M A Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 1
How to Run a Thorough Background Check
Get to know potential new hires with a careful employee screening.
W
ould you have hired Rocky Allen, the surgical tech who
faces federal criminal charges for allegedly stealing
syringes of fentanyl at Swedish Medical Center in
Englewood, Colo., and replacing them with syringes of saline? The
clues not to hire him were hard to miss.
• He'd been fired 4 times. When Mr. Allen applied to become a surgical
tech at Swedish, he'd already been fired by 4 hospitals in Arizona,
California and Washington state, according to court records.
• He fabricated Middle East employment. Mr. Allen lied about his overseas
experience on his application to Swedish, which stated that he'd
worked as a surgical tech for a medical defense contractor in
Staffing
Raleigh F. "Sandy" Seay Jr., PhD
• BEHIND THE SMILE The unfortunate hiring of surgical tech Rocky Allen highlights the importance of effective background checks.
