Background Checks for Nursing Students: What are Schools Doing‪?‬

ABSTRACT Schools of nursing are increasingly called upon to obtain background checks for students or disclosures of criminal history. Such checks may be required by clinical facilities in preparation for licensure, or because it is thought that background checks for students are in the best interest of the public. A descriptive study of 398 practical, associate, and baccalaureate nursing programs was undertaken to learn what nursing programs are doing in relation to background checks. Responses were received from 258 nursing programs representing all 50 states (65 percent response rate). The research showed fewer than 50 percent of the schools contacted require background checks. For those that do obtain background checks, there is no standard way to process the results and no universal guidelines are available on how to interpret results. Schools considering background checks are encouraged to discuss issues with legal counsel and consult with other schools currently doing background checks. Key Words Background Checks--Clinical Education--Patient Safety--Criminal History--Schools of Nursing