All Clinical or Graduate Medical Education (GME) Fellows who are looking to complete their fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should review this Screening Requirements PDF to understand how to get their ID badge and access in a smooth and timely manner.
Timeline for Clinical and GME Fellows:
- Administrative Officers (AOs) will need to get the fellow registered and sponsored in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) System no later than May 1, which is eight weeks prior to their July 1 start date. The Division of Personnel Security & Access Control (DPSAC) will not be able to start the fellow’s prescreening without this.
- AOs and supervisors should actively check on their fellows to ensure completion of DPSAC's prescreening requirements. Fellows must complete these requirements no later than June 1, which is four weeks prior to their July 1 start date. This includes the following:
- Their eApp background investigation forms (if applicable), OF-306 and resume.
- Completion of Fingerprinting for prescreening. If fellows are not currently located near an NIH facility, AOs will need to contact DPSAC to allow fellows to use Fieldprint, which is a remote fingerprinting option, to submit their crossmatch fingerprints for prescreening. For more information on fingerprinting services, please look here.
- It is important for fellows to get fingerprints in as soon as possible for prescreening, even if fellows will not be onsite until June or July. If the fellow is local, they may go to the nearest NIH PIV Card Issuing Facility (PCIF) to get this completed. Otherwise, applicants who are more than 50 miles from NIH PCIF that need to submit their fingerprints for their prescreening should utilize Fieldprint as it will mitigate any delays upon their arrival in June/July. DPSAC will not be able to go forth in enrollment for the fellow without going through the prescreening first, which will delay the fellow's ability to pick up their PIV badge in a timely manner. Without a PIV badge, the fellow will not be able to receive access as needed. For more information on the DPSAC Process Overivew, please read this article or our website here.
Factors to Consider into the Badging Timeline:
1. Consider any additional processing time for Foreign Nationals.
- Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICOs) should submit a New FTE Case Request to DIS as early as possible. Administrative Officers (AOs) will receive communication on when the deadline is.
- Division of International Services (DIS) validation and receipt of a social security number (SSN) are required for DSPAC processing. The person must be in the country for a minimum of 10 days before visiting the Social Security Administration (SSA) to request a SSN. Once the person has the SSN, they must immediately provide it to their AO for entry into NED, so DPSAC can initiate eApp. (Please note: The SSA has been experiencing delays due to COVID-19.)
- Please note: Foreign Nationals who have been in the US for less than three years undergo a limited investigation called a National Agency Check (NAC). Once the person has resided in the US for three years, they are eligible for a full-scope background investigation, which is required to maintain their NIH badge. This second investigation will be initiated by the NED System which will prompt the AO to generate this transaction.
2. Consider any additional processing time that is required for coordination of rotational duties.
- This includes Walter Reed Rotations, which require a Tier 3 investigation before obtaining access to their facility. For more information, please look here.
Please note: DPSAC Prescreening process will not start until the AO completes registration and badge sponsorship in NED. Prescreening must be completed in order for the fellow to be authorized for EOD. Please look at the DPSAC Process Overview on our website for more information.
DPSAC will be reaching out to the fellow or intern when it is time for them to come in to complete their Badge Enrollment, so they can get their ID badge.
