How do I set up and run the clinician onboarding checklist?
Give every clinician one checklist of everything needed before they can work: licenses and certifications, background and OIG/SAM screening, health records, policy sign-offs, payroll/tax paperwork and facility items. Track progress, review submissions, and automatically block shift assignment until required items are complete.
In YourMedSoft, an Owner or Admin loads the recommended clinician onboarding checklist from Settings → Compliance → "+ Clinician Onboarding Checklist", adjusts the items, and sets each clinician’s W-2 or 1099 classification. Every clinician then gets a personal checklist (People → Onboarding → Clinician Checklists for admins, My Profile → Onboarding for clinicians). Clinicians upload documents and sign policies; managers approve, return or verify items; admins can waive items with a reason. Incomplete required items block shift assignment, every action is written to the audit log, and restricted documents (health records, I-9, background reports) are visible only to admins and the clinician.
What You Need Before Starting
- Owner or Admin role to set up checklist items (Managers can review and approve, but not edit the checklist or waive items).
- Clinicians exist as staff records (added in Hiring → Convert to Staff, Add Staff, or CSV import).
- For clinicians to complete items themselves, they need a portal login linked to their staff record.
Clinical & Regulatory Compliance Standards
- Joint Commission HR.01.02.05 and the Health Care Staffing Services (HCSS) standards require verifying licensure, certification and other qualifications before a clinician provides care; the verification method and date are recorded on each credential.
- HHS-OIG guidance: screen against the LEIE (and SAM.gov) before hire and monthly thereafter. The OIG/SAM item expires after 30 days to prompt re-screening.
- Form I-9 must be kept for 3 years after hire or 1 year after termination, whichever is later, and stored separately from the personnel file. Record I-9 completion here as a restricted item rather than storing SSN-bearing forms.
- OSHA (29 CFR 1910.1020 / 1910.1030) requires employee medical records, including Hepatitis B declinations, to be kept confidential; health items are restricted documents by default.
- HIPAA minimum-necessary principle: managers see status only for restricted items.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Understand what the checklist does for you
Each clinician gets one checklist built from your organization’s checklist items, filtered to their role (RN, LPN, CNA, NP, MD…), their worker classification (W-2 or 1099) and, for facility items, the facility. It shows a progress bar, a "Ready to work" or "Onboarding" status, due dates, expiry dates and who did what. Required items that are not complete block the clinician from being assigned to or claiming shifts. A manager can still assign with an override reason, which is logged.
Load the recommended checklist
Go to Settings → Compliance and click "+ Clinician Onboarding Checklist". About 33 items are added: photo ID, I-9, W-4 / W-9, direct deposit, professional liability (1099), RN/LPN/NP/MD licenses, CNA registry, DEA, BLS, ACLS, criminal background, OIG/SAM screening, state exclusion & NSOPW, drug screen, TB, Hep B, MMR & Varicella, other vaccines, physical, N95 fit test, skills checklist, OSHA training, resume, references, HIPAA, handbook and contractor agreement. Items you already have (same type code and role) are skipped, so it is safe to click again.
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Review and edit each item
Click the pencil icon on any item. Item type: Credential (a license or certificate that gets primary-source verified), Document upload (reviewed by staff), Policy acknowledgment (clinician signs by typing their name) or Admin task (recorded by staff, e.g. I-9 or background result). Checklist section groups items. Applies to limits an item to W-2 employees or 1099 contractors. Completed by decides whether the clinician can do it themselves or only staff can. Due within sets the due date in days from when the staff record was created. Renews every sets an automatic expiry after approval. Required before scheduling makes the item block shifts. Restricted document hides files and notes from managers. Instructions and Policy link are shown to the clinician. Target Role and Target Facility limit who the item applies to.
Add facility-specific items (optional)
Add an item and enter the facility ID in Target Facility (for example a facility’s own orientation or EHR access). Facility items appear in the clinician’s checklist marked "Facility-specific" and block only shifts at that facility, not everywhere else.
