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TB (Mantoux) Test Dates for Education and Nursing Students
Please note that TB testing requires two visits: first, to have the actual test administered and; second, a return visit 48-72 hours later for an official interpretation or "reading" of the test result.
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Test Dates
Return Visit for Reading
Tues., Sep 2, 2008
Th., Sept 4, 2008
Tues., Sep 9, 2008
Th., Sep 11, 2008
Tues., Dec 2, 2008
Th., Dec 4, 2008
Tues., Jan 27, 2009
Th., Jan 29, 2009
Tues., Apr 21, 2009
Th., Apr 23, 2009
Time: 3:30-5:00PM
Location: 158 Eickhoff Hall
Fee: $5 cash
Classroom Field Experiences, including JPE and Student Teaching in New Jersey Schools:
You must have a negative Mantoux (TB) test within 6 months of your first classroom field experience (which usually occurs in your sophomore or junior year). You do NOT need a TB test if you have less than 20 hours per month of pupil contact. Once you have this test, you do not need retesting even if you are transferring between school districts within New Jersey.
If your school district is requiring testing not in accordance with the above paragraph, please notify the Associate Director of Health Services via e-mail at hlthserv@tcnj.edu.
Health Services will provide you with the original record of your TB test. This record should be kept in YOUR possession and not given away or misplaced. If you need to provide the school nurse with the record, make a copy. If you attend one of the TB test dates at TCNJ, Health Services will provide the STEP Office, located in Forcina Hall 115, with a copy of your TB skin test record for their records. If you have your TB test performed elsewhere, it is YOUR responsibility to provide the STEP Office with a copy of the test record. The replacement fee for TB test records is $5.00.
Nursing Students and Lions' EMS members:
Nursing students and members of Lions' EMS are required to have "Two-Step Testing" as their initial (more than 15 months since their last TB skin test) skin tuberculosis test. Two-Step Testing is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Tuberculosis Center as the initial test for those in a health care profession who will be retested periodically. Two-Step Testing is used to reduce the likelihood of a false negative test.
The TB (Mantoux) test:
The Mantoux (pronounced 'Man-two') skin test can show if a person has every been exposed and infected by tuberculosis (TB) germs. TB infection does not mean the person has the disease, but if someone has been infected there is a chance that they may get sick with TB in the future.
The Mantoux test is a simple and safe test. It is NOT a vaccination. A small amount of liquid is injected just under the top layer of skin on a person's arm using a tiny sterile needle and syringe. Forty-eight to 72 hours later the skin reaction, if any, is measured and the result is recorded. An interpretation is made as to whether the test is positive or negative.
NOTE: If you have recently had a vaccination containing a live virus, such as MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), nasal spray type Influenza (flu) vaccine, or Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine, you must wait 4-6 weeks after vaccination before a TB test can be given in order to avoid false negative reactions.
Your TB skin test must be examined or "read" by a TCNJ Health Services' nurse or nurse practitioner within 48 - 72 hours after the test is given. Please note our hours so you can plan your return within this time period. Test readings are not done between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. A reading involves looking at the site of the injection. Please allow at least 1/2 hour waiting time when returning to Health Services for a reading.
This test can also be "read" be a school nurse or physician trained to do so. If you have obtained a reading of the result by a healthcare practitioner outside of TCNJ Health Services, please bring an official (on office letterhead or stamp) record of the date and result of the reading to Health Services for your file. Please note that once 72 hours has passed without the test being "read", the test is void and you will need to be retested.
You will be given documented proof of your negative tuberculosis test when you return for your reading. This is YOUR PERSONAL COPY and is NOT to be given away. If you need to provide someone with this document, make a copy of the one you have. You will be charged $5 to replace your TB test record.
BCG
A TB test will be performed regardless of whether or not you have had BCG in the past.
Positive TB Tests
If your test is read as positive and you do not have any symptoms of TB active disease, your participation in field experiences will not be limited. You will be required, however, to obtain a chest x-ray. An appointment will be made at the time of your reading for you to evaluate your current health status and discuss your TB test result with a Health Services' nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner will give you a prescription for a chest x-ray and refer you to a local imaging facility. If you are enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), the cost of this x-ray will be covered. If you do not have SHIP, you will be given a prescription for the chest x-ray and advised to check with your parents (if applicable), health insurance company or primary care provider to find out where you can obtain the x-ray.
If your x-ray is normal, you do not have active tuberculosis. However, you may have latent tuberculosis. Latent tuberculosis is not contagious, but you are infected with tuberculosis bacteria and may be a candidate for treatment. Health Services will consult with the Mercer County Tuberculosis Services and you may be referred to this facility or to your own personal health care provider for treatment. Treatment consists of taking a pill for approximately 9 months. There is no charge for treatment medication at any of the New Jersey County Tuberculosis Services. Since there is a 10% chance that latent TB will become active TB in an infected person's lifetime, especially within the first 2 years of your first positive reaction to a TB skin test, we strongly encourage you to consider treatment. To learn more about Tuberculosis and the TB skin test, please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov.
- Once you have tested positive to a TB skin test, you will never need retesting because your test will always be positive and because reactions can become progressively worse.
- You must provide Health Services with the date of your last TB test, the result, the radiologist's report of your chest x-ray, and the treatment, if any, that was provided to you.
