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check to the institution’s admissions department. The take the exam unless negative information is discovered
applicant should be afforded a 30-day conditional in the interim.
acceptance, pending the results of the background
check. If the record reveals criminal convictions, the Determine the length of time the academic
student should be required to apply for preapplica- institution must maintain clearances
tion review through the ARRT or the appropriate Each state repository can provide information
credentialing organization, which would identify about the amount of time an educational institution
any violation of the Code of Ethics or equivalent that is required to maintain student criminal background
could preclude the applicant from qualifying for the records. This period also could be noted in the institu-
certification exam. 3 tion’s records retention policy.

Determine who will incur the fees (state and federal Implementation
criminal background checks, drug screening, and Before implementing criminal background checks
ARRT ethics review preapplication) associated with and drug screening clearances, a program must develop
clearances a policy. In some cases, all health science programs of
The fee potentially could be incorporated into the an educational institution might benefit from a unified
admission or student fees of the educational institution. policy. Regardless of whether this policy will be used
Costs vary from state to state, so it is prudent to contact for an individual department or a group, a query into
the state repository (most likely the state police) for the accreditation and clinical education facilities’ health
current fee. For example, the fee for a request for criminal and safety requirements should be conducted. Although
record check by the Pennsylvania State Police is $22; such a query might not reveal a need for clearances
$27.75 for Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s in all clinical education settings, a uniform policy for
Federal Bureau of Investigation Background Clearance; the group might be useful to individual departments
and $100 for the ARRT preapplication review. Drug on an as-needed basis. The development of a uniform
screening costs vary, based on facility and type of screen- programmatic or institutional policy provides a stan-
ing conducted (ie, 5-panel drug test vs 10-panel drug test). dardized process and procedure for clearances.
In addition, private companies will conduct the criminal The policy should define the purpose of the clear-
background, drug screening, and health clearance require- ance requirements. The items to include are:
ments for students for a fee. For large programs, this might ƒ the clearance application process
be a viable option. ƒ frequency of the clearances (eg, as part of the
admissions process and potentially again during
Determine who will decide which criminal offenses placement in a clinical rotation site)
prohibit admission ƒ relevant fees and the parties responsible for pay-
To determine whether admission requirements have ment
been met, the academic institution must set a policy and ƒ individuals responsible for receipt of the results
procedure that outlines the process and identifies the ƒ procedures for handling the results including
circumstances that prohibit admission. For example, results with a positive outcome
a program can include in its policy for clearances a ƒ communication of clinical placement decisions
deference to the ARRT for any positive drug screen- to students that could be based on the results of
ing or criminal record results via the preapplication clearances
review. The ARRT discipline handbook states, “ARRT
4
investigates all potential ethics violations. The results Conclusion
will determine whether eligibility to apply for certifica- Radiologic science programs can take proactive
tion and registration is approved.” Deferring to ARRT steps to ensure patient safety. By establishing policies
policy ensures that the potential student is eligible to that require criminal background checks and drug

RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY, May/June 2018, Volume 89, Number 5 525
Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for educational purposes. ©2019. All rights reserved.