GME Policy #130                                                BACKGROUND CHECK POLICY                                            Rev1 July 2008

 

 

 

Background Check Policy

 

The University of Tennessee Office of Graduate Medical Education is committed to hiring the most capable housestaff in order to achieve its strategic goals. Part of this commitment is to create a professional environment that fosters excellence, abhors intolerance, and provides a safe workplace.

To better achieve this, the Office of Graduate Medical Education requires that every resident successfully pass a criminal background check before we execute the resident contract and employment takes place.

 

The procedure for the criminal background check is as follows:

During the interview process, a copy of this policy will be distributed and reviewed with applicants. Each interviewed applicant will sign a form acknowledging receipt of the policy requiring that they must pass a criminal background check.

 

After the Match a letter will be sent from the GME Office with information regarding the forms that must be completed which will include the background check consent form. When GME receives the consent form it will initiate the background check with the appropriate outside firm. If the report shows no negative information the GME Office will notify the Program Director via email. If the report shows negative information the report will be forwarded to our teaching hospitals with no identifiers. The hospitals will then respond as to whether the negative information would prohibit that individual from working at that facility. The GME Office will notify the Program Director of the negative information and the response from the hospitals. It is then up to the Program Director to determine if the resident will be able to complete his or her training if one or more teaching hospitals refuse to allow the resident to rotate there. If the Program Director determines that the resident will not be able to complete his or her training requirements here, he/she will notify the resident in writing of the decision and copy the GME Office and Office of General Counsel. The exception to this process is any conviction of a felony, violent crime, or sex crime will automatically prohibit the individual from training at the University of Tennessee.

 

Foreign Nationals

 

A criminal background check will be processed for any foreign national that has been in the United States for at least one year. Any foreign national that is entering the United States for the first time would have already been cleared by the Department of Homeland Security and credentialed by

ECFMG and will not require an additional background check.

 

It must be clearly understood that no new resident/fellow will be approved until a background check has been completed and the results of the check have been considered at the program and institutional level. Thus no resident/fellow can begin training until this process has been completed.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sponsoring Institution:  University of Tennessee College of Medicine                                                        Eff. Jan 1, 2007