Background Checks Will Be Required for All Nursing Students

Clinical Practice is an invaluable part of your nursing education at Boise State. Hands-on nursing experience is what brings nursing education to life for each student in our program. It is a privilege for Boise State to work with many community health care facilities in the Treasure Valley area who provide clinical experiences. To ensure the safety and well being of all patients, Background Checks are becoming a standard requirement for employment in health care today. It is therefore important that students within our program obtain a Background Check before beginning clinical practice.

All students admitted to a College of Health Science clinical program (including nursing) are required to have a Criminal History Background Check. All students selected for admission to the nursing program, will be admitted conditionally until background check results are reviewed. Students are responsible for completing the Background Check before the first semester of the program. The test costs approximately $45 - $50. Complete Instructions about when and where to obtain a Background Check will be reviewed once a student is admitted to the nursing program. Background Checks performed for previous employment can not be used for admission to Boise State University’s clinical programs.

Results of the background check will be made available to the student and to the Department of Nursing at Boise State University. All Background Checks will be treated as confidential.

Background Checks that include information of the following nature will result in dismissal from the program as clinical placement will not be possible. Pending charges for the following crimes will be considered crimes and will be deemed to be substantially detrimental to the care of patients and will result in denied admission or dismissal. Timeframe is for the last 7 years unless otherwise noted:

• Felony convictions
• Withheld judgments for felonies
• Other pleas agreements to felony convictions
• Sexual assault, rape, indecent exposure, lewd and lascivious behavior, or any crime involving non-consensual sexual conduct committed at any time.
• Child abuse, sexual exploitation of children, child abduction, child neglect, contributing to the delinquency or neglect of a child, enticing a child for immoral purposes, exposing a minor to pornography or other harmful materials, incest, or any other crime involving children as victims or participants committed at any time.
• Homicide committed at any time
• Drug trafficking committed at any time.
• Abuse, exploitation or neglect of a vulnerable adult (disabled or elderly) committed at any time.
• Assault or Battery.
• Misdemeanor theft committed during the last 5 years or grand theft committed during the previous seven years.
• Offenses involving substantial misrepresentation of any material fact to the public or an employer including embezzlement, bribery, fraud, racketeering or allowing an establishment to be used for illegal purposes committed during the previous seven years.
• DUI within the last 3 years or more than one DUI in the past five years.
• First or second degree arson
• Kidnapping
• Mayhem, as defined by Section 18-5001, Idaho Code
• Poisoning
• Forgery or fraudulent use of a financial transaction card
• Forgery and counterfeiting
• Insurance fraud

The Department of Nursing will not address questions about your individual background circumstances or individual Background Check results. For further information see the College of Health Science Policy on Criminal Background Checks.