I spent some time ( 4 days ) in a mental hospital back in 2007. Without getting into it too much I hit a rough patch with losing a family member etc. It seems when families are doing my background check they are running into this hospital stay. They are frightened and won't hire me, what do I do?
Monday
When Something from a Background Check Comes Back to Haunt You...
Received Monday, May 31, 2010
I spent some time ( 4 days ) in a mental hospital back in 2007. Without getting into it too much I hit a rough patch with losing a family member etc. It seems when families are doing my background check they are running into this hospital stay. They are frightened and won't hire me, what do I do?
I spent some time ( 4 days ) in a mental hospital back in 2007. Without getting into it too much I hit a rough patch with losing a family member etc. It seems when families are doing my background check they are running into this hospital stay. They are frightened and won't hire me, what do I do?
I can guarantee you that no hospital records of you are being released. To release hospital records, you have to sign a gazillion "information release forms" for each set of records and each hospital.
ReplyDeleteA generic background check is not permitted to give out this information, nor are the hospitals at which you attended, due to the strict nature of HIPAA.
A friend of mine is a fantastic nanny and she told me she was hospitalized for what sounds like the same thing you were. She has never had trouble getting nanny work, and I'm pretty sure it never pops up on a background check.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not getting hired, perhaps something else is coming up on your background check.
I would run your own background check on yourself and see what's actually coming up. Because as everyone else has pointed out, HIPAA is quite strict. Is it possible they are actually getting that information from a reference you were working for at the time?
ReplyDeletecheck it out is right on the money: they are finding this out from one of your past references. Call all of your references and ask them directly. Weed out the snitch.
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing: mental illness is so common. I am mother and a childcare provider and I have been treated for depression and am on meds for it due to very good reasons. This has NOTHING to do whatsoever with your job performance and whoever is leaking this information is a bad, bad person. I really detest them whoever it is.
I agree w/how horrible. There is so much stigma attached to mental illness and as long as a person is under treatment for it, such as medication, etc...then I would have no problem hiring her to look after my children. Imagine all the people who are not being medicated and are looking after children!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was arrested 6 yrs ago for a domestic violence incident and have had various employers since then run background checks on me and it has NEVER came up, so unless you have a conviction on your record, I do not think the hospital thing is coming up. I would check my references and personal friends to see if they are mentioning it instead.
As a nursing student who has tested on HIPPA laws and violations repeatedly through nursing school, I can tell you with absolute certainty that your hospital stay would not show up on a background check. The only possible way this would surface is if you were detained as a "criminally insane" individual. Something else has to be preventing you from landing these jobs.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful OP, I'm sorry to hear. I agree with both ideas suggested above, that of running a background check on yourself and checking with your references.
ReplyDeleteIf I were you, I'd run the background check first just to rule it out. But I also have to agree that chances are, it is one of your references. Who did you work for at the time and who else have you told?
I have been hospitalized for mental illness three times in my life (twice under the age 18). It does not come up on a background check. If families are finding out, it's coming from another source.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others. Run a background check on yourself. Perhaps you have a common first and last name, and the family is getting you confused with someone else.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteA background check does not show up a hospital stay. If you were "convicted" of a crime which then resulted in that hospital stay that would show up. But on it's on...it's a medical record. So something else is keeping you from getting hired.
May 31, 2010 11:52:00 AM
Yes you would have to be criminally insane. My friend has been logged into state records as one who is not allowed to own a gun because of her mental status. That is the only way... other wise they are in violation of HIPPA and you could sue for damages. I highly doubt the hospital is on your record. I agree with everyone else it has to be a referance
ReplyDeleteYou could have a friend call all of your references posing as a potential employer to weed out the snitch.
ReplyDeleteOP:
ReplyDeleteMissDee's thought is a wonderful one. Except I would add they could be mixing your background with someone else even if your name is uncommon. I would rather not put out my last name, but let's just say that I haven't traditionally viewed my name as a common one.
I haven't had a problem seeking employment, but awhile back I ran my name through the state court system out of curiosity and wow. I found two other people, in my area, with the same first and last name, who are obviously bad drivers.
Heaven forbid anyone ever mistake one of them for me. The background check is a good step one because you can rule error out before bothering your references. Even if you have to spend a little money.