Guide to Physical Therapist Background Checks
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A physical therapist background check is often an important step in the hiring process, whether you’re a healthcare employer or an individual seeking private care. These checks help you mitigate risks, protect vulnerable patients, and better comply with industry regulations. They also help increase peace of mind by verifying a physical therapist’s history and qualifications.
Key takeaways:
- Background checks are helpful for patient safety and maintaining professional standards in physical therapy
- Verifying the qualifications and ethical standing of physical therapists is important due to their crucial role in patient care
- Background check approaches differ for healthcare facilities and individuals hiring directly
- Get started today and order your first background check online
Physical therapists help individuals recover from injuries, surgeries, and chronic conditions. Because they often work with patients with significant care needs, thorough physical therapist background checks are a key step in making hiring decisions. Here’s what you should know about background checks for physical therapists.
What is a physical therapist background check?
A physical therapist background check is a screening process used to evaluate a candidate’s qualifications and eligibility for a role. These checks are a useful first step in protecting patients and maintaining professional standards of the physical therapy profession.
Employers and individuals hiring for physical therapist roles may include the following screenings:
- Criminal background checks record any history of criminal convictions, pending cases, or offenses such as fraud, abuse, assault, or neglect.
- Sex offender registry checks search national, state, territorial, or tribal sex offender registries to determine if an individual is listed.
- Education verification confirms degree earned, institutions attended, and graduation dates.
- Employment verification verifies past employment details such as job titles and dates.
- Professional license verification ensures the physical therapist’s state-issued license is valid and current and may include checks for voluntary certifications.
- Reference verification involves contacting professional and personal references to assess character and qualifications.
- Drug testing screens for recent use of illicit substances through urine, saliva, hair, or blood samples.
Why are physical therapist background checks important?
Physical therapist background checks are a critical step in the hiring process. For employers, they help protect patients, uphold professional standards, improve legal compliance, and mitigate risks. For individuals seeking private care, these checks can help foster increased trust and confidence. Here’s a closer look at the key benefits.
For employers
Employers frequently conduct background checks because they’re a helpful starting point in protecting your patients, upholding industry and reputational standards, complying with relevant regulations, and mitigating business risk.
- Protecting patients: Physical therapist background checks can help employers identify potential concerns in a candidate’s history, ideally reducing the risk of harm to vulnerable individuals. Verifying personal and professional backgrounds supports safer care environments and can help build trust with patients and their families.
- Maintaining professional standards and reputation: Thorough screening helps prevent incidents that could harm a healthcare facility’s reputation. Making background checks a standard part of the hiring process promotes ethical conduct and reinforces high standards for patient care.
- Complying with laws and regulations: Federal, state, and local laws and regulations may require certain employers to conduct healthcare background checks. For example, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate that long-term care facilities participating in Medicare or Medicaid programs conduct pre-employment background checks on all new employees, including physical therapists. Staying compliant can help organizations avoid fines, legal consequences, and licensing issues.
- Mitigating risk and liability: Developing a formal background check policy demonstrates a commitment to due diligence. It can also help reduce the potential for negligence claims and financial loss.
For individuals
Private clients hiring physical therapists for in-home or long-term care can use background checks to make safer, more informed decisions. Reviewing a therapist’s history before hiring can help enhance security.
Physical therapists may also wish to run a background check on themselves. Sharing a report with prospective employers or clients can demonstrate transparency, professionalism, and a proactive commitment to ethical care.
How to get a physical therapist background check
The process of obtaining a physical therapist background check varies depending on whether you’re an employer, a private individual, or a physical therapist. Here’s how each can approach the screening process.
For employers
Employers can run physical therapist background checks independently or with the help of a background check provider, like Checkr. Because screening typically requires accessing multiple databases, partnering with a consumer reporting agency (CRA) can streamline the background check process.
Checkr can help your organization perform background checks more efficiently. With a variety of packages and add-ons, you can select the screenings that matter most to your organization, collect information via our candidate portal, and communicate with candidates throughout the process. We help you comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and other applicable laws to help employers conduct thorough background checks with ease.
For individuals
While running a formal physical therapist background check as a private employer may be challenging due to privacy and consent requirements, you can still take steps to verify a candidate’s background.
First, you’ll likely need the therapist’s permission to obtain personal information (such as Social Security number and date of birth) to run official screenings, which may not be feasible.
Second, focus on accessible verification methods. There are a few steps you can take to learn more about a private care provider, including:
- Verifying state licensure. All 50 states require physical therapists to obtain a license before working independently. Confirm a physical therapist’s active, unrestricted license through your state’s physical therapy board or licensing agency.
- Requesting references. Ask the physical therapist for a list of professional and personal references and obtain their permission to contact them. Call or email each reference to inquire about their experience, professionalism, and quality of care.
- Searching online. Look for online reviews or news mentions that offer insight into the therapist’s professional history.
- Discussing credentials and qualifications. Ask about their education, certifications, and experience. You may request copies of degrees and certifications with the physical therapist’s consent.
Lastly, prioritize communication and trust. Before hiring a physical therapist, have an open, honest conversation about their history and qualifications. If the therapist is willing, you can ask them to order a personal background check online with Checkr and share the results with you.
For physical therapists
Running a personal background check is a proactive way to support your job search and build trust with employers or private clients.
With Checkr, you can order a personal background check and access results within minutes. Checkr also provides the opportunity to identify and resolve any inaccuracies.
Run a background check with Checkr today
Physical therapist background checks give employers and individuals information that can help them make confident hiring decisions. Whether staffing a healthcare facility or hiring a private care provider, background checks promote trust, safety, and peace of mind.
For employers, Checkr makes integrating physical therapist background checks into your hiring process easy. Our APIs integrate with more than 100 ATS and HRIS systems, providing a seamless experience for candidates. With fast turnaround times and comprehensive screening packages, you can fill physical therapist positions more efficiently. 97% of our customers say our results arrive more quickly than the competition. Get started with Checkr today.
Checkr also offers personal background checks you can complete online. Review your report in minutes and share it with prospective employers or private clients. Order online today.
Disclaimer
The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.
