Background Check Policy

Healthcare workers are held to high standard of professional conduct by credentialing agencies and state licensure boards. These standards are intended to promote the protection, safety and comfort of patients. 

Persons convicted of a crime, as defined by applicable state or federal law, cannot be offered admission to the Health Sciences Programs until they have served their sentence and their criminal background check shows no evidence of criminal activity for at least seven (7) years following the completion of their sentence, probation and/or parole. 

A criminal record may affect eligibility to become licensed by the Department of Health in Rhode Island or in other states. Candidates can request a review by the Department of Health, Division of Professional Regulations to determine the impact of criminal activity on licensure eligibility.

Students will be required to obtain and pay for a criminal background check from the vendor as directed by Enrollment Services prior to acceptance to the program.  Additional background checks may be requested at any time throughout the duration of the program by the Department Chair or the program’s clinical affiliates. It is at the discretion of each facility with which the program has a clinical affiliation agreement, to implement a standard protocol regarding student admittance for educational purposes.  Acceptance at the clinical site is determined by the facility’s individual protocol. The program does not guarantee student acceptance at a clinical education site.  If for any reason, a student is denied acceptance at a clinical facility and is unable to complete the program based on their criminal background status the student will be withdrawn from the clinical course and be dismissed from the program.

It is the responsibility of the student to report any changes in the status of their criminal background history to the Department Chair and/or Program Director immediately. Failure to disclose a violation will result in dismissal from the program. Should the student become convicted of criminal activity after program acceptance, the student may be withdrawn from the program. Failure to disclose a conviction will result in dismissal from the program.

Consultation with the Department Chairperson is recommended for students needing further information.