CastleBranch at CUW: the background check you order on acceptance
Concordia University Wisconsin requires a certified background check through CastleBranch, which CUW writes as "Castle Branch", once you are accepted. The current Post-BSN to DNP and CAGE pages say so outright, and older MSN pages did too. CUW's archived order instructions describe CastleBranch as a partner that also tracks school and clