applied for CNA job...and now a credit check?

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 5, 2005

Hello Jessica and thank you for your response. I'm terribly sorry to hear of your disasterous run in with a thief that basically ruined a great portion of your life! How awful ! I hope someday you will have a completely spotless record and you can proceed without any ghosts haunting you.
I actually never applied for a job in nursing yet.... it was the OP but thank you for the good wishes regardless. :icon_hug:
Good luck.
Z

Thank you kindly! I never lose the hope and have actually gotten used to my screwed up life :chuckle

eddy · Nov 3, 2005

If they didn't hire nurses for bad credit there would be about half as many nurses practicing as there are now.

Then that doesn't speak well for nurses, considering that we make above average incomes compared to the rest of the population.

I am all for credit checks for jobs in healthcare and quite frankly any industry in which an employer wishes to do them. Specifically, in the healthcare field we deal with people who are vulnerable to theft by their caregivers. Money is often in plain view or in a wallet/purse next to the bed. People who are in financial trouble are more likely to steal it. I'm not saying all people with bad credit are going to steal. Of course not, but it should be the employers right to make the decision as to whether they want to take that risk.

Bad credit doesn't equal bad person, and sometimes you just couldn't help what happened, but it should still be the right of the employer to require a check. If you don't like it, don't work there.

eddy · Nov 3, 2005

The fact is: you really can't clean up bad credit. Yes, you can pay some of the old bills, and that helps a little bit. But the fact that you didn't pay those bills stays on your record for seven years. The only real way to "clean up" credit is to pay all your bills, on time, without fail for at least two years. You'll still have problems, but at least you've re-established a good credit history of some kind.

Absolutely NOT true. Please don't be mislead by the above post. Credit CAN be fixed IF (note IF) you are now paying bills on time. If you don't have the capacity to pay your bills off, adjust your lifestyle, sell all the stuff you don't REALLY need (big screen TV's, overpriced cars, etc.) and live simple and by a strict budget. Now to the way to FIX your PAST issues....

Simply pull your credit report which every US citizen gets 1 free per year now by law (but you have to request it) and review your report. Find blemish items that have been paid off and closed out years ago yet remain on your report and call the company to request they remove the item. Most will. If they don't, dispute the item with the bureau. If they do not answer within a certain time frame which I believe to be 30 days, they are required by law to remove the item. If a creditor is unwilling to remove an item they generally are also unwilling to respond to an inquiry as they simply don't want to take the time. In addition, find items on your report that are smaller debts that you now have the capacity to pay off and negotiate. Negotiate a payment plan and a deal to have the blemish removed. Here's the neat part. MOST creditors WILL make this deal with you because it serves THEIR interest... getting their money that you legally owe to them.

slowljoe · Jul 3, 2011

I think there is a direct connection between how you handle money and moral character. The trait of instant gratification is a character flaw related to the society we are raised in. My opinion.

ChrisChangCNA · Jul 3, 2011

i dont know

yousoldtheworld · Jul 4, 2011

I have never had a credit check done to get a CNA job, and I'm glad of that. My credit is not very good...and it is NOT a reflection of my character.

I've never had a credit card, however, I have a ton of student loans. Those went into default for a bit after college because I was unable to find a job for well over a year. I also pay my bills on time most of the time, but yes, occasionally one is late. I support myself on $8.50 an hour, it happens. And it has nothing to do with my character or morals.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 5, 2011

why a credit check?

legal issues involved with negligent hiring--payout often $1million.

