Background Study Requirement

Based on amendments to the Vulnerable Adult Act in 1995 and 1996, Minnesota law requires that any person who provides services involving direct contact with patients and residents at hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health have a background study conducted by the State. Educational programs are authorized to initiate the background studies on their students as an alternative to each licensed facility requesting the studies. When requested by an educational program, the study is valid for one year and may be sent to every clinical site where you are placed during the coming year.

The College of Pharmacy considers its experiential programs to be clinical programs for which a background study is required. This includes Early Pharmacy Practice Experiences (EPhECT and Mentor programs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (fourth-year rotations).

The background study form includes a privacy notice informing you of the purpose and consequences of the study. If you are disqualified from having direct patient contact as a result of the background study and your disqualification is not set aside by the Commissioner of Health through a reconsideration process, you may not be accepted for clinical placement at licensed facilities and therefore may not be eligible for the PharmD degree.

An accompanying signed release of information form allows the College to release to clinical sites the results of your background study, and before the results are available, to document that a study has been requested.

The background study form must be completed at the beginning of each academic year and in the spring of the third year, before students begin their fourth-year Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.  New pharmacy students complete the form at Orientation. Continuing students complete the form during the first week of fall semester. Completed forms must be returned to the Office of Student Services.

The background study forms are sent to the Department of Human Services (DHS) for processing. Documentation that the forms have been mailed is sufficient for licensed facilities to allow you to begin direct patient contact. Results of the background study are sent by DHS to you directly and to the Office of Student Services.