More and more hospitals and other clinical training sites are requiring criminal background checks to protect the safety of patients, confidential patient information and other persons at those facilities. State licensing boards, which require persons be licensed in a state before they can practice nursing, now require that a criminal background check be conducted prior to granting a license. The Maryland Board of Nursing is one of these. Therefore, all nursing students seeking to enroll in a clinical course or seeking a license are likely to experience the requirement for a criminal background check. Current laws generally permit a licensing board or agency to revoke, suspend or deny a license or to reprimand a licensee if they are convicted or plead guilty or nolo contendere to a felony or other specified crime.
The University of Maryland, School of Nursing does not require a criminal background check for admittance. However, in many cases, School educational requirements include placement at one or more off-campus training sites, such as hospitals or other institutional settings. These off-campus clinical settings routinely require students to undergo and pass a background check. This notice is to make you aware of the requirement. Each training site sets its own standards for a background check. Passing the check is typically a condition of the site that must be satisfied before a student can be placed for an educational training experience. You may also be asked by the training site to pay the cost of the background check. You may have to complete more than one criminal background check during the course of your program, depending on the number of sites where you are placed and the requirements of each site.
If you fail to pass a site's criminal background check, you may be unable to complete your course requirements. It is important for you consider this before you enroll. The School has no obligation to refund your tuition or fees or to otherwise accommodate you in the event you fail to pass a background check and, as a result, are ineligible to complete your course requirements, or if you are denied a license to practice nursing.
Due to the time necessary for a criminal background check to be completed, the School of Nursing suggests that you weigh the drawbacks and benefits of initiating the background check process in advance of your first clinical placement. Many hospitals located in Maryland accept the results of a background check conducted by PreCheck/StudentCheck, a commercial firm. However, each clinical site sets its own policy and determines the approved method of obtaining a background check. There is no guarantee PreCheck/StudentCheck will be acceptable.
The School does not endorse or recommend any particular vendor, resource or method for completing a background check. This information is provided so you can make your own decisions. You are responsible for maintaining your background check information. The School of Nursing does not maintain background check reports or provide clinical training sites with a copy of your background check information.