back ground checks

[markonthetown]

I am in the middle of my emt-b course and have found out the counties do background checks. How far do they go back. I have a couple of dui's during my crazy college days but have never lost my liscense. This was over 15 years ago.

 

[JPINFV]

It could help to know where you are from. I imagine that any criminal conviction will turn up.

 

[markonthetown]

I am in the ga / sc area so I could end up on either side of the line

 

[KEVD18]

not to be a jerk, but if you were to call your state/county oems you would get an answer straight form the horses mouth as it were. in this case the horse being the agency that would actually be issuing the cert/license and not from a bunch of internet yahoos who may or may not actually be providing correct information.

id just hate to see you drop out of school because someone here gave you inaccurate information.

further, your asking a question that has an answer specific to your geographic location. there may or may not be a member here from that area. other than that possible input, all your going to get is "well, i dont know how things work in sc, but in my state we do it this way" and unless youw ant to come up to boston and start all over again, my esoteric answer wont help you one darn bit.

 

[ErinCooley]

for a Ga license the state required a 10 year (I THINK thats what it was) Federal background check. However, a friend accidentally marked that he had been arrested (or convicted of a crime, I dont know which crime) and had a terrible time w/ National Registry.

But, I'm pretty sure that you wont encounter any problems while in school... they are checking to make sure that youve not have any crimes against patients/children. Its the services when you go to work that may not like your record.

 

[tatersalad]

I know the Rescue Squad I just applied to does the background check. This is for Insurance purposes, as well as others. You will probably need to check with the services you are hoping to be employed by.

 

[Canadian_EMT]

You should go to your local police station and apply for a pardon. That way if it is pardoned, it will not show up!

 

[tydek07]

Its hard to answer, but I have a feeling that you will have a tough time finding a job. Almost every place does these background checks and things like DUI's would more then likely be a major red flag. I may be wrong, but I am almost sure it will affect where you work.

Take Care,

 

[mycrofft]

Listen to Kev and do not lie.

10characters

 

[John E]

Listen to Kev...

and to Mycrofft too...

It is ALWAYS better to go to the source, as much fun as EMT life is, you will find that in any thread like this there will be as much, if not more, incorrect information disseminated as there is correct information disseminated. Much of what people will claim to be factual will in fact be, pun intended, opinion.

Contact the county or state EMS authorities in whatever specific area you will trying to work in and ask them. Be specific about the nature of the offense(s) and the dates that they(it) occurred.

I THINK you'll find that given the time that has elapsed, you'll probably be fine but like everyone else who's answered, I don't know.

Once you find out, come back and let us know how it went. Good luck, unlike some people here, there are a few who think that a couple of bad decisions in one's youth doesn't condemn one for life.

John E.

 

[fortsmithman]

The service I'm with does criminal records and vulnerable sector checks. These are required by municipal law.

 

[VentMedic]

You should go to your local police station and apply for a pardon. That way if it is pardoned, it will not show up!

In the U.S., it is called expunged which will require an attorney and a court date with a judge.

When you fill out your application and form for the background check, you will probably be asked if you have any records that will show up from the past. It is always best to be honest.

But, the best advice is still to call your state's, as well as county if applicable (ex California), EMS board for clarification and the specifics about past marks on your record.

 

[BossyCow]

The most important factor is going to be the competition for EMS jobs in your area. If there are 20 applications for every opening, your application isn't going to make the first cut. When hiring, the first look through of a stack of applications is to weed out those you believe are a waste of your time. This gets the pile of applications into a more manageable size. The application that is poorly written, mis-spelled, bad handwriting, sketchy job history, criminal history etc is not going to make the cut in a competitive market.

On the other hand, if there are only a few applicants, you are more likely to get the opportunity to explain circumstances of the event.

Vent is right though about the 'expunged record'. Juvenile records are generally 'sealed' at 18, but sealed record can be opened if you have the right key. Often with a deferred prosecution, done in a lot of first time DUIs, after your probation period has finished, there is another form you must fill out to have the record expunged. It is not always done automatically. In the case of deferred prosecution, there is even sometimes a narrow window of opportunity in which that paperwork has to be filed.

Its definitely worth checking out with an attorney. If you cannot afford and attorney, one will be provided.... No seriously... most areas have a pro bono legal agency for providing free or low cost legal services, generally based on a sliding scale per your income.

Its definitely worth checking out. A clean record is always going to be better than a tarnished one. If you can make it go away, do so.

 

[norcalpremt]

I happen to do criminal background checks. The FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) which is the federal guideline for consumer background investigations does not state how long criminal convictions are reportable; however certain states do have restrictions. Georgia and South Carolina have none.

It will be up to the type of background check that your potential agency runs, and also what criteria that agency uses to make hiring decisions. if you have been clean records wise for 15 years, they may or may not care about some young past indiscretions.

It would be wise to be upfront with them and not try to hide it at all just incase.