new corporation investigating health care workers

[CRNI-ICU20]

Hi kids,

Because I am considering a traveling position in the near future, I have been applying with many companies, etc. One in particular wants me to sign a "pre-employment and disclosure release form". This sounds innocuous enough when just scratching the surface....the usual personal references, etc. However, when reading the fine print, this gives permission for credit history/checks, driving records, address history/ies, public records relating to criminal charges, if any, and an "investigative consumer report, which means a consumer report or portion thereof in which information on a consumer's character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living is obtained through personal interviews with persons having knowledge."

This is done through a company that has been in existence since 1983 as a background investigation company, but since 1993 have been assisting health care facilities in verifying healthcare credentials and healthcare integrity.

It all sounds good, right?

Here's the part that seems NOT OKAY.

If you are denied a job because of false or mis-construed information obtained about you by this "investigative" company, ie, people who may go through your garbage for instance, or who may talk to your neighbors, or who may speak to a former room mate, take pictures of you without your knowledge while you are seen going into a club or pub... speak to a boyfriend/girlfriend, or former teacher, and you have no RE-COURSE for rebuttal, because, this is afterall, ALL CONFIDENTIAL even from you, then it smacks of PROFILING....

To me this is no different than not hiring someone because they aren't the right color, religion, sex, or age......which under the Employment Freedom Act, is ILLEGAL....but doing "background checks" like this are not included in this situation......

How do you all feel about this?

Here is the website of the company.....http://www.precheck.com/about.shtml

Personally, I find it to be a real invasion of privacy just to get a job!

I am surprised that no one in any major nursing association is questioning this at all.....

Why should an employer have the right to know where you shop, what you buy, who you entertain, what movies you watch, where you eat out, whether you have drinks with dinner, what books you read.....all of this to provide a prospective employer with a "character profile".....?

I can understand needing to know whether or not someone is a felon, whether they are lying about their educational background or credentials.....and finding out that information is completely easy to do without getting "personal"....

Eventhough I am not hiding anything, and I certainly don't have anything in my closet to be ashamed of, I wonder how a seemingly innocent situation could be skewed against me just because I went out with friends to a local pub to hear a good band one evening.....I am not kidding....Is this what hospitals and HR departments are spending their money on??? give me a break!!

I would prefer that the particulars of my divorce not be common knowledge amongst some in HR, whether they are able to keep it confidential or not.....even though it's a matter of public record, why would my employer or potential employer need to know the entirety of my divorce proceedings....including the reasons why I filed, etc?? Here's a list from their website what they look into....

• Criminal records search (county, state, federal, and international)
  
• Employment history verification
  
• Credentialing of licenses, certifications and permits
  
• Education verification
  
• SSN verification
  
• Adverse action notification
  
• Civil records search (county, state, and federal)
  
• Credit history check
  
• Motor vehicle reports
  
• NPDB (National Practitioner Data Bank) - HIPDB (Healthcare Integrity & Protection Data Bank)
  
• Personal references
  
• Sanction search of excluded individuals
  
• Maiden Name / AKA search
  
• NHDB (National Healthcare Data Bank) cumulative sanction
  
• screening

I know this sounds almost paranoid, yet, I have to wonder why hospitals would need to know the particulars of my civil court case, ie divorce in order to hire me....or where I go out to eat....or what companies I do business with....

How do you guys feel about this?? crni

[loricatus]

Somehow, this seems even worse.

First you have to pass the schools background check, then the state before certification, the your employer runs you through Group 1, now this. What's next? Having the Pyschic Friends Network do a Tarot Spread and Astrological Chart?

Why don't the hospitals just put up some money had start some nursing and med schools at convents and monasteries. That way you can make sure the males are eunuchs and the females virgins and have nothing else to worry about.

This reminds me of the inspections that we used to have in the Army. If you had everything squared away, the commander would then go to the white glove. If that passed, the commander would thin hit corners with a q-tip. If that passed, he would take your ammo magazines apart. He would dig, for hours if he had to, until he found something.

Jeez! A background check should suffice! What do you mean the background check brought up nothing? Use that other agency. Oh you did? Use the other one. Gee, Mr. Speed Freak, but it says here that you once colored outside the lines while using crayons on a picture of a bunny in Kindergarten and we just can not abide the likes of you here. We have residents to worry about.

This borders on stupid.

Don't tell me that Group One has infiltrated San Angelo, also. Thought it was primarily in the DFW metroplex.

[Speed Freak]

Don't tell me that Group One has infiltrated San Angelo, also. Thought it was primarily in the DFW metroplex.

Don't know for sure, but my daughter said that she got run through them in Del Rio and they are further south from DFW than we are.

[movingangel]

I feel the same way you do....totally. I was telling my father about the paper work and release forms and background checks they do on travel nurses and I thought this is total insanity. My father worked in the defense industry and had to go through secret clearance by the government and HE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO ALL OF THE BACKGROUND CHECKS that nurses are put through.

I've been out of work and have been behind on bills and my credit score started going down BECAUSE I wasn't able to pay my bills. Why should a hospital care about your credit background....it's not like we're selling Jewelry from Tiffany & Co. I even applied with one travel company that, as soon as I verbally accepted the assignment, my recruiter was pushing me to hurry up and do the background check. Then a week later, I receive a form for me to sign to release any and all information about me like you said....mode of living, habits, etc. etc. and the name of the company that does the background check is called Lexis Nexus. So, I wrote down the name and address of the company because I am going to request a copy of the background check. THIS IS WHAT FLOORED ME....I was reading about this company and they even investigate web sites you've visited on the internet!! We, nurses are usually of good character and ethical people. I think that's crossing the line. Where is my right to privacy.....or is there such a thing as privacy anymore. It seems like it's becoming more and more difficult to get a job as a nurse, I'd rather work as a cashier!