Criminal Background Requirements for Pharmacist Techs

Pharmacists handle tightly regulated, highly controlled substances in large quantities. When a pharmacy hires a new employee, they have to go by more than intuition about their character. Pharmacies perform background checks on job applicants to ensure they are getting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians of the highest moral character and background.

The Statistics

• The FBI says 33 percent of all employees admit to stealing a product or money from the companies they work for. The Department of Justice states that one out of every 32 people has a criminal record. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce tells us that as much as 2 percent of gross sales are lost to employee theft.

The Initial Interview

• Pharmacies rely on the accuracy of the employment application for their initial judgment of the applicant. An employer will spend the first part of the interview going over all the information in the application. They make sure the applicant commits to the accuracy of the application, look for gaps in employment history and ask for an explanation for any gaps that appear. If the interview has gone well enough to consider the applicant for the job, the employer will spend time verifying all the information provided in the application. ome states don't allow an employer to ask the applicant about their arrest record. California prohibits employers from asking broad questions about arrests. Instead, they can only ask about arrests which concern the duties of the job. An employer hiring for a position in a pharmacy could ask about drug arrests but not arrests for public drunkenness.

The Background Check

• Federal law forbids a pharmacy from hiring anyone who has been convicted of a drug-related violation. The pharmacy must perform a criminal background check to comply with this regulation. The employer will also verify the applicant's state pharmacist license, social security number and education. The employer will check for any arrests or indictments for health care abuse, fraud or malpractice or sexual offenses. The background check may include the applicant's military record, credit history and driving record.

The Penalties for Failure

• Pharmacies can be sued for hiring an unqualified or dangerous employee. They must do a reasonable search for any indications the applicant shouldn't be employed. If they don't, they are liable for the pharmacist's errors.