The Placement Health Review is a required process for selected job positions at Duke University based on federal, state and University regulations and policies. The basic requirements are described below by job group. This listing is not exhaustive nor does it preclude additional interventions based on individual and job exposure variation. Placement health review information is maintained confidentially and separate from personnel and other Duke medical records.

Please bring all required documentation (see below) to your health review.  Failure to provide documentation may result in a delay in start date.

  • If you have questions or need clarification, please contact EOHW at 919-684-3136, option 2

Faculty and Staff in Patient Care Buildings

Faculty and Staff Working with Research Animals

  • Health history review for Animal Handlers — This can be completed and submitted online at Health Review for Animal Handlers. Job pertinent health history information is collected.
  • Those working with non-human primates must have tuberculosis screening and immunity to measles
  • Official Documentation of your Tuberculosis (TB) status:
    • Documentation of a TB skin test (mm induration) or TB blood test (IGRA) - within 1 year prior to start date at Duke. (Note- Individuals who are 55 years or older, have previous equivocal TB testing results, have a history of BCG vaccine, or are from TB endemic areas will be required to show proof of a two-step skin test), or
    • Documentation of previous positive result for the TB skin test or blood test
    • Those who have positive TB skin or blood test will need to provide documentation of chest x-rays, prior TB medication, and completed TB questionnaire form, described further in the FAQs.
  • Official Documentation of your Measles immunity, either:
    • Two doses of Measles vaccine or 2 (MMR) vaccines or
    • A positive blood test (titer) for Measles (Rubella) Antibody IGG

Immunization and Health Requirements

The placement health review is a required process for selected positions at Duke University and Health System based on federal, state, and Duke University regulations and policies. All information is maintained confidentially and separately from personnel and other Duke medical records. In addition to below items, a health review screening is required.

Medical Record Requirements

  • Documentation of a negative TB skin test (mm induration) or TB blood test (IGRA) - within 1 year prior to start date at Duke. (Note-Individuals who are 55 years or older, have previous equivocal TB testing results, have a history of BCG vaccine, or are from TB endemic areas will be required to show proof of a two-step skin test or a negative IGRA), or
  • Documentation of previous positive result for the TB skin test or blood test
    • Those who have positive TB skin or blood test will need to provide documentation of chest x-rays, prior TB medication, and completed TB questionnaire form, described further in the FAQs.
  • Two doses of Measles vaccine or 2 (MMR) vaccines on or after your first birthday or
  • A positive blood test (titer) for Measles (Rubeola) Antibody IGG
  • Two doses of Mumps vaccine or 2 (MMR) vaccines on or after your first birthday or
  • A positive blood test for Mumps Antibody IGG
  • One dose of Rubella vaccine or (MMR) vaccine on or after your first birthday or
  • A positive blood test for Rubella Antibody IGG
  • Two doses of Varicella vaccine or
  • A positive blood test for Varicella Antibody IGG
  • Pertussis immunity is required for anyone who MAY provide care to children 18 months of age or younger as well as in certain designated work areas*
  • Tdap vaccination within past 10 years and must have and adult booster (after the age of 18).

* For all others, vaccination with acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) is strongly recommended.

  • Documentation of Influenza vaccine during current flu season. Requests for medical exemptions must be made through Employee Occupational Health. Requests for religious exemptions must be made through Staff and Labor Relations.
  • Annual Influenza vaccination is required for your employment at Duke.
  • Being up to date with COVID vaccination is strongly recommended.
  • If you have received a COVID-19 vaccination, Duke is required to document all COVID vaccinations for healthcare workers. Please provide record of all vaccinations, if applicable
  • History of receiving childhood polio vaccine is acceptable.
  • Some groups of newly hired healthcare workers will be required to have a respirator fit
    • Duke has walk-in fit testing. If you come to EOHW during your placement process, your fit test can be done at that time.
    • If you are fully cleared remotely then you have 5 business days from your start date to visit a Duke OESO or EOHW site for your respirator fit test. Locations and times are detailed in the links below:
      1. Duke OESO location: Times vary. Upcoming Fit Test Sessions | Duke OESO
      2. Duke Employee Occupational Health location. M-F 8am-4pm. Closed Wed from 12:30-2pm.

Vaccine series is strongly recommended. Provide record of vaccination and/or Hepatitis B Antibody results. Healthcare workers without proof of Hepatitis B antibody titer after vaccine series are encouraged to obtain a titer prior to placement appointment.

*You will need your Duke NetID and password from your HR representative. If you need to set up your password and the link provided by HR has expired, contact the Duke Office of Information Technology (OIT) at 919 -684-2200.

Frequently Asked Questions

Duke’s employees' health and safety are important to us. This health review process helps to ensure your ability to safely perform the essential job functions. Additionally we ensure that all incoming employees are compliant with Duke, state, and federal requirements, guidelines, and policies.

Your privacy is our utmost concern. All health information is maintained confidentially by EOHW and not shared with management or your department. EOHW only shares whether you are or are not safe for work with or without limitations.

If you need official copies of vaccination records, or if you need to update your personal records, there are several places you can locate records:

  • If you are or have been employed in the healthcare field, a place to start is with your organization’s Employee Health They likely will have similar requirements as Duke. Since their database is confidential, vaccinations or blood tests may not appear in other vaccination records.
  • Check with your doctor or public health Keep in mind that vaccination records are maintained at doctor’s office for a limited number of years. School data may include vaccination records.
  • Check with previous employers (including the military) that may have required
  • Ask parents or other caregivers if they have records of your childhood
  • Visit your closest health department and request your vaccine registry

Candidates must provide proof of vaccination or immunity which includes one of the following:

  • A form showing the signature or stamp of a physician or his/her designee, or public health personnel that shows the month, day, and year the vaccination dose or booster was administered.
  • An official immunization record generated from a state or local health authority or school that shows the month, day, and year the vaccination or booster dose was administered.
  • A document which provides titer test
  • Your identifying information (name, date of birth, etc) must be visible on the document. Please note, screenshots from patient portals, such as My Duke Health are often missing identifying information, and thus cannot be accepted.

If you can't find your personal records or records from the doctor, you may need to get vaccinated again. While this is not ideal, it is safe to repeat vaccines. Another option is to have blood drawn to check for immunity. These blood tests are called "immunity titers" and can be drawn for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (Chickenpox). These can be performed free of charge at your in person appointment with EOHW.

Some prescription medications can cause you to have a positive urine drug screening result. We require that you produce a copy of your CURRENT prescription for the medication the test detected. This result will be reviewed by a Medical Review Officer to determine if your prescription medication was the reason for the positive test result, in which case your drug screen result will be negative.

Please note, the drug screen will test for marijuana, which is not a legal substance in the state of North Carolina.