Hiring process

[ashleynicole889]

Hello everyone!

I had an in person interview and got offered the position on the spot. I signed my offer letter and now I am waiting on a background check. How long does a background check take? I am a new grad RN just waiting. What are they checking for in a background check? The process is new and very scary to me. It's a big city hospital if that helps.

Thanks!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Congratulations on your new job!

Background checks are required by Federal law - for any employer that provides care to Medicare/Medicaid patients.... so, pretty much all hospitals. The regulations also dictate what information has to be checked. At the very least, they will check to make sure you are not on the OIG list (of people who are not permitted to work with Medicare/Medicaid), have valid educational credentials & license, don't have a criminal background, and that you are actually who you say you are. The last one is called a "true identity" check - which includes an investigation of your SSN & work history. I know of a few instances in which background checks have actually uncovered identity theft when the work history information did not match the applicant's resume.

So, unless you have had an "unusually eventful" life - you're going to be fine. This process is normally outsourced to external vendors. The time required is usually ~ 72 hours, depending on the volume of work that they are dealing with. FYI, this is also one of the most expensive aspects of the hiring process - $300-ish.