Credit Check for employment???

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Is this legal? What does it have to do with my being suitable for employment? I have nothing to hide, however I am very squeamish about having all of my financial records out there for anyone to see! I understand about a background check...but why my financials?

Can I say no to this part of the process?

thanks!

While there is no doubt that SOME nurses have drug problems and/or financial issues, I would ask that members please check their facts before posting potentially misleading statements such as these. We have many future nurses here on the boards, as well as those who are still considering becoming nurses, and I for one would hate to see them discouraged from doing so because some poll (which may or may not be scientific) claims that one-third of us are addicts, while another says we're more likely to have financial problems that may drive us to steal drugs.

Excellent point.

Here are a few more credible sources:

http://www.ksbn.org/knap.htm

"Mental and physical illness, including alcohol and other drug addiction, can potentially impair practice and health. We estimate that at any given time, approximately 10% of the population is affected. This same percentage is thought to be true of healthcare professionals."

http://www.nursezone.com/stories/SpotlightOnNurses.asp?articleID=11665

"On average, nurses have problems with addiction at the same rate as anyone else," said Dr. James Lea, chief of medical services and director of the health professional treatment program at Hazelden Springbrook in Newberg, Oregon.

"That would be 12 to 14 percent of the nurse population could be diagnosed as alcoholic at some point in their life, not any one point," he added. "The lifetime prevalence for drug abuse or addiction is 6 to 7 percent."

http://www.wpxi.com/target11/7554177/detail.html

"It's estimated between 10 and 15 percent of all nurses in the U.S. are addicts."

--

Not comforting numbers, but certainly not a case where you look to the left and look to the right and one of you is an addict.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It also helps to find out if the new employee is really who they say they are. You would be surprised how many people present false documents!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In my opinion, the credit system is not very full proof. I bought a new house this year, and before I applied for our financials, I pulled my credit reports from all 3 agencies. They were different from each other, had old credit on there from high school that had long since been paid off, one had a credit card that had been paid in full listed as a "charge off" (that's quite a difference!!!), etc. Until the credit system gets their act together, and it's not as simple for someone to steal your identiy, then I think credit scores should be left out of it.

You can find a link between any two points (in this case credit and nursing ability) if you look hard enough. If hospitals are looking to lower costs, seems to me that this would be a good place to start.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree that this is not a fair policy. Within the past two years, I have had three major surgeries, one leaving me with a permanent colostomy. I have lost everything because I could not work to pay my bills. I lost two businesses that were doing well, my home and a car. This was not my fault, there was nothing I could do to save the stuff even though I tried.......how I tried. So now I have foreclosure, repossession and a lot of unpaid bills on my credit. I am starting nursing school in one week......why?.....because first, I have always wanted to work in the health profession, but second, because I want financial security and the ability to pay my bills and clean my credit up. What if no one hires me after school because my "credit sucks"......then, I not only have foreclosure, repo and unpaid bills on my credit, but I will also have unpaid college loans.! How is this fair?:confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.
It also helps to find out if the new employee is really who they say they are. You would be surprised how many people present false documents!

That is the main reason they do it - after my divorce, I had terrible credit - yet I still got a very good job with a large corporation - and they checked my credit. When I asked about the credit check, I told them my credit was not that great at the time and the HR person said not to worry about it - that they used it mostly as verification. It helps to coroborate that you are who you say you are, and you have been where you say you have been. Employers names appear on your credit report too in case you were not aware of that, as well as other names you have used and your past addresses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What if no one hires me after school because my "credit sucks"......then, I not only have foreclosure, repo and unpaid bills on my credit, but I will also have unpaid college loans.! How is this fair?:confused:

I realize you're in a difficult situation and that it isn't fair but, do try to find a way to pay those college loans. There are 2,300 people who are on the Inspector General's do not hire list because they didn't pay school loans. And, that means the hospital won't get Medicare or Medicaid payments if they hire you.

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions.html

This may be yet another reason why employers run credit checks. They can't risk losing Medicare or Medicaid funding.

:typing

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I realize you're in a difficult situation and that it isn't fair but, do try to find a way to pay those college loans. There are 2,300 people who are on the Inspector General's do not hire list because they didn't pay school loans. And, that means the hospital won't get Medicare or Medicaid payments if they hire you.

