Kevin Myatt
New York company to handle background checks
Effective Sept. 1, Vanderbilt has chosen a new vendor for conducting employment background checks. New York-based Sterling Testing Systems will begin doing background checks for final candidates throughout the Medical Center, and will also check current employees who are applying for transfer to or new positions at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
“It makes good sound business logic and will allow us to provide the best employees to the best employer in the city,” said Kevin Myatt, Chief Human Resources Officer for Vanderbilt.
As part of the final process of selecting an employee for a job, Sterling will be doing checks which will include the following: Social security trace and address verification; criminal convictions search report; Sex Offender database search; and education verification.
“We realize this kind of check can seem intimidating to some employees,” said Lisa Ponton, Senior Director, Human Relations. “That’s why the recruitment team in Human Resources went through the check first, to show that what is good for other employees is good for us as well. The cost is fairly reasonable, but the payoff is so much more.”
Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital administrators are going through background checks right now. Staff transferring from other parts of the University and Medical Center to the new hospital will be screened next as well as applicants for new positions at the Children’s Hospital.