What Do Hospitals Check For in Background Checks?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi all,

I was offered a tentative position in a hospital pending "passing my background check". What does it involve and how long does it take? Would I get a call from them when I passed? I got a call from HR today asking me to confirm whether it's okay to call my previous employer. I gave my consent.

I feel like I'm holding my breath before I can celebrate my new job.

Well they usually check to see if u were a street walker 1rst & then everything else follows from there...

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Specializes in Home Care.
How long have you been waiting on yours?

I interviewed and was hired last Friday. I went in today for pee test and TB test, the DON expects my background check to be completed by Thursday and expects me to start work next week. So the background check should take less than a week.

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Who determines if you are a rehire? I was told by my former employer, because I specifically asked...and they told me that it was determined by Human Resources after the exit interview was completed, and exit interviews were completed on or after the last day of employment. I turned in my letter of resignation 30 days prior to my last day of employment, and that was 2 weeks after my background check was completed. So, about 45 days before my rehire status would have been decided...and, human resources isn't listed as my reference...my direct supervisor is, and they shouldn't be the ones to decide if I am eligible to be rehired into a medical system that employees 20,000+ people.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

we use a service that runs a report on FBI, state and local offenses. BTW, we require this same report for students to do clinicals. Looking for major offenses and arrests related to drugs or violence.

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My current employer pretty much fires for any "ding" on a persons license. And will not hire anyone with a"ding". Other places I have worked at were not this stringent. Doesn't help that my current employer is under fire from the state.....

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we use a service that runs a report on FBI, state and local offenses. BTW, we require this same report for students to do clinicals. Looking for major offenses and arrests related to drugs or violence.

Don't you need to submit fingerprints in order to run an FBI check?

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LE/FBI has several types of background and or criminal history/arrest record history checks they can run.

Yes, the most accurate are the ones via fingerprints, but a simple name search can also be run. Add SSN#, DOB and known addresses, will give a pretty decent search, that is unless one has been the victim of ID theft where the criminal gave *your* information and or somehow one's file is mixed up with someone elses. In that case a fingerprint check is the best method.

Some local LE departments will allow one to have a criminal background check oneself (local and or FBI), for a fee so you can see what if anything is listed. Others will only do so for specific legal reason such as requiring a certificate of good conduct, which is often needed when applying for a visa or certian employment.

As for what a previous employer will and won't say when contacted for references. Yes, the posts above are correct. It is not illegal per se to give out information, just that most HR departments or employers have been warned by their attorneys to give out only certain information to avoid lawsuits. However one can only sue if one knows what exactly was said, and again the person doing the background check may have a *wink* and *nod* agreement with whomever gave the information that it is strictly "off the record". You as the applicant may never know because they will simply say "we went with someone else", or some such. No one in their right mind is going to say "we contacted your previous employer and they said......".

By the way, by law one is entitled to see all records kept by employers, both past and current. While they may throw up road blocks and such, it still can be done.

Finally should mention many employers (and potential friends and spouses for that matter), simply enter a name into "Google" and see what comes up. Since Google has a vast archive of public documents, news reports and much of the Interent, it is a great resource. Employers both potential and current do not have to disclose such searches because they are looking through public data.

My standard advice to many high school and college students is to be very careful what they post to public Internet sites such as YouTube, FaceBook et al. Once you hit that "send" button stuff is out in cyber-land, often forever. Many stupid things done at the spur of the moment, have come to bite people in the behind when they apply for jobs later on.

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Thank you DoGoodThenGo! That explains a lot.

OK so I submitted my background check consent and the next afternoon I got a call from the nursing manager to schedule orientation.

Does that mean my background check is cleared? The manager is not in the same office as HR, if that matters. Not sure if I asked this arleady, would I get a call when my background check is cleared and I get an OFFICIAL offer or would they only contact me if there's a problem?

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In the state of Fl it is only legal to state previous position held, the dates of employment and rehire status.

If you feel you previous employer is giving more info than whats allowed, you can always look into a reference checking service to see what your previous employer is saying.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, M/S.

Hi everyone, I've looked at your all your encouraging postings and I'll try to take some assurance from them. I'm an RN of 4 yrs now. I had a DUI and a minor misdemeanor possession of marijuania conviction in April of 2007 and everytime I fill out an application about the criminal background question I hold my breath and pray. I afraid that employers will look at this as lumping "Marijuania as being a narcotic" and deem me a risk. I'm a good nurse and I've only just started, but I feel like I've committed "Career Suicide". I'm not defending my situation, just chiming in. Thanks and good luck everyone.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

What is the purpose and what is it an employers business what your credit score is?

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, M/S.

Hey Romano,

What if you had a prior discipline for a DWI and minor misdemeanor possession of marijuana? I completed 18 months of probation with no restrictions and was fully compliant through out my monitoring and recently released. Think a hospital or anyone for that matter consider giving me a second chance?

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