What types of employee screening you should expect from an agency?

The caregivers that enter your home are placed in a position of trust. The Agency you retain should have a standard way of screening its employees to insure that they have good character, a good work ethic and are not a health risk to the client or the family. One of the main objectives of a background check is for an agency to ensure that its employees are free from any criminal offenses, such as assault or theft, which could be harmful to a client.

Below is a list of some of the screening methods used by home care agencies.

Motor Vehicle Record (MVR)

Many clients will request that they be transported to appointments, shopping, vacations, or other destinations. In response to this need, an agency should be obtaining a MVR for all employees who would perform transportation services.

Reference Checks

Every attempt should be made to verify the quality of the employee. By using references from past employment, an agency can discover the dependability, loyalty, promptness, efficiency, and other characteristics of the employee.

Tuberculosis (TB) Test

In certain areas of the Country there are higher incidents of Tuberculosis. The immune system of an elderly client can be significantly lower. This would subject the client to a higher possibility of contracting the disease should an employee be infected or be a carrier of tuberculosis.

Hepatitis B Injection Series

Hepatitis B is a highly contagious disease that can be life threatening. An agency should provide its employees with this vaccination series. Due to the employee's exposure to body secretions, the protection of the employee is vital. This will also help to keep down the infection rate of the public at large.

Competency Testing

As with any profession there is a level of competence that is required. An agency should provide training and testing for their employees to ensure that they posses the acceptable level of skill required for the individuality of each client.