Certiphi Address Problem

[medschoolthrowaway2020]

I am finally doing my certiphi background check because I put it off knowing this would be an issue. Its asking for every address I've ever lived at and I have no clue how to fill it out. I have lived at 30+ addresses and spent random short periods of my childhood technically homeless and I have no idea what the addresses are and the dates of when I lived there. I know every from basically high school onwards but I have no clue what to do about my childhood. What do I do?

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[GreenDuck12]

I am finally doing my certiphi background check because I put it off knowing this would be an issue. Its asking for every address I've ever lived at and I have no clue how to fill it out. I have lived at 30+ addresses and spent random short periods of my childhood technically homeless and I have no idea what the addresses are and the dates of when I lived there. I know every from basically high school onwards but I have no clue what to do about my childhood. What do I do?

Fill in what you can. The purpose is to match up with public records databases. If there is a problem they will contact you.

 

[SeaHusky]

Fill in what you can. The purpose is to match up with public records databases. If there is a problem they will contact you.

To add on to this OP: CertiPhi just needs this as an additional verification tool. They'll fill in any missing addresses on their end once they complete the background check, so don't worry about filling in every single address with 100% certainty.

Source: Forgot an address I lived at during a time in college, and CertiPhi filled it in for me in the final report.

 

[deleted1106225]

Certiphi's requirements seem really excessive and imposes a large burden on students who survived foster care, domestic violence, youth homelessness and other forms of adversity while wealthy premeds I've talked to literally cannot imagine what it's like to have unstable housing and move every 3-12 months for a large period of your life. Literally doing this right now. Why not 7 years, or 10?

 

[deleted771945]

Fill in what you can. The purpose is to match up with public records databases. If there is a problem they will contact you.

I believe this is the correct response. For my childhood, I filled in approximate dates and I'm not even sure if the addresses were 100% accurate. Everything went through fine.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Certiphi's requirements seem really excessive and imposes a large burden on students who survived foster care, domestic violence, youth homelessness and other forms of adversity while wealthy premeds I've talked to literally cannot imagine what it's like to have unstable housing and move every 3-12 months for a large period of your life. Literally doing this right now. Why not 7 years, or 10?

These types of background checks will happen routinely while you are a healthcare provider. Granted, it is inconvenient but it is what is desired by any licensing board and employer in the end.

 

[deleted1106225]

These types of background checks will happen routinely while you are a healthcare provider. Granted, it is inconvenient but it is what is desired by any licensing board and employer in the end.

I cleared in 12 hours. I was a bit miffed because I was previously rejected from a volunteer program (years ago) on the basis of my frequent address changes. (This was for ED rape crisis advocate volunteering, an issue close to my heart as a survivor of violence who used to live on the streets.) I was later cleared by a separate, parallel program with a different hospital network system, but 25 years of address history still makes me feel defensive.

Background check companies with paid EMS providers do not ask for nearly anywhere near that amount of information. FDNY EMS asks for ten years. An ex of mine also agreed with me that 25 years seemed a little excessive. She literally asked me, "what are they trying to do, get you a security clearance?" (She, like over a million of other Americans working for the government, possesses top secret clearance.)

In general, this just reminds me of the need for a dedicated network of resources for socioeconomically disadvantaged applicants with a history of substantial childhood adversity, to guide applicants through the process. It's not like I could ask most of my wealthier premed colleagues about the matter.