Psychology How should I navigate psychology internship employment background checks?

[futureapppsy2]

There was some talk several months ago (before the current internship cycle began) about individuals who had matched and later had their offers rescinded because they failed criminal background checks. Essentially, the APPI guidance (as I interpreted it) was for student/applicants to reach out to sites and ask training directors what constitutes a disqualifying criminal history for their program. In effect, this was asking students to air out their dirty laundry before they were even given a first look and it seemed unfair.

As an applicant in this current cycle who once found themselves in the backseat of a cop car... I am wondering how concerned I should be based on the recent issues that the other students went through and what any of you all may know about how this scenario could play out.

To give you additional background, I ultimately pled guilty to attempted reckless driving (a class C misdemeanor) and this occurred more than ten years ago. I have no other criminal history. Since I have been in grad school (for a masters degree and 4 years in a doctoral program), I have done practicum and research at multiple jails and probation sites where I passed a criminal background check. Additionally, I obviously passed the screening that was conducted to be admitted into my current doctoral program.

This has to be a risk judgment on your part. If you legitimately don't think that your particular legal history will cause any problems with the background check at a site and there's no question on the APPI that asks about it, you are under no obligation to disclose (if there is a question, you have to be honest, of course). The risk here, of course, is if you match to a site, they determine that you did not pass the background check because of this, and you lose your match. I would think that many./most sites would be okay with one non-substance-abuse-related, traffic-related misdemeanor on a background check, but I obviously can't say for sure. Again, it's ultimately your decision on how much you are willing to bet that a site would be okay with it and ask or not ask accordingly. Good luck with the match!

That’s fair, and about what I expected to hear. In my opinion, it seems subjective and without any standard for things to be so vague. In the interests of transparency and equity, it would be fair to all parties involved to be explicit and upfront with criteria for disqualification (especially given that some of these sites have previously picked someone, they matched, and then both sides effectively got burned by the ensuing “surprise”). I would think this would incentivize transparency for the sites as well.

It almost seems as if the general attitude is a sort of laissez faire with regard to the applicants who may have “a past.” I understand that we all ultimately make our own beds, but it seems to be at odds with the underlying premises of our field of psychology. Again, just my opinion and maybe I am just venting frustration with the ambiguity. In any case, I appreciate your insight.

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[AcronymAllergy]

As suggested by APPI, you could ask individual sites about any employer-mandated disqualifying criteria, although I'd be surprised if a misdemeanor of nearly any type would fall into this category. You might phrase it in such a way that it's not necessarily specific to only criminal history so as to avoid indirect disclosure (e.g., if there are any specific disqualifying criteria relating to an applicant's training and academic history, personal/professional history, etc.). Each site's brochure may also list this information (e.g., every VA training site's brochure should include information on all VA-wide employment requirements).

That being said, I would second futureapppsy2's reply: if there is a question on the APPI or any site-specific applications/materials that asks about criminal history (e.g., "have you ever been convicted of any offense other than a minor traffic violation?"), you likely need to disclose. If not, I agree that you're under no obligation to do so. Some applications will place a time limit on the reporting history (e.g., within 7 years) and others don't.

Part of the issue is that a site may not have any explicit guidelines, and they instead approach it on a case-by-case basis (which is often what many licensing boards do as well). For example, does the applicant take ownership of the event, have they taken steps to prevent/rehabilitate/remediate, is it recent or remote or are there ongoing concerns, etc.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Thank you. That is very helpful. To be honest, it hadn't occurred to be me to be concerned until I saw that Match News email that mentioned the students who had matched and then were ultimately refused employment based on their HR background checks at their respective training sites. It more or less put the issue on my radar and I found that there really isn't a lot of detail in any of the websites or brochures (to include the VA ones, which simply give the same link to some executive order written in elaborate legalese that provides no practical information to the end user whatsoever). The term "criminal history" is extremely vague, so it made me start to wonder.

Once again, thank you. This info is really helpful and it puts my mind at ease.

No problem. As an added point, even if you don't disclose during internship (and possibly fellowship) applications, I'd still be thinking of a way to describe/explain the situation for licensure, malpractice, and other credential-related applications. Every state is different, but some will require you to disclose any criminal history, regardless of how long ago it happened, and may also require that you provide any relevant court documents. Again, I'd be a bit surprised if a misdemeanor for reckless driving over a decade ago prevented someone from getting licensed, but it's ultimately up to the board.