Group One background checks in Texas

U.S.A. Texas

Published

I have been put into group one, which is a reporting agency that allows other healthcare facilitys to see why I was terminated. I was not given a chance to resign before termination. My question is, can I request to have it changed? Is this a type of discrimination? all this is making me want to get out of healthcare all together, seems like i will allways have a disadvantage being a guy and all.

Most employers do background checks in one way or another to make sure that prospective healthcare employees have the backgrounds that they advertise. I would not worry too much about this unless you have something to hide.

The trouble with Group One is you may not even know if you have 'something to hide'. A manager can dislike you and put you down as a 'do not rehire' which is a black mark on Group One. Even if your credentials are great and evaluations stellar, its the manager's opinion (or HR or anyone in power) that goes to Group One. Just one example. This background check organization is being used in a very vindictive way to blackball nurses who are outspoken or who do not kiss the azz of TPTB..

I know soooo many nurses in DFW who send out scores of applications and never get called...only to find out later somebody has bad mouthed them for no good reason other than personal pettiness. I had to quit a job with short notice because my family situation changed and I lost my babysitter, explained the situation fully. They put me down as a 'do not rehire' which insinuates I'm a bad nurse, which I am not.

Some nurse managers even use Group One to threaten threaten nurses...ie stay and do a double today or I'll charge you with abandonment and DNR you with Group One.'

The DNR on Group One has an ominous tendency to limit one's chances of finding work in the area, which is just what its intended to do.

This sounds incredible until you've seen it happen to friends and coworkers.

If that is the case, then it is a shame that hospital corporations would not take the time to determine facts from fiction. With the shortage for qualified Nurses, one would think that adequate time would be taken to get the straight scoop.

Sounds like one would not want to work for the hospitals that operate in this shoddy manner. There are still many good hospitals in the area.

If that is the case, then it is a shame that hospital corporations would not take the time to determine facts from fiction. With the shortage for qualified Nurses, one would think that adequate time would be taken to get the straight scoop.

Sounds like one would not want to work for the hospitals that operate in this shoddy manner. There are still many good hospitals in the area.

Every hospital in the DFW area uses Group One. And it is vendictive. My nurse manager told me the first day of orientation on the floor that if I didn't show up and take a full load the next day she would report me to group one...I had an agreement for up to 12 wks mentoring since I had not worked in the hospital setting for several years, nor had I worked for one that used computerized charting. The patients were all total care diabetics....I did the right thing by not accepting the load and quitting, but the right thing for the hospital, patients, and my license ended up ending my hospital career and has even prevented me from being able to attend the university program that I had planned on going through.

I have been considering moving to Texas. However, after reading this thread I am not sure I want to get involved with employers who utilize these questionable practices. I would think that this would be illegal and if someone ever pulled this stunt on me, I would sue them in court for defamation of character.

We've all said that but who has the money to pay a lawyer to fight that in court?

It is defamation of character and I'd love to see some sort of class action thing where a bunch of Group One victims get a lawsuit started and run them out of town.

The hospital I work at is close to the Houston area and doesn't use Group One. In fact since I've lived here, no nurses I've worked with have ever heard of it so I'm wondering if any hospitals down here use it.

One of my several friends who have been banned from the DFW hospitals via Group One actually got a "second chance" at another Dallas hospital despite her black marks on her Group One report.

It was only because the hospital that reported her has a shady reputation of it's own in Dallas. MattsMom knows--the big "K"!!

Please don't let Group One stop you from moving to TX, it's a great place.

Somehow they operate under the Fair Credit Act. If you are an RN, I don't see how you wouldn't find a job here. There are hundreds of positions open in the hospitals. I was telling my husband about all this and he said "You solved it!!! Group One's why there's a nursing shortage; they're putting all them out of work!! (Along with vendictive managers who abuse their power!!)

