Employee Screening, Employee Vetting Services from Eurocom C.I.

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Fears from the USA

It could never happen here.....could it?

 

US based screening companies are finding out that conducting background checks on prospective nurses is a lot like the so-called 'War on Terror's' search for "evil-doers."  In nearly every case, the individual comes up clean, with his or her academic records, licensing and other credentials in perfect order. According to recruiter Loney Moses RN, too many healthcare employers are willing to pass along problem employees to other organisations. "A lot of hospitals won't give the reason for termination," said Moses, who hires approximately a hundred nurses annually for Community Hospital of New Port Richey (FL). "We just get their dates of employment." As a result, recruiters often have nothing but their intuition to distinguish between top performers and walking disasters.

Worst Nightmare

Their worst nightmare may be Charles Cullen, a 43-year-old registered nurse arrested in New Jersey in December for allegedly murdering a 68-year-old Roman Catholic priest with an unauthorised injection of the heart drug digoxin. Cullen, who is also accused of attempting to kill another patient at the Somerset Medical Center this past June, told authorities after his arrest that he had killed up to 40 seriously ill patients to alleviate their 'suffering' during his 16-year nursing career.

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Cullen began killing patients when he worked at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, which hired him in 1987. He was subsequently hired by nine other institutions despite having been fired or forced to resign, from at least three facilities. He was also convicted of criminal trespassing and harassment after breaking into the home of a female colleague with whom he was infatuated. Despite these issues, no complaints about his character or competence were ever reported to nurse licensing boards in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

 

It could never happen here could it?