Conducting background checks can help protect your veterinary practice, staff members, patients, and their owners. Employees who work with patients need to be trustworthy, especially when working with vulnerable animals. Avoiding the negative consequences of skipping background checks can help your veterinary practice thrive.
Skipping Background Checks Can Result in Liability
When veterinary practices skip a background check on a potential employee who poses a threat to other people and animals, the practice opens itself up to litigation and liability. For example, suppose a veterinary practice hires an employee without conducting a background check. A background check would have revealed the employee’s previous arrest and conviction for aggravated assault. If the employee assaults a co-worker, the coworker could bring a lawsuit against the veterinary practice for negligent hiring.
Victims in personal injury lawsuits can pursue financial damages from the veterinary practice. Litigation can result in the practice of paying court costs and losing funding, licenses, and grants. Additionally, protracted litigation can damage the practice’s reputation, leading to a loss of clients and trust within the community.
Skipping Background Checks Can Cause Patients Harm
Conducting a background check doesn’t guarantee that an employee will be safe when hired. However, background checks can prevent veterinary practices from hiring workers who could be more likely to cause harm to patients. If you own a veterinary practice, conducting a background check can help protect the animals that come into your practice for treatment. When a staff member has a history of drug abuse, alcoholism, or violence, the animals being treated at your practice could be at risk of harm. For example, a staff member with a history of violence and anger issues could hurt an animal when frustrated.
In other cases, staff members who come to work under the influence of drugs or alcohol may end up administering incorrect medication, causing the animal to become injured. Hiring employees with clean records without a history of dangerous or inappropriate behavior will limit the risk of your patients being harmed.
Your Reputation Could Be Hurt By Skipping Background Checks
As a veterinary practice, your reputation is everything. Many online platforms allow pet owners to leave reviews of veterinary practices. You could face multiple negative reviews if an animal, pet owner, or another staff member is injured or harmed by a dangerous employee. If the victim pursues legal action, news of the pending litigation could hurt your veterinary practice’s reputation.
Many pet owners consider their animals like family members and want to ensure they take their pets to veterinarians who keep them safe. Skipping a background check could result in hiring an employee who will damage your veterinary practice’s reputation. Recovering from reputational damage can be extremely challenging, and in some cases, it could be nearly impossible.
Contact an Experienced Veterinary Practice Attorney
The attorneys at Mahan Law have extensive experience providing effective legal counsel to veterinary practice owners across the United States. If you own a veterinary practice and have questions about running background checks in a legally compliant and effective way, don’t hesitate to contact Mahan Law. We offer potential clients a complimentary, no-obligation case evaluation.