat be discussed at orientation. You will be required to wear your nursing scrub top and pants for all nursing clinicals and labs. Nursing labs will begin the first week and will be held 2-3 times per week.
You may purchase your uniforms in-person at any USF campus bookstore; however, the USF Tampa Bookstore is anticipating your cohort's admission and may have the most variety of sizes in-stock. You can purchase your order in-person through the USF Bookstore or by submitting your order to them via email. Pick-up at the bookstore is free; delivery is an additional fee. If you want your order delivered, you should order a minimum of two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester (six weeks prior if you are having your name embroidered on your lab coat). If you purchase a Nursing Lab Coat (optional), please be sure to order "short/undergraduate (33/34 inches)". The Undergraduate coat should fall just below the hips. Depending on your height, you may need to order a graduate (37/38 inches) or doctoral (40 inches) coat. Getting your name embroidered on your coat is optional and takes an additional 3-4 weeks.
For questions regarding uniform stock, sizing, pricing, or ordering, please contact the USF Bookstore directly at 813-974-2631.
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You will need your Fall 2023 textbooks by the first day of classes. Textbooks are available for purchase or rent through the USF Bookstore. Textbooks for online classes may be purchased through the USF Bookstore in three different ways:
In addition to Textbooks, there are other materials that you must purchase for the program that are not available through the USF Bookstore. Please review the required technology that you will purchase closer to the start of the program. All USF College of Nursing students are required to have a laptop/notebook computer with wireless internet connection and a web browser. Students are also required to have a compatible webcam and microphone; the webcam and microphone should either be built into your laptop/notebook or be a portable model. Students in all nursing courses are expected to meet these requirements to successfully participate in their courses. Failure to meet these technology standards may result in inability to complete program requirements. It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the semester. The College of Nursing's Student Computer Requirement has specific information on hardware requirements. The USF Computer Store offers laptop "bundles" for registered students. |
title | Create your USF Email Signature Line |
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You will create a signature line in your USF email. Your signature line will consist of your name, U#, major (VCARE), your cohort semester and year (Fall 2024). Do not change your cohort as you progress through the program.
USF Signature Line Template:
Name, U#
VCARE, Fall 2024
How to create your email signature:
PC Directions:
- Click File > Options > Mail > Signatures.
- Click the signature you want to edit.
- Remove the current signature in the edit area and copy and paste the above info into the signature box.
- Change the information to reflect your information. Be sure to update the hyperlink for the phone number and email by right-clicking on each and editing the text display area and email address area.
- When you're done, select Save > OK.
Mac Directions
- Outlook > Preferences > Signatures.
- Click the signature you want to edit and click edit.
- Remove the current signature in the edit area and copy and paste the above info into the signature box.
- Change the information to reflect your information. Be sure to update the hyperlink for the phone number and email.
- When you're done, select Save > OK.
If you need assistance in creating your USF Email Signature Line, please contact USF IS at 813-974-1222.
title | Finalize your Financial Aid or Method of Payment |
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Payment in full or approved deferment is due on the fifth day of the semester. You will not be sent a bill. The University will cancel the registration of a student whose registration fees have not been paid in full by the deadline as indicated on the university's academic calendar. Students who have a financial aid Tuition Deferment, Veteran's deferment, or Florida Prepaid will not be subject to cancellation.
Please review the Estimated Costs for Incoming Students and ensure to finalize your financial aid or method of payment. USF's Office of Financial Aid can assist you with any questions you have regarding the Financial Aid process. Additionally, you can also contact the USF Health Office of Financial Aid for assistance.
College of Nursing Scholarship Application
To be considered for scholarships in the 2024-25 academic year, you should submit the USF Foundation scholarship application - applications for those scholarships are typically open November – April.
There may be additional scholarships opportunities listed on the USF Foundation Scholarship Office Facebook page.
title | Obtain USF Photo ID Card |
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The USF Photo ID card is the official identification card of the University of South Florida. The USF Photo ID Card is a multi-functional card. College of Nursing students will use the USF Photo ID Card as part of their Nursing badge required for clinicals and labs; therefore, you must obtain the USF Photo ID Card by the first day of classes. Note: If you are a current USF student with a valid USF Photo ID card, do not purchase another one.
Payment: Students and Distance Learning students will no longer have to pay for the USF Photo ID Card at the time of issue. Instead, students will be conveniently billed through their university account. The cost of your original card is $10. Replacement cards are $15.
Please visit the USF Card Services website for information on obtaining your USF Photo ID: USF Card Center
If you have any questions, please contact USF Card Services directly at 813-974-2357.
title | Review Degreeworks for Outstanding USF Requirements |
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Due to the rigor of the nursing program, students must complete all outstanding University requirements, including General Education, Civics Literacy Assessment, and the Foreign Language Entrance Requirement (FLENT) before the start of the Upper Division program. Students with outstanding University requirements must provide documentation of all finished General Education, Civic Literacy, and FLENT requirements by August 14, 2023 or they will forfeit their seat in the nursing program.
You will be notified upon admission to officially advise you of any outstanding General Education/Civic Literacy/FLENT requirements. You will be required to provide your Academic Advisor documentation of course registration for any outstanding coursework by April 28, 2023. Students with an A.A. degree from a Florida public institution (i.e. Florida public community college or Florida Student University System institution) will be considered to have met all of the USF General Education requirements and must send an official transcript of their conferred A.A. degree to the Office of Admissions for processing; students with an A.A. degree from a Florida public institution will still be responsible for completing the Civics Literacy and FLENT requirements.
Civics Literacy Requirement: