CastleBranch at Gonzaga: background check, drug screen and the CORE move

Updated September 25, 2026 · Reviewed by the Gonzaga Preceptor placement team

CastleBranch is the compliance tracker Gonzaga's Department of Nursing has used to confirm a student is ready to start a practicum: a background check, a 10-panel drug screen, health records, a BLS card and license verification. Gonzaga planned to move every student into CORE by spring 2026, so your cohort may upload the same items somewhere new. The platform can change; the need for a complete, current file before your first clinical day stays.

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10panels in the drug screen named on Gonzaga's CastleBranch page

Numbered steps. Keeping your file current across nine semesters: 1 Before your first clinical course; 2 Before each new semester; 3 When your license changes; 4 When a new site is added. — Keeping your file current across nine semesters: 1 Before your first clinical course; 2 Before each new semester; 3 When your license changes; 4 When a new site is added.

What CastleBranch does in Gonzaga's clinical process

Gonzaga uses CastleBranch as a readiness check rather than a placement tool. The PMHNP Preceptor Packet lists "Monitoring for readiness to start practicum (Castlebranch, etc)" among the duties of course faculty, so faculty look at your file before they treat you as ready to begin. Gonzaga's staff listing sends CastleBranch questions to the Director of Clinical Placement.

Clinical faculty keep a CastleBranch file of their own, and the NP Clinical Faculty Portal posts a CastleBranch Compliance page for them. That faculty page is the only CastleBranch checklist Gonzaga publishes. The student version lives in the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook, which enrolled students receive but which is not posted publicly, so read the faculty list as a close guide and the handbook as the rule that binds you.

The background check and 10-panel drug screen

Gonzaga's CastleBranch page tells users to upload health records, "order your background check, and arrange for a 10-panel drug screen." Both are ordered through the platform, and neither result is instant, so order them early in the term before your first practicum rather than in the final weeks.

Clinical sites layer their own expectations on top of Gonzaga's. OHSU says background checks must meet Oregon Health Authority standards, and Kootenai Health lists a background check among its placement requirements. Providence Inland Northwest wants its onboarding packet at least four weeks before a start date. A background report and drug screen that are already finished mean you are ready the day a site asks, instead of waiting on a lab while your start date slips.

The published checklist, item by item

Here is what Gonzaga's CastleBranch Compliance page lists, grouped by type. Remember that it was written for NP clinical faculty; the student handbook holds the version you are held to.

Gonzaga's published CastleBranch checklist (NP Clinical Faculty Portal)
Item	What the page asks for	Notes
Background check	Ordered through CastleBranch	Some sites add their own standard, such as Oregon Health Authority rules at OHSU
Drug screen	A 10-panel screen	Arranged through CastleBranch with the background check
Health records	Immunizations, TB screening and titers uploaded	Covered item by item in the immunizations guide
BLS	An AHA BLS provider card, or Military Training Network	Keep it valid through the whole semester
Consent to Release Information	A signed form	Uploaded with the rest of the file
License	Unencumbered Washington RN and ARNP license for faculty, plus licenses in states they visit	Students hold an active, unrestricted RN license from admission onward

The vaccine and TB rules, including hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, Tdap and the flu vaccine, are laid out in the immunizations and health records guide.

From CastleBranch to CORE

In November 2024, Gonzaga's IT news described CORE taking over from several separate tools, with compliance documents, onboarding, case and time logs, and clinical site management all moving into one system. CastleBranch is among the tools named. The rollout began with a BSN pilot, and the stated goal was to have every student working in CORE by spring 2026.

The same story notes that affiliation agreements had been stored on SharePoint, and that moving them into CORE would show students key details about their placements, such as required vaccinations and certifications. That should make it easier to see what a given site expects without chasing it by email.

Gonzaga's 2023-24 packets and faculty pages still say CastleBranch, and cohorts did not all switch at once. If your syllabus or the Clinical Placement Team names CORE, upload there; if they name CastleBranch, use that. The CORE ELMS page explains the new system.

