Key takeaways.
Ask which item is still open. One item usually holds up the whole check.
Send missing applicant information to the applicant and processing questions to the screening company.
Don’t guess a finish date from a general turnaround claim. Track the item’s last update and next step.
Keep other onboarding moving where policy allows. If a report may lead you not to hire, federal rules set the steps before and after that decision1.
How do you find what is causing the delay?
Ask the screening company for the status of each component, with the date of its last update. Record the company’s reference number, the open item, the last update and the next action. Then sort the delay by who has to act.
| Kind of delay | What it looks like | Who acts | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missing information | A form, consent, past address or employer contact is incomplete. | The applicant | Ask for the exact item, once, with a date. |
| Search still running | A court, records office or past employer hasn’t replied yet. | The screening company | Ask what is pending and when it was last chased. |
| Correction or dispute | The applicant says something in the report is wrong. | The applicant and the screening company | Let the dispute run its course; record the status. |
| Your review | Results are back and need review under your policy. | Your authorized reviewer | Name the reviewer and the date of the decision. |
What can your team do while a new nurse waits for a check?
Most onboarding doesn’t depend on the check. Keep orientation planning, equipment, payroll set-up and credential checks moving, as your policy allows. Make it clear who decides whether the person can start, and when.
A workflow can organize this information. It shouldn’t make the employment decision. For the full set of onboarding tracks, see the clinician onboarding checklist.
What must an employer do when using a background report?
When a background report comes from a screening company, the FTC and EEOC’s joint guidance for employers sets out these steps1:
Tell the applicant
In writing, in a document of its own, that you may use the report for employment decisions.
Get written permission
Before you order the report.
Before deciding against the person
Give them a copy of the report and “A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act”, so they can review it and explain.
After the decision
Send an adverse action notice that names the screening company and explains the person’s right to dispute the report.
The same guidance says background information must be used the same way for everyone, without discriminating1. Health care organizations should also check new hires against the HHS Office of Inspector General’s exclusion list2. State and local rules can add steps; check them with your legal team.
Which background check providers support healthcare employers?
This guide doesn’t list or rank providers. Build a dated comparison from each provider’s own documentation and your requirements, and ask:
Checks
Which searches it runs for healthcare roles, including exclusion lists and the license checks your roles need.
Coverage
How it reaches the courts and records offices where your applicants have lived.
Applicant support
How applicants get help with missing information, and how disputes are handled.
Item-level status
Whether you can see each component’s status and last update, and whether that status reaches your other systems.
Escalation
Who you call when an item stalls, and how fast they reply.
Next step
Want to find the handoff that keeps slowing your starts? Map it with us.
Questions.
My new hire is waiting on a background check. How do I find what is causing the delay?
Ask the screening company for the status of each item, with its last update. Then sort the open item by who has to act: the applicant, the screening company or your own reviewer.
Which background check providers support healthcare employers?
This guide doesn’t name providers. Compare them on the checks your roles need, court coverage, applicant support, dispute handling, item-level status and escalation.
What can our team do while a new nurse is waiting for a required check?
Keep orientation planning, equipment, payroll set-up and credential checks moving where your policy allows. Name who decides on the start.
Can we give the new hire a start date while the check is open?
Give a planned date only if your policy allows, and say what it depends on. Don’t work one out from a provider’s general turnaround claim; track the open item instead.
What if the report shows something that may stop the hire?
Before deciding, give the person a copy of the report and the FCRA summary of rights. After deciding, send an adverse action notice1. Your authorized reviewer makes the decision.
Sources
- 1Federal Trade Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know”
Disclosure, written permission, the steps before and after an adverse decision, and consistent use of background information. Published Feb 2014.
Accessed Oct 24, 2026
- 2HHS Office of Inspector General, Exclusions Program (List of Excluded Individuals/Entities)
Health care entities should routinely check the list for new hires and current employees.
Accessed Oct 24, 2026
Not legal advice
This guide summarizes public federal guidance. It doesn’t cover state or local rules, and it isn’t legal advice.