Parkland Health Profession students are required to complete background checks and drug testing before going to our clinical sites.
Castle Branch (
www.castlebranch.com) is the company that Parkland College has designated as the repository for the health record information, background checks and drug screen results. Students will be given information on how to log on, register, and upload forms once they are admitted to their program.
SIGNING UP WITH CASTLE BRANCH
You will create an account with Castle Branch. The cost of this service is covered in the Parkland course fees for classes. Once you have an account with Castle Branch, you will have access to your health records for life. If you withdraw from a program during the tuition reimbursement or are dropped due to non-compliance you will be charged from Parkland for the account that was created. Any student who opens multiple accounts that cannot be canceled from Castle Branch will be responsible for the additional charge.
You'll need to scan and upload documents to the
Castle Branch website. Free scanning is available to Parkland health profession students in the Parkland Library and the H Wing office (Parkland on Mattis). Kinkos, Fed Ex, Champaign Public Library, and the Urbana Free Library also offer scanning, but with a per minute charge. You can save the scanned files (to a thumb drive) to upload to
Castle Branch at one of the on-campus computer labs.
BACKGROUND CHECK
When you log in and complete the registration with
Castle Branch you must submit the IL Authorization Release to Castle Branch by printing, signing, scanning and emailing the document back to Castle Branch at
expedite@castlebranch.com. You will be contacted if any clarification or additional documentation is necessary or if there is a question about your background check.
Although 95% of background checks are completed in 3-5 business days, some results may take up to 30 days. Do not hesitate to contact
Castle Branch at 888/723-4263 if you do not have your results back within a week. Delayed results could prevent you from meeting assignment deadlines so begin the process immediately after you receive your program instructions. Exceptions cannot be made.
Requirements are the result of contract agreements with our clinical facilities. If you have been arrested in the past or have concerns about a past criminal history please review the list of disqualifying convictions at this website:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/nar/disconvictions.htm. Some convictions qualify for a waiver. For more information on the waiver process and procedure to obtain a waiver, please visit:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/nar/WAIVER_APPLICATION_Facts.pdf. Some facilities will not allow students to come there even if they receive a “waiver” from the state for a criminal offense.
One last thing, licensure does not guarantee employment. Stay aware of changing requirements at different places of employment.
DRUG SCREENING
Once you have opened your
Castle Branch account there will be a document to download and print, take this form to the drug screening location on the document. If you have trouble opening the document, call
Castle Branch at 888/723-4263. Do not postpone getting this completed since delayed results could prevent you from meeting assignment deadlines.
You will be contacted if any clarification or additional documentation is necessary or if there is a question about your drug screen. Exceptions cannot be made regarding drug screening. Students get one screening opportunity. If the result is anything but negative, the student will not be qualified to enter any program. Requirements are the result of contract agreements with our clinical facilities.