Pre-employment background checks by healthcare staffing agencies are becoming increasingly common. A traveling nurse or traveling therapist may wish to know what an agency is permitted to find out before applying for a position.
Employers do not have an unlimited right to investigate an applicant’s background and personal life. Check out state-specific regulations to temper the general list of federal restrictions.
An employer may be able to find information on a potential employee’s credit report, criminal record, bankruptcies and worker’s compensation records. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), employers must obtain written consent from the employee before seeking a credit report – which will include any bankruptcies.
Worker’s compensation records are considered public record and open to evaluation. School, medical and military records are not generally open to be reviewed by a background check. However, stipulations can be made for partial access in individual cases or with the employee’s consent.
If a staffing agency is certified by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), an independent and not-for-profit certification agency, a potential employee can feel confident that a thorough, yet legal, background check was made.