Pre-Employment Background Checks and Substance Screening

The background check process will be initiated during the new hire process after the candidate has accepted a conditional offer of employment with UCSF and completes a background check consent form.  The background check consent form will be sent to the candidate via email from our background check partner, Certiphi.  A candidate will not be asked to disclose any criminal history in the process.

The candidate must consent to a background check in order to be hired by UCSF.

• Social Security Trace: A public records search of the candidate based on the addresses generated by the candidate’s social security number and current address.
• County Criminal Search: A search of court records for convictions within counties in which the candidate has lived or worked, as well as the Bay Area counties in close proximity with San Francisco.
• Sanction Search: A search of lists or databases maintained by the Office of Inspector General, the General Services Administration, or other federal agencies’ records for listing as debarred, excluded or otherwise ineligible for federal program participation.
• National Sex Offender Registry Search: A search of the registry that is coordinated by the United States Department of Justice containing information about sex offenders throughout the United States.
• National Criminal Database Search: A search of the database which contains criminal records from all 50 states. This includes the Department of Corrections, Department of Public Safety, Traffic Court, Multi-state Sex Offenders and EBI’s Proprietary Criminal Record Database.
• Education Verification (UCSF Health only): Only for jobs that require a specific educational diploma or degree as listed in the job posting.  A search to confirm diplomas, degrees, and/or certificates the candidate may have stated or represented during the application or interview process.
• License/Certification Verification: Only for jobs that require a specific license or certification as listed in the job posting.  A search is conducted through the licensing board to confirm that a candidate has a current and active license or certification.

UCSF uses a consumer reporting agency to conduct the background check. Consumer reporting agencies must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which prohibits the reporting of criminal information older than seven years.

A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment. Please refer to “How will the results of my background check impact my job offer.”

If the background check does not contain information that would disqualify the candidate’s employment, the hiring process may proceed.

If the background check contains any conflicting or potentially disqualifying information, the candidate will not automatically be disqualified from employment.  The Human Resources department and, if necessary, a panel of confidential reviewers who are not in the hiring department, will conduct an individualized assessment to determine whether to proceed with the hiring process.

The candidate may be contacted by Human Resources during this individualized assessment.

The individualized assessment considers, but are not limited to:

• Whether the law prohibits the candidate from holding the position based on the nature of the conviction
• The nature and gravity of the offense(s)
• The length of time that has passed since the offense(s) occurred and/or completion of the sentence
• The nature of the position applied for, including the circumstances under which and the environment in which the duties must be performed (i.e., whether the position offers the opportunity for the same or a similar offense to occur)
• Evidence of rehabilitation (documentation or testimony) or other evidence of good conduct
• Whether the candidate is bonded under a federal, state, or local bonding program
• Any explanation offered by the candidate
• Legal case proceedings in progress that may show up in a background check
• How convictions past seven years evaluated/handled

Substance use screening involves an assessment for evidence of the use of illegal drugs, according to Federal law, and the inappropriate use of legal drugs. This includes the following eight categories of drugs including amphetamine (amphetamines and methamphetamine), cocaine metabolite, opiates (codeine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, morphine and oxymorphone), phencyclidine (PCP), barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methadone and propoxyphene.

Medical reviews of all positive results are conducted by a trained Medical Review Officer (MRO). The presence of any illegal substance constitutes a positive-pending-review substance use screen. The presence of any legal substance for which there is no prescription and/or medical confirmation of need constitutes a positive screening result.

The pre-employment substance use screening will be initiated during the new hire process after the candidate has accepted a conditional offer of employment with UCSF and completes a substance use screening consent form. The candidate will be instructed to visit a lab location to submit a urine specimen. 

The Medical Review Officer (MRO) will review all positive substance screening results. The MRO will contact the candidate when there is a presence of any legal substance to see whether the candidate has a current prescription for the substance.  The MRO will determine whether the prescription confirms the use of the legal substance. If confirmed, the MRO will consider the results to be negative.

A positive pre-employment substance use screening will result in the rescinding of the offer of employment at UCSF unless the MRO clears this after review.

For a positive substance use screening, candidates can be considered again for UCSF Health employment after 90 days from the positive screening. If the candidate is offered employment with UCSF Health or a campus position where this is listed as a requirement, they will be required to undergo another pre-employment substance use screening.

For a background check, a candidate can apply for other positions at UCSF at any time; however, if offered employment, the candidate will be required to undergo another pre-employment background check. The individualized assessment conducted when reviewing the results of the background check may result in the same offer rescission decision. 

No, the results of the background check and substance screening are never shared or discussed with a hiring manager. Human Resources and, if necessary, a panel of confidential reviewers who are not in the hiring department, review the results and make the decision on whether to proceed with the hiring process.