There are thousands of home healthcare companies in the US. Hiring managers and candidates looking for a career as a home health aide have one thing in common. They’ll both need to know about caregiver background checks. Here’s everything you need to know about home healthcare background checks.
Which Types Of Home Health Care Workers Need Background Checks
Essentially, all types of home care workers undergo a background check. That includes but isn’t limited to,
Home Health Aides: Home health aides assist patients with day-to-day tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, etc. Much like every home care role, home health aides are tasked with a high degree of responsibility and trust.
Certified Nursing Assistants: CNAs do everything home health aides do and then some. A CNA may prepare a long-term care plan and administer medicine.
Physical Therapist: Physical therapists, like CNAs, undergo background checks to ensure their credentials are accurate.
If you’re hoping to start a career as a home health care worker, assume background checks are required. However, having something pop up in your history may not be a dealbreaker.
What Type Of Background Check Should You Conduct
Home health care and caregiver background checks help provide a safe, structured environment where patients can thrive. Because care providers are privy to personal information and given a large amount of trust, hiring the right candidate is extremely important. Both to the patients they care for and for the organization as a whole. Here are the most common home healthcare background checks and how using them streamlines the hiring process.
Identity: Identity checks are standard for any role. That’s because an identity check protects the company and the patient from fraud. From the viewpoint of a hiring manager, identity checks are an easy way to protect the organization from legal repercussions.
Address Check: Employers often overlook address checks. There’s no such thing as too much information regarding the hiring process. Address checks uncover every place a candidate has lived. As an employer, you must ensure the correct amount of tax withholding. Unknowingly hiring a candidate who lives in a different state causes errors when it’s time to do business taxes. Plus, address checks can help uncover discrepancies in a candidate’s history. Read on to find out how.
Arrest Records: Arrest records and criminal histories are essential to caregiver background checks. It’s worth noting that using an address check to pinpoint where a candidate lived and then cross-checking that with arrest records in the areas gives you a complete picture of who you’re hiring.
Education and License: Many home health care roles require a degree or certification. Employers that use education background checks can quickly identify the most qualified candidate.
These are some of the essential background checks for home healthcare workers. Hiring managers that provide the most value to their organization don’t stop at the bare minimum. Learn the benefits of every type of background check to streamline your hiring process.
How To Get A Home Health Aide Background Check
Partner with KarmaCheck to access a bevy of background checks for home health aide roles. It’s as easy as clicking the contact us button. Plus, our background checks are fast, thorough, and reliable.
What Disqualifies A Home Health Aid
Here are the most common disqualifiers found in caregiver background checks.
Checkered Criminal History: Home health agencies are looking for signs that candidates may be a threat to themselves, patients, and the company. Red flags include grand larceny(theft), assault, drug charges, and other felony-class offenses.
False Credentials: False credentials can leave home health organizations liable to lawsuits. Not to mention falsified credentials are a significant hit against a candidate’s character. Chances are that if they lie about their education, they may lie about other things.
No Employment History: Home health aides can start their careers with no degree or employment history. However, advanced forms of home care, such as nursing, physical therapy, etc., require many hours of job shadowing and qualifications to be successful.
Failing a Drug Test: Practically every healthcare role is subject to drug testing. Drug tests detect a variety of controlled substances.
Bad References: References can make or break a candidate. Hiring managers should collect a handful from each potential hire. Organizations and states will have unique disqualifiers for a role. Ask for a copy if you’re a potential hire and fail a background check. Or ask what the disqualifying reason is.
How KarmaCheck Supports You
Hiring managers can use KarmaCheck to access reliable data. And in doing so, improve candidate experience, streamline your hiring process, and make informed hiring decisions. There’s no downside to having caregiver background checks as a resource. Boost your organization’s productivity by contacting KarmaCheck today.
