Background Study Overview

ALL residents and fellows entering a new University of Minnesota (UMN) residency or fellowship are required to complete a Background Study (also referred to as a background check) for the Office of Graduate Medical Education (OGME or GME) through the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN DHS) NETStudy system before they begin program training. (Minn. Stat. 245. C.04(f) at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=245C.04)

A clearance letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (see sample) must be provided to the University of Minnesota before the start date. Failure to properly complete all the background study components in a timely fashion will result in a resident/fellow being unable to start their program training. More information can be found on the Minnesota Department of Human Services NETStudy 2.0 Site.

Background Study Application

The first component of a background study is an application submitted through the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN DHS or DHS) NETStudy system. An application should be submitted through the online NETStudy system three (3) weeks before a trainee's start date to allow enough time to complete the requirement before their start date.

The application fee of $44 is paid for by the GME office. If any subsequent applications are required because of missed deadlines, the trainee must pay the $44 to submit additional applications.

Consent & Disclosure

After the application has been reviewed by the GME team, trainees will be prompted by NetStudy to complete a consent and disclosure. Trainees must complete this consent and disclosure within four (4) days. The application is automatically closed if this is not done within four days and the trainee must pay the $44 fee and start a new application.

Background Study Fingerprint/Photograph Appointment

After the consent and disclosure is completed, trainees receive information from IDEMIA/IdentoGO to schedule a fingerprint/photograph appointment within the next 10 days. Trainees must attend the fingerprint/photograph appointment within 10 days. If a trainee is required to submit a new application because they fail to complete the fingerprint step within the 10-day window, they must pay for the $44 fee for any additional applications.

Trainees who will not be in Minnesota to complete this step before their start date can make an appointment at a UEP IdentoGO location in their state. There is a fingerprinting fee of $10.50 and an additional fee of $39.95 if using an IdentoGO location outside of Minnesota is used. These fees are payable to IDEMIA by check or credit card, and the fee amount might vary by state.

Trainees who will not be in Minnesota to complete this step and cannot access a UEP IdentoGO location must email gme@umn.edu with information on why and initiate their background check application at least 6 weeks in advance of their start date.

MN DHS Clearance Letter

After the fingerprint/photograph appointment, MN DHS will run a fingerprint-based background check. Once an individual is cleared, MN DHS will issue a Clearance Letter (see sample). Incoming trainees should allow up to three business days after being fingerprinted for MN DHS to receive the fingerprint background check clearance letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

A clearance letter must be uploaded to the GME onboarding checklist at least four (4) days before a trainee's start date.

In some rare instances, MN DHS may issue a "More Time Required" letter. In these instances, trainees will want to verify with the site coordinator of their current clinical site if they are permitted to work without the final clearance letter.

Multiple Background Studies May Be Required

Some residents and fellows will be asked to complete a background study application by multiple entities. Trainees must submit a new application for each entity that makes a request for a background check. Institutions must conduct separate background studies on individuals under their employment, and some do not use the MN DHS NETStudy background study process.

If you recently completed the fingerprinting step with IdentoGO and provided a social security number on your application, it is possible the fingerprint step will be waived on subsequent applications that are processed through the NETStudy system. OGME office cannot accept clearance letters or fingerprint records from other background checks that an incoming trainee completes for another institution or from a previous visiting rotation.

Details for submitting the background study request will be provided in onboarding checklists issued in the spring. Contact gme@umn.edu with additional questions.

Change in the US Veterans Affairs Background Check/Clearance Process

The US Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) has recently announced that residents and fellows who engage in clinical rotations at VA hospitals in the upcoming academic year will be required to undergo a more substantive background check/clearance process than has been required previously. For US citizens, this includes a Tier-1 background check and an ongoing, continuous FBI database check. For foreign nationals on a visa, requirements will include a higher-level federal government clearance. Information is provided in this document. This will be in addition to to the background study conducted by the University of Minnesota Office of Graduate Medical Education.