I've heard that before too but I still think it's a crock and could be challenged in court. There is a reason why there are laws in place preventing previous employers from saying bad things about you to potential new employers. Thats' why your new hospital can't just call up your old employer and ask certain questions about you. Hence to get around this, Group One comes in and saves the day.

The fair credit reporting act deals with FACTS such as how many days late you paid Visa and how many credit cards and loans you have out or how much these loans are. FACTS.

Group One reports subjective data like "Poor/substandard performance"- no facts to back up this blanket statement of course but that's good enough for the DFW hospitals.

We've all said that but who has the money to pay a lawyer to fight that in court?

It is defamation of character and I'd love to see some sort of class action thing where a bunch of Group One victims get a lawsuit started and run them out of town.

The hospital I work at is close to the Houston area and doesn't use Group One. In fact since I've lived here, no nurses I've worked with have ever heard of it so I'm wondering if any hospitals down here use it.

One of my several friends who have been banned from the DFW hospitals via Group One actually got a "second chance" at another Dallas hospital despite her black marks on her Group One report.

It was only because the hospital that reported her has a shady reputation of it's own in Dallas. MattsMom knows--the big "K"!!

Please don't let Group One stop you from moving to TX, it's a great place.

Thanks for the feedback. I know most of us can't afford lawsuits but there has to be a way. it must be illegal to do that to someone.

Texas is employment at will. They can let you go for anything. They have found a way legally to badmouth a nurse via a third party...I'm sure they have a secret file that we can never see. They are careful to not say anything totally unproveable. Usually it refers to something vague...'attitude' is one. 'Performance issues' is another...followed by a 'would not rehire'. The message received by these? 'this is a bad nurse'.

Our practices are so frazzled today that, sadly, it is fairly easy for someone with a vendetta to create a paper trail to ruin a good nurse. I've seen it happen.

Part of why this is tolerated so easily is most nurses in DFW are quite passive, afraid to rock the boat or speak up, or say no. Attempts to unionize them failed; they will not stick together, unfortunately. They are afraid to lose their jobs and be unhireable today due to Group One.

Attorneys have told me they have their OWN attorneys who are careful to keep Group One legal by slipping through cracks and holes in consumer credit and employment law.

If enough nurses would stick together and if they also had enough solid proof of slander and unfair practice, an attorney might try and help them. I've been told it will be difficult however. :(

Part of why this is tolerated so easily is most nurses in DFW are quite passive, afraid to rock the boat or speak up, or say no. Attempts to unionize them failed; they will not stick together, unfortunately. They are afraid to lose their jobs and be unhireable today due to Group One.

I have not been a nurse in TX very long. Only one month. But I have to say, I have been shocked by how passive nurses are here. I feel like I may never fit in here as a nurse. Because if I think something is wrong I never have been able to sit silently and just "allow" it.

I was shocked and disgusted by this group one. To me it seems nothing more then a "gossip ring" for employers of nurses. I do not know enough of other professions but I wonder if teachers or even doctors have so many different people watching every thing they do and documenting it. Nurses are accountable to the board of nursing they are licenced under. The board looks at things that other professions never have to worry about, things in your personal life. I have been finger printed, had an FBI investigation??? The board knows every where I have worked and if I have had any complaints against me. This is enough!!!! If I do something that is harmful it goes on my nursing record. Why does there need to be a group one. The board protects the public. Group one as I see it, exists only to make nurses fearful of advocating for NURSES. I have to say, even though I am fairly outspoken about MY RIGHTS as a human. I am afraid in TX to speak up. I do not want to make the wrong person angry and end up unable to become employed.

After my experience of moving to TX and finding out what it is like to be treated so unfairly and unjustly I have decided to go back to school and find something else to do. I am only using my current position to pay for my bills and my tuition until I can find another career where I will be treated as a person with rights, and as a professional, not a small child who needs to be controlled and punished.