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions.html

This may be yet another reason why employers run credit checks. They can't risk losing Medicare or Medicaid funding.

:typing

That isn't a database of people who have defaulted on their student loans, that looks to be a site about people who have either defrauded medicaid/medicare through billing or used Federal educational grants (like the one that pays for doctors med school to work in rural places.)

I am not saying defaulting on a student loan is just fine, it is serious but you have options on how to deal with it. You're just not going to end up on some obscure governmental list barring you working in healthcare for ever and ever.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Before i started nursing school, is trying to get a job at the sheriff's office as a 911 operator, and they did a credit check, but they said the only thing they were looking for were unpaid student loans, since by law they were unable to hire anyone who had unpaid student loans.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.
That isn't a database of people who have defaulted on their student loans, that looks to be a site about people who have either defrauded medicaid/medicare through billing or used Federal educational grants (like the one that pays for doctors med school to work in rural places.)

I am not saying defaulting on a student loan is just fine, it is serious but you have options on how to deal with it. You're just not going to end up on some obscure governmental list barring you working in healthcare for ever and ever.

Empress you are correct about that. What that site would do in the case of a HEAL loan is prevent a doctor who was not making his or her student loan payments from billing Medicare for services rendered to patients and receiving payment.

Some states however (like Texas) allow for the suspension or revocation of professional licenses of people who are in default on student loans, or behind in child support payments. Good incentive to keep up with the payments I'd say!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I realize you're in a difficult situation and that it isn't fair but, do try to find a way to pay those college loans. There are 2,300 people who are on the Inspector General's do not hire list because they didn't pay school loans. And, that means the hospital won't get Medicare or Medicaid payments if they hire you.

http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/exclusions.html

This may be yet another reason why employers run credit checks. They can't risk losing Medicare or Medicaid funding.

:typing

I have every intention of paying off my student loans. I have attended college before, and had student loans to pay off, and I paid them within 2 years after quitting school. What I am saying is that, should the credit check be used to see how our credit is and it is used as a means of deciding whether or not a person is hireable, is not a fair practice mainly because there are so many people out there who have had tough luck and they are trying to make the best of what they have been thrown in life. Truthfully, my doctor wanted to put me on permanent disability, but I would not let him because I know I can work. I am not the type of person to try to "defraud" anyone........I just want a chance to have financial stability for my children. I want to get my credit cleaned up, basically start over, and if my credit check is used against me, then my efforts and desire to not be a burden on society would be for nothing.:madface:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.
I have every intention of paying off my student loans. I have attended college before, and had student loans to pay off, and I paid them within 2 years after quitting school. What I am saying is that, should the credit check be used to see how our credit is and it is used as a means of deciding whether or not a person is hireable, is not a fair practice mainly because there are so many people out there who have had tough luck and they are trying to make the best of what they have been thrown in life. Truthfully, my doctor wanted to put me on permanent disability, but I would not let him because I know I can work. I am not the type of person to try to "defraud" anyone........I just want a chance to have financial stability for my children. I want to get my credit cleaned up, basically start over, and if my credit check is used against me, then my efforts and desire to not be a burden on society would be for nothing.:madface:

Brook - they really do know this - and poor credit will not keep you from getting hired unless you are applying for a position as a loan officer or financial manger of some sort. I don't think you need to worry about that. Read the posts after hers as well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
That isn't a database of people who have defaulted on their student loans, that looks to be a site about people who have either defrauded medicaid/medicare through billing or used Federal educational grants (like the one that pays for doctors med school to work in rural places.)

You're just not going to end up on some obscure governmental list barring you working in healthcare for ever and ever.

This is where people get into trouble. They assume that defaulting on student loans won't get you on that list when, in fact, it can ...

http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/ExclusionTypeCounts.aspx

Look under ...

Default under health education loan or scholarship obligation

There's 2354 people on that list because of loan defaults.

http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/ExclTypeDetails.aspx?id=17

There's doctors, pharmacists, dentists, psychologists and, yes, nurses on that list because of loan defaults.

:typing

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment