Ohlone College has always been a trend setter. In 2004 it was the first college to go smoke-free in the San Francisco Bay area. So when the college opened its new Center for Health Sciences and Technology in 2008 it would be another “first” - this time, as the first “green” community college campus in the nation.
The Center for Health Sciences and Technology is the home of the Health Science and Environmental Studies program, which confers associate degrees in nursing, physical therapy, respiratory therapy and a certificate in phlebotomy. “With 200 students in various stages of their education all needing practicum experience, the paper process for managing student background investigations required by the Joint Commission needed to change given our program’s new eco-friendly home,” said Gale Carli, Dean of Health Science and Environmental Studies.
In 2004 the Joint Commissions set forth a standard in HR 1.20 that student background investigations must be conducted when required by law, regulation or company policy. Any revision to Ohlone College’s student background check program would still need to:
Ensure uniform compliance with the Joint Commission standards.
Meet contractual obligations with the 10 hospital affiliates as it relates to student background screening and practicum experience.
In addition, the current paper-intensive process needed to be streamlined with the following environmentally friendly goals in mind:
Paperless – replace paper files and electronic paper trails.
Electronic management – information just a click away.
Ohlone College administrators were burdened with ordering, collecting payment for and managing its cumbersome, paper-laden student background check program. The new system would need to have a secure method for payment and transmitting confidential student information via a paperless platform while also providing secure management reporting of investigation results.
In response to the challenges faced by Ohlone and other colleges serving similar disciplines, Corporate Screening developed VerifyStudents. com, a secure, turnkey web portal that enables students to submit and pay for their background check online. All student information is securely transmitted via VerifyStudents.com and results are electronically sent directly to the school’s clinical coordinator administrator keeping the integrity of any findings. Corporate Screening consulted every step of the way to ensure that the program was a custom fit for their clients’ needs.
“The process is now streamlined for everyone, students and administrators alike,” shared Gale Carli. Clinical coordinators no longer have the hassle of collecting and filing documents. They now access and review report results with a click of the mouse using CS EASE®, Corporate Screening’s management reporting system. When a clinical partner calls with a question the answer is now readily available via the web.
Implementation was easy and cost-effective too. Corporate Screening worked with Ohlone College to put in place the most stringent screening requirements based on its clinical partners’ guidelines. Students are now assured they will only pay once for a background check to satisfy multiple clinical rotation sites. Gale Carli also noted, “Implementing VerifyStudents was cost-effective for the college too. From an IT perspective a web browser was the only technical requirement for implementation. Our students’ background reports are stored and archived at Corporate Screening – freeing up my budget.”
Ohlone College began using the VerifyStudents web portal for its student background screening program in 2005. Corporate Screening was the only company that could meet not only the background screening requirements of the Joint Commission and its clinical partners, but also the environmental requirements of Ohlone College. “The customer service has been terrific too and is what separates Corporate Screening and VerifyStudents from competing service providers,” said Dean Carli.
Corporate Screening continues developing and enhancing its background screening products based on open lines of communication established through partnerships with its clients like Ohlone College, who are making a difference in our world – not only with their well-prepared students but also because of their sense of environmental responsibility. And that should make anyone green with envy.
Corporate Screening serves a nationwide client base with pre-employment screening, business investigations, background checks and executive level investigative services that are designed to provide up-to-the-minute information on job candidates, current employees and business associates.
To learn more, visit CorporateScreening.com