negligence in employment - wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

negligent hiring may be found where the employee (the tortfeasor) had a reputation or record that showed his propensity to misuse the kind of authority given by the employer, and this record would have been easily discoverable by the employer, had the employer exercised 'due diligence'. for example, a victim of [color=#0645ad]sexual harassment in the workplace may have a cause of action for negligent hiring on the part of her employer if she can show that the employer was aware of the harasser's termination from a previous position for the same behaviour.
negligent hiring preventive measures
in the sexual harassment example described above, the employer may be held liable for negligent hiring if the harasser had a previous history of harassment. this is because an employer has an obligation to its employees and others who will come in contact with them to provide and safe and productive working environment.
one preventive measure for negligent hiring is to perform a reasonable investigation on potential employees. this may include conducting interviews, verifying work and educational histories, checking references and conducting a [color=#0645ad]background check on all applicants who have accepted an offer of conditional hire, and if an adverse assessment is found, to deny employment to such an applicant.
note that simply conducting a criminal background check on an applicant may not be a sufficient investigation. in [color=#0645ad]minnesota, for example, such a check was determined to be insufficient by the court in ponticas v. k.m.s. investments, 331 n.w.2d 907 ([color=#0645ad]minn. 1983). this will not guarantee the employer will not be held liable, but it will show that the employer used a diligent search to screen potential harassers from the workplace, and will assist the employer in demonstrating that it took reasonable care in hiring. it is important to also note that, in the [color=#0645ad]united states, background checks for job applicants are subject to the [color=#0645ad]fair credit reporting act (2003)[color=#0645ad][4]. if an adverse assessment is found in an employment screen, the applicant has the right to dispute the report.
negligent retention, supervision, and training
negligent retention occurs where a party failed to remove an employee from a position of authority or responsibility after it became apparent that the employee was in fact misusing that authority or responsibility in a way that posed a danger to others.
negligent supervision is closely related, as it occurs where a party fails to reasonably monitor or control the actions of an employee. a variation of negligent retention or supervision is negligent training, which arises where the employer's training of the employee fails to prevent the employee from engaging in the acts that injure the claimant, or fails to remediate a pattern of behaviour which leads to an injury. suits for negligent retention often plead negligent supervision or training as an alternate theory, as the employer who knows of an employee's improper conduct should either terminate that employee, or take steps to penalise that conduct and/or train the employee not to engage in that conduct.

the right employment application to avoid negligent hiring lawsuits

the most common reasons companies are sued today is for ‘negligently hiring’ an employee when it can be proven that the manager either knew (or failed to take the necessary steps to inform themselves) that the candidate in question was unfit, dangerous, dishonest, or unsafe to perform the duties of their job. for example, if a school district hires an individual with a history of child abuse or sexual misconduct, they are liable for that employee even in the event that they were unaware. in court, ignorance doesn’t hold up as a defense, and the best way to get informed is by asking the right questions on the job application.
the questions asked on an application itself (or even in an interview) must be worded in a way to attempt to uncover underlying behaviors and other red flags that give the employer the full picture. michael rosen, a hiring expert, suggests that employers do the following for employment applications:
-specifically ask if the applicant has been convicted, or has pending charges (unless regulated by a state/city rule)
-use the broadest legal language about both felonies and misdemeanors. don't leave out misdemeanors. misdemeanors sound like petty crimes, but some serious crimes are misdemeanors, for example, some forms of assault or stalking
-mention on the application form that a criminal conviction does not automatically eliminate a candidate from consideration
with that in mind, the question is, what information should employers use to disqualify an applicant from the hiring process? that’s where the equal employment opportunity commission (eeoc) comes in. according to the rules they’ve set forth, the simple fact that an applicant has a criminal conviction alone is not enough for an automatic disqualification—it must be proved that the nature and gravity of the offense will significantly deter them from performing the duties of their job or put others in danger. for example, a financial conviction like tax fraud is not grounds to deny employment for a position like a car mechanic.

suits against health care employers

ctmed · Jul 5, 2011

I think there are those that say they check some things merely as a scare tactic and then do not. I mean... come on... CNA is NOT a high paying job. Sometimes the consent to credit check is just a blanket thing they give as part of an application packet they give to everyone from the janitor to the director of nursing. Yeah.. they are going to check a DON candidate but probably not a CNA. It is all the same packet by HR.

As low as CNA pay is in some states, you probably can not help either a utility, landlord, or some other bill collector chasing after you from time to time. Some folks in CNA I know are making poverty wages and some qualify for food stamps!