Keeping your file current across nine semesters

An MSN nurse practitioner student at Gonzaga spends nine semesters in the program, with the clinical courses concentrated in the second half. A file that was complete for NURS 601 can lapse before NURS 664P or NURS 663M, so plan renewals against your practicum calendar rather than the day you first uploaded.

Before your first clinical courseOrder the background check and drug screen, upload health records and your BLS card, and sign the consent form. The first clinical course guide shows when that falls in your plan.
Before each new semesterCheck expiry dates on TB screening, the flu vaccine and BLS, and renew anything that would run out before the course end date.
When your license changesUpload renewals and any new state license, since Gonzaga ties your practicum to the state where you are licensed. See the license guide.
When a new site is addedAsk whether the site wants anything beyond Gonzaga's list, such as its own forms or an extra screening, and add it to the plan.

How our placement desk keeps your request clean

A cleared file only matters once there is a preceptor and a site to clear you for, and finding them is our specialty. Gonzaga students choose us because the search and the paperwork move together: as soon as we confirm a preceptor, we tell you what that site expects beyond Gonzaga's list and by when, so your background check, drug screen and records are finished ahead of the site's deadline.

The site request gets the same care: your preceptor's credentials, who signs for the site, when you will be there and which course the hours serve, all gathered before you submit. Every placement is approved by Gonzaga's faculty, and the version they see from us is already complete. Send us a message or use the form below.

Questions Gonzaga students ask

Does Gonzaga still use CastleBranch in 2026?

Gonzaga's plan, announced in November 2024, was to bring all students into CORE by spring 2026, with CastleBranch among the tools CORE replaces. Faculty pages and the 2023-24 packets still mention CastleBranch. Your syllabus or the Clinical Placement Team will tell you which system your cohort uses right now.

What kind of drug screen does Gonzaga require?

Gonzaga's CastleBranch Compliance page calls for a 10-panel drug screen, arranged along with the background check. That page is written for NP clinical faculty, and the student requirement is set in the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook, so confirm the details there before you place the order.

Who reviews my CastleBranch file at Gonzaga?

The PMHNP Preceptor Packet gives course faculty the job of monitoring readiness to start practicum, which includes the compliance file. Gonzaga's staff listing points CastleBranch questions to the Director of Clinical Placement, and the Clinical Placement Team handles the site and contract side of each placement.

Can I start clinical hours once my CastleBranch file is complete?

Not on that alone. Gonzaga's accrual rule also needs the semester to have started, CPNW compliance, site approval and a confirmed affiliation agreement. A complete file is one piece of four; the CPNW clearance guide covers the regional piece that sits beside it.

Why does Gonzaga's CastleBranch page mention a Washington ARNP license?

That line applies to clinical faculty, who must hold an unencumbered Washington RN and ARNP license plus licenses in each state where they make site visits. Students follow their own license rule: an active, unrestricted RN license at admission and a license valid where the practicum takes place.

CORECORE ELMSCORE ELMS at Gonzaga nursing: what it replaces (Typhon, CastleBranch and more), the spring 2026 switch, CORE plus CPNW, and evaluations through CORE.CPNWCPNW clearanceHow CPNW (Clinical Placements Northwest) clearance works for Gonzaga nursing students: the hour gate, partner health systems, lead times and CORE.Health recordsImmunizations and health recordsThe immunizations, TB screening, BLS card and health records Gonzaga nursing students keep for practicums, plus site extras like Idaho fingerprinting.ProcessClinical placement processHow a Gonzaga NP practicum comes together, in order: local preceptors, the site request, faculty approval, the agreement, CPNW, hours, site visit, evaluation.LicensureRN license for clinicalsWhich RN license a Gonzaga NP student needs where they precept: compact states among the ten, plus the Oregon, Alaska, California and Nevada rules.

Last checked 2026-09-25

We check these pages against Gonzaga's catalog, FAQs, preceptor packets and Department of Nursing pages. Your course, the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook and Gonzaga's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.

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