• Employment and Wage Data Sources and Information

  ¹Employment data come from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and reflect three-year averages among BTC students employed in either Washington or Oregon. Students are included in the employment rate if they left with a credential. Rates are not shown for programs with fewer than 10 students meeting the above criteria.

  ²Whatcom County and WA State wage data come from Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. Wage data represent occupations that BTC faculty have identified as the most relevant career paths for program graduates. Note that these wages reflect employees with varying educational levels/credentials. For cases in which multiple occupations have been identified by faculty, a weighted percentile is calculated using each occupation’s percentile wage and employment size estimate. Wages are not shown for programs for which occupations do not meet the ESD’s minimum thresholds for publishing. If the program has wage data that involves shift work, these ESD wages reflect the same number of hours used in the annual wage calculation. Starting wage = 25th percentile, median wage = 50th percentile, wage potential = 75th percentile.

  ³Additional employment rates are provided for programs with faculty who maintain their own employment records of students who graduated between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and who were employed within 9 months of graduation. Both overall and in field of study employment rates are included, respectively. For these programs, the format follows: ESD rate / faculty-tracked overall rate / faculty-tracked in-field rate. These additional, faculty-provided rates are particularly important for programs that tend to have graduates employed outside of WA and OR. Note that due to lack of available data, rates may represent fewer than 3 years of graduates.

AFTER admissions acceptance into the program and prior to beginning program classes, students must submit proof of all Clinical Placement Requirements. You will receive an email from the department with deadlines for completing clinical requirements, and instructions for creating an account and submitting documentation. Account creation, criminal background history and urine drug screening will cost an estimated $175.

• Criminal Background Inquiry

  Nursing and Allied Health students must obtain a criminal background check through Complio/American DataBank. The background check must include the following categories: State, County, and National criminal background history; sex offender registry check; Social Security Number trace; and the Office of the Inspector General ("OIG"). Some clinical partners also require students to complete a background check through the Background Check Central Unit (BCCU) for Washington State Department of Social and Health Services authorized service providers.

  The College will maintain records on all students that clinical partners may use to document compliance with RCW 43.43.830-842. Criminal background check findings will be shared with clinical partners who will determine if it is satisfactory for the facility. If the results of a background check are less than satisfactory, clinical sites may deny access to that student. If clinical partners have determined criminal background check findings to be less than satisfactory, the student will not be able to complete the program of study.

  Bellingham Technical College is not responsible for a student’s ineligibility for employment and/or state licensure. Washington State Department of Health does background checks prior to certifying a license. The disqualifying crimes and negative actions can be found on the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services website.

• Urine Drug Screening

  Students must provide a negative 10-panel urine drug test through Complio. Dilute urine analysis samples require rescreening within five business days at an additional cost and a second dilute sample is considered positive. You will receive an email from the department if your final drug test results are positive, and you will be ineligible to participate in the program for one year.

  Notice About Marijuana Usage

  Students who test positive for THC (marijuana, including prescription marijuana) will not be allowed entrance to Nursing and Allied Health programs with clinical components. Drug screening is a requirement of our clinical partner agencies. Although private recreational and medical use of marijuana is legal in Washington state, our clinical partner agencies are governed by federal laws, and marijuana is a prohibited substance at the federal level. If your final drug test results are positive, you will be ineligible to participate in the program that year and will be allowed to reapply to the program 12 months from the date of the positive test.
  
  

• Immunizations

  Students must have proof of all the required immunizations uploaded and accepted by Complio before they can attend clinical. Required immunizations include:

  • MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella)
  • Tdap
  • Varicella
  • Hepatitis B (Hep B)
  • Seasonal Influenza

• Tuberculosis Screening

  Students must submit proof of negative TB status to the program annually. TB screening tests are valid for one year. Most students complete the 2-step TB Skin Test (TST).

• CPR Certification

  Students are required to be American Heart Association (AHA) BLS Provider (Healthcare Provider) CPR certified. The course must be completed after July 1 so that certification will not expire while in the program. Costs associated with the CPR course are not included in program costs. Courses sponsored by the American Red Cross or any other agency are not acceptable. AHA 201 Healthcare Provider CPR is offered at BTC: Go to www.btc.edu/TakeClasses to find dates and times. The course must include an in-person hands-on skills check. Online courses that do not include in-person hands-on skills are not acceptable.

• Health Insurance

  You must submit proof of current health insurance coverage. Student Injury-only insurance is acceptable and information on how to enroll is available on the BTC website. Your health insurance must be current throughout the duration of the program.

If you have questions about this program or want help with the admissions steps to Bellingham Technical College, please email outreach@btc.edu.

Current students wanting academic planning and support, can connect with the program Instructor(s) or email NursingAlliedHealthNav@btc.edu