Healthcare staffing has the highest compliance bar of any vertical we work in. Here's the baseline you should expect — and the gotchas that catch most teams.
Licensing & credentials
Every clinician we place has their primary state license verified directly with the issuing board, not just self-reported. Compact licenses (eNLC for nurses) need extra attention — privileges differ by state.
Required certs
- BLS (Basic Life Support) — required for nearly all clinical roles
- ACLS / PALS — for ICU, ED, peds settings
- Specialty certs (CCRN, CEN, OCN) — vary by unit
- Annual competencies — facility-specific, must be current
Background + drug screening
Healthcare requires deeper background than most verticals: federal & state criminal, OIG/SAM exclusion checks, and 10-panel drug screens. Some facilities also require pre-employment physicals and immunization titers.
Onboarding documentation
I-9, W-2, direct deposit, HIPAA training, facility-specific orientation. The good staffing partners track expiries and renew before lapses. The bad ones leave you with placements who suddenly can't badge into the unit.
Red flags in a partner
- They can't show you their credentialing checklist on the first call.
- They don't track license expiries or only do an annual sweep.
- They send you candidates whose certs are 'pending' or 'in process.'