Set each clinician’s worker classification
Open the clinician’s checklist and choose W-2 employee or 1099 contractor in the header. Until this is set, both W-2 items (I-9, W-4, handbook) and 1099 items (W-9, contractor agreement, liability insurance) are shown so nothing is missed.
Monitor everyone from Clinician Checklists
Go to People → Onboarding. The Clinician Checklists section lists everyone still onboarding (tick "Show ready-to-work" to include everyone) with progress and counts of items to review, returned, expired and overdue. Click a clinician to open their checklist.
Review documents and verify credentials
Items a clinician submits show "Awaiting review". For documents, click Approve, or Return and type the reason the clinician will see. For licenses and certificates, choose the Verification method (Manual primary source, Nursys QuickConfirm, State board lookup, CVO or Other) and the License status, then click Verify or Reject. Licensure items include a Nursys QuickConfirm link that opens in a new tab so you can check the license before verifying.
Record staff-completed items
For admin tasks such as I-9, W-4/W-9, drug screen, references or the criminal background result, click Complete, add a note (for example the vendor result and report date) and optionally attach a file, then Submit. These are marked Complete immediately. Do not upload SSN-bearing tax forms; record that they were completed in payroll.
Run OIG / SAM exclusion screening
On the "OIG LEIE / SAM.gov exclusion screening" item, click "Run OIG / SAM check". A clear result completes the item for 30 days, after which it expires so the clinician is re-screened monthly.
Waive or reset items (admins only)
Click Waive and enter a reason when an item genuinely does not apply to one clinician (for example ACLS for a non-acute role). Waived items count as complete. Click Reset to put an item back to Not started. Both actions are recorded in the audit log.
Pro-Tips & Best Practices
- Who can do what: Owners/Admins edit checklist items, set classification, approve, waive and reset. Managers review, approve, return, verify and record items. Clinicians submit uploads and sign policies on their own checklist.
- Restricted documents (health records, I-9, background reports) are visible only to admins and the clinician; managers see the status only.
- Status meanings: Not started, Awaiting review, Complete, Returned (fix and resubmit), Waived, Expired (needs renewal). Overdue means past the due date and not complete.
- The 5-step New Hire wizard still works as before; the checklist is the next step once the person is a staff record.
- Every submit, approve, return, waive, reset and restricted-file view is written to Audit Logs.
Troubleshooting & Operational Edge Cases
Issue: A clinician uploaded a license under Credentials but the checklist item still says Not started
Operational Resolution: Credential items match on the credential type code (for example rn_license). Uploads made elsewhere may use a generic type such as "License". Have the clinician (or a manager) submit the license from the checklist item itself, which uses the correct type.
Issue: A clinician gets a permission error when uploading a file
Operational Resolution: Their portal login is not linked to their staff record. Invite them from Settings → User Management using the same email as their staff record, or upload the file for them from the admin view.
Issue: Managers cannot save changes in Settings → Compliance
Operational Resolution: Only Owners and Admins can edit checklist items. Managers can review and approve items on clinicians’ checklists.
Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting
Why is a clinician blocked from shifts?
At least one item marked "Required before scheduling" is not complete, has been returned, or has expired. Open their checklist to see which. Facility-specific items only block shifts at that facility. A manager or admin can still assign the shift by entering an override reason, which is logged.
Why does a clinician see both W-2 and 1099 items?
Their worker classification has not been set. An admin can set W-2 or 1099 in the checklist header and the other set of items disappears.
Does the clinician need a login?
No. Managers and admins can complete any item on the clinician’s behalf, including recording a signed paper acknowledgment with a note or attached copy.
Do you run the criminal background check for us?
No. Your organization orders the check from its own vendor. Staff record the result, report date and report file on the "Criminal background check" item, which is a restricted document.
Can I verify licenses automatically with Nursys?
Verification is recorded by staff. Use the Nursys QuickConfirm link on licensure items, then choose "Nursys QuickConfirm" as the verification method when you click Verify.
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