AACP-Facilitated Centralized Criminal Background Check Service

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) organized an adhoc Criminal Background Check Advisory Panel in May 2006 to identify common problems and possible strategies to assist members with this rapidly evolving issue. The panel recommends that all U.S. pharmacy schools procure a national background check on applicants upon their initial, conditional acceptance to pharmacy school. The rationale for performing criminal background checks on accepted pharmacy school applicants is based on a number of issues, including:

1.  A growing number of national healthcare organizations, institutions and state legislatures require student pharmacists to complete a criminal background check (CBC) at least once during their educational career.
2.  Background checks are commonly required for hospital staff, as well as individuals who work or volunteer with children or other vulnerable populations, which include student pharmacists.
3.  Student pharmacists may be subject to criminal background checks earlier in their educational career and more often than medical school students due to introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs).

In support of this recommendation, AACP has initiated a PharmCAS-facilitated national background check service, through which Certiphi Screening, Inc. (a Vertical Screen® Company) will procure a national background report on applicants at the point of acceptance. AACP has initiated this new service in order to recognize the desire of pharmacy schools to procure appropriate national criminal history reports and to prevent applicants from paying additional fees at each pharmacy school to which they are accepted.

During the PharmCAS 2010 application year, as we determine the viability of this new service, participating pharmacy schools may continue to require applicants to undergo a separate national background check process, if required to do so by their own institutional regulations or by applicable state law. Many pharmacy schools not participating in our new service during this year may also require applicants to undergo a separate national background check process.

Participating Pharmacy Schools

For the 2010 entering class, the following pharmacy schools are participating:

Drake University
Midwestern University – Glendale
Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOP)
Nova Southeastern University
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
Touro College of Pharmacy - New York
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Francisco
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
Samford University
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
Touro College of Pharmacy - New York
West Virginia University

2009 Annual Meeting Criminal Background Check Session

Report of the AACP Criminal Background Check Advisory Panel - November 2006.

Use of Criminal Convictions in College Admissions - Paper presented to the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) by Derek Langhauser (Maine Technical College System) in June 2000.

The University of Montana Employee Criminal Background Check Policy: Legal Issues - Paper presented to the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) by David Aronofsky on June 26-29, 2005.

The University of Iowa Technical Standards 

University of Kentucky Technical Standards 

The University of Mississippi Technical Standards

AAMC Resource Document on Background Checks - Group on Student Affairs Recommendations regarding Criminal Background Checks for Medical School Applicants.

JCAHO FAQ on Student Background Checks - Requirements for Criminal Background Checks.

National Association of College and University Attorneys - NACUA overview of student criminal background checks.

Medical Schools Seek Security of Student Background Checks - AAMC - October 2004.

Baylor College of Medicine - Student Background Check Policy.

The Ohio State School of Medicine - Student Background Check Policy.

The University of Iowa College of Pharmacy - Student Background Check Policy.

University of Minnesota Medical School - Student Background Check Policy.

University Texas El Paso Health Sciences - Student Background Check Policy.

University of Wisconsin (Green Bay) - Student Background Check Policy.

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine - Student Background Check Policy.

Virginia Barrier Crimes - Definitions.

Wisconsin Caregiver Law - Caregiver Program (including Background Checks).