It made me sad to come to this decision. I love what I do. I love being a nurse. I love my patients. I love training new grads and seeing thier excitement. But I just cannot allow myself to feel so degraded just so I can do what I love for a living. I have always told my family and friends that I could never imagine doing anything but BEDSIDE NURSING. And I have only been a nurse for 9 years now. But I have finally come to the point where no matter how much I enjoy it, I cannot continue to work in such a hostile environment.

I am hoping that maybe if enough nurses would decide to stand up and put a stop to.... FIRST the abuse from NURSE to NURSE, and second the abuse from employer to nurse, that maybe before I retire I may see a change. I have done everything I can think of with my small bit of power to make changes. I have trained MANY new grads. And I always lecture and harp on how nurses should treat each other, and how we need to advocate for ourselves if we ever want to truly be respected.

Unfortunately right now I do not know of anything else one person can do to make a difference. But if enough of us with a similar belief, could get together and make a mission statement to work by. Maybe..... Just maybe we could become as powerful as Group One. Maybe we could take back our dignity as nurses.

I am sorry, I guess I have wrote a LOT. I really wish though that we could find a way to make things better. I really love what I do. I always wanted to retire a NURSE. If there are enough people who feel this way, there would have to be enough of us to come up with an answer. The answer may not be in legal recourse. I dont know what the answer is, but there is an answer. And if enough nurses with different backgrounds, experience, and education come together and put our minds together we could make things better. Group one is only PART of the problem we face.

Simple question:

How far back does Group One go for a criminal background check?

(just the criminal background check, not the employment check or credit check or reference check - just the criminal background check)

Simple question:

How far back does Group One go for a criminal background check?

(just the criminal background check, not the employment check or credit check or reference check - just the criminal background check)

How far back? That is a good question.

Group One is a CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY. The operate under the FCRA, but like most CREDIT REPORING AGENCIES, things can get a little shady!

If you have ever disclosed criminal conviction to an employer in Texas, there is a good chance they will find it. Juvenile records are mostly SEALED nationwide, so if the event happened before you were 18 and juvenile court it won't likely show up.

They do run searches with local, state and national law enforcement. So they are pretty good and finding those kind of things. If you have had and adult criminal conviction expunged, of course they may not find it.

You can get you Group One file by simply calling them up. It only costs a few bucks. Their office is on Decker Drive in Las Colinas.

One word of advice, only give them enough information to get the file. DO NOT tell them your life story! They are legally a CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY and COLLECT information about people. If you have never worked or applied for a job in the DFW Metroplex they most likely will not have a file on you. Of course if you apply for a job at a DFW healthcare center that uses GP1, or you go to a healthcare school in the areas you are in their database.

Get the file. The one they give you will be the same info they give prospective employers.

Good luck. You may need it.

Again I say this is a terrible situation. I never wanted to work or live in Texas, and I thank my lucky stars I have never had to. I have had 2 managers who were vindictive and psycho, so I am sure they would love Group 1.

It seems so strange that a state with such needs for nurses would tolerate such unfair practices as stated on this board.

I have posted in many threads saying that being a nurse in TX totally sux.

This Group One thing is just one reason why!

I have quit several jobs in TX due to terrible working conditions and being given unsafe assignments. At one job, I got an on-the-job injury requiring tx at an ER. The company never paid for the tx, even though I filled out an incident report and called my supervisor from the ER. Texas employers do not have to have Workman's Comp. So, you are pretty much on your own if you are injured at work.

I had to pay the ER bill myself to avoid having it ruin my credit. I spoke to a lawyer, and he said I had an "open and shut case." But he also said it would cost me at least $2000. in legal fees to get this company to pay my $350. ER bill.

Plus, there is a surplus of nurses in the rural areas of TX, whch is where I live. Jobs pay badly, nurses are treated badly, and the overall situation for nurses in TX sux, big time.

I have to live in TX because of my hubbie's job, but I hate this state. I am a traveler and won't work in TX anymore.

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