Your acceptance to the Health Sciences program is conditional upon successful completion of the criminal background check. Background checks will not be accepted if they were completed more than 3 months before the start date of the specific clinical program/course.

CastleBranch

• The background checks are conducted by Castle Branch (formerly Certified Background) a firm specializing in background checks for healthcare workers. Employment verification is required by the clinical agencies as part of the background check.
• Cost of the criminal background check will be the responsibility for all students.
• Attention: Some employers and institutions charge a service fee for employment and education verifications. These fees normally will not exceed $15.00. when a service fee is required, Castle Branch (formerly Certified Background) passes this fee to the applicant. The applicant must agree to the additional fee in order to proceed with the background check.
• Instructions for obtaining your background check will be provided to you by the department.
• Results of all background checks are reviewed by the Health Sciences Compliance Coordinator.

Purpose

Community Standards for criminal background checks were developed in conjunction with the Austin Health Industry Steering Committee (HISC) to meet clinical agency compliance with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards pertaining to human resource management. JCAHO requires verification of competency of all individuals who have direct contact with patients or employees; this includes students doing clinical rotations in the facility. Competency extends beyond technical skills to an an individual's criminal history.

Implementation

Effective Fall 2005 semester, criminal background checks for all currently enrolled and newly admitted students will be implemented. Successful completion of a criminal background check is required for admission and continuation in all Health Professions Institute (CE) programs.

Background checks will be honored for the duration of the student's enrollment in the clinical program if the participating student has not had a break in the enrollment of a healthcare class or program. A break in enrollment is defined as nonattendance of one full semester or more. The above information must be verifiable through the college/school and must be sent to the clinical agency.

Criminal Background Check

The background checks will include a seven year multicounty felony and related misdemeanor criminal record search and a two standard employment history references search. The following histories will disqualify an individual from consideration for admission because the student would not be eligible for clinical placement: (this includes, but is not limited to):

• Registered sex offenders
• Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General list of excluded individuals, U.S. General Services Administration excluded parties list, Employee Misconduct Registry, U.S. Treasury - Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) List of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), Texas Health and Human Services Commission (TX HHSC), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Exclusion List.
• Felony convictions
• Felony deferred adjudications involving crimes against persons (physical or sexual abuse)
• Known or observed abuse or neglect of patients/clients/customers.
• Observed or proven theft
• Convictions of violent acts (misdemeanor or felony)
• Misapplication of fiduciary property or property of a financial institution (Class A misdemeanor or felony)
• Securing execution of a document by deception (Class A misdemeanor or felony)
• Violence in the workplace.
• Ineligibility for rehire

For students accepted to a clinical program with access to a licensing / registry body review process:

• If an individual does not meet one or more of the aforementioned standards, she/he may pursue a declaratory order process with her/his licensing/registry body. If the licensing/registry body approves the individual to take the licensing/credentialing exam, the individual may participate in the clinical rotation.

Disclaimers

Successful completion of a criminal background check for a Health Professions Institute (CE) Program does not ensure eligibility for licensure or future employment. Clinical agencies can establish more stringent standards, if they so desire, to meet regulatory requirements for their facility. Clinical agencies can conduct additional background checks at their discretion.

If a student is found to be ineligible for clinical placement any time during the program, the student is unable to meet clinical learning objectives and will be withdrawn pending resolution of the situation.

Allocation Of Cost

Cost of the criminal background check will be the responsibility for any students beginning Health Professions Institute (CE) Programs.

Questions

For additional questions, please contact the Health Sciences Compliance Coordinator.