Minnesota is one of fourteen states in the U.S. currently not requiring background checks for licensed nurses. Due to a simple yes or no question asking applicants if they have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor charges, a loophole exists allowing convicted criminals to become a licensed nurse if they lie on their application. In Minnesota alone, 50,000 people per year must self-disclose any convictions in order to get or renew their nursing license. According to Shirley Brekken, executive director of Minnesota’s state Nursing Board, the Board does not conduct a separate background check to verify whether or not license applicants are answering truthfully. When asked to gauge an estimate of how many applicants may be lying on their applications, Brekken replied she would “only speculate about that.” Brekken says that the nursing board does not have the resources to conduct criminal checks.

Investigators at Fox 9 in Minneapolis-St. Paul have uncovered several cases of nurses with criminal records working throughout Minnesota. When hospital nurse Jessica Baird went to renew her nursing license in 2011, she answered “no” to the convictions question, despite past convictions for a DWI and disorderly conduct. She was also under an active police investigation for stealing painkillers from a patient. The stolen pills were discovered after causing a car accident in which she and another driver were injured. The nursing board was not alerted until Baird pled guilty to the drug theft and related DWI and careless driving charges in April, after which the board suspended her license for 18 months. In another case, a licensed practical nurse working at an assisted living home in Minneapolis also lied on his renewal application. Nurse Bert Sieler had previous convictions for DWI and driving after revocation, before ending up in federal court for stealing over 400 Percocet pills from two residents in his care. Sieler pled guilty to the theft and for selling the pills, and the nursing board pulled his license once they were alerted to his crimes.

Although a criminal history found through a background check does not necessarily bar someone from obtaining a nursing license, it does alert regulators to take a closer look to ensure that person can be trusted as a care giver. The state of Kansas started conducting FBI fingerprint checks on nursing hopefuls in 2008 after it was discovered that a prison escapee stole a nurse’s identity and obtained a nursing license. Even after implementation of the criminal record checks, the Kansas Nursing Board still found a large number of applicants lying about their past. “Twenty-nine percent had a criminal history that was not disclosed on their initial application,” said nursing board director Mary Blubaugh.

Don’t make the same mistake as the Minnesota nursing board by relying only on self-disclosure instead of using a background check. With access to countless criminal databases nationwide, backgroundchecks.com provides several options for instant and affordable results. Their US OneSEARCH criminal record search also includes sex offender information from 49 states (plus Washington D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico) with photos. Or try their National Wants and Warrants search. This search will give results within one to two days, and is a nationwide search of local, county, state, and Federal extraditable warrants, and may include misdemeanors or felonies. Most law enforcement agencies contribute to this database. Why leave it to chance? Find out what potential employees may be hiding with backgroundchecks.com.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) and cofounder of the Expungement Clearinghouse - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source: http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18403196/investigators-nursing-license-loophole

When you entrust your child into the hands of educators, you probably assume those employees are upstanding citizens without criminal histories.  If your child goes to school in Kansas though, you could be wrong.  Although high standards for education and background checking has been initiated for teachers in most states these days as a result of No Child Left Behind, teachers who were already in the education industry were grandfathered into the system with the earlier, less strict requirements.  That means they have not undergone any kind of background investigation to make sure they haven’t committed any crimes, including crimes against children. 

The Topeka Capital Journal reports that approximately 40,000 teachers in Kansas have not been checked.  Due to increasing sex abuse crimes in schools, parents and state education board members are concerned about this number. The Director of Teacher Education and Licensure is pushing for the fingerprinting of all teachers.  Additionally, she would like to see teachers getting background checks every time their teaching license is renewed, which is every five years.  Some are unhappy about the proposal, claiming it to be an invasion of privacy, but because it deals with the safety of children, it’s likely to pass.

While fingerprinting might be a good first step, it doesn’t necessarily catch potential all threats.  Most people are fingerprinted when they are arrested, and the FBI database then relies on the court to provide updates as the case moves forward. But those updates are not guaranteed, and neither is the timing of those updates leaving questions about conviction or dismissal status.  Organizations like schools, that have such important jobs, should make sure they’re using criminal databases that are extensive and constantly updated and can automatically be monitored for updates. After all, if catching criminals before they affect children in schools is really a priority, why wait to check backgrounds every five years, when Ongoing Criminal Monitoring can be performed by background check companies who could then alert them immediately of any criminal activity among their teachers?

backgroundchecks.com has access to  more than 355 million records across 600 criminal conviction sources, including sex offender registries.  We also employ a skilled data acquisition team that keeps our records up to date to ensure the highest accuracy possible.   With experience and resources like this, backgroundchecks.com could help schools keep an eye on their teachers, which could alleviate the fears of parents and State Education Board members.

About backgroundchecks.com -

backgroundchecks.com - a founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) - serves thousands of customers nationwide, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies by providing comprehensive screening services.  Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with an Eastern Operations Center in Chapin, S.C., backgroundchecks.com is home to one of the largest online criminal conviction databases in the industry. For more information about backgroundchecks’ offerings, please visit www.backgroundchecks.com.

Source:  http://cjonline.com/news/2011-04-13/criminal-teachers-focus-initiative