Documentation of Hepatitis B Immunity in Nursing Students

Because of the risk of occupational exposure, preparation for nursing student clinical placement includes documentation of the hepatitis B immunization series. Requiring a hepatitis B antibody titer is less common. Immunity from the hepatitis B vaccine decreases over time, particularly for those immunized as infants. A record review of one nursing program that required both immunization and an antibody titer found 86 percent of students immunized as infants had low antibody levels, requiring reimmunization following 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Nursing education programs that do not require antibody titers should reevaluate their policies to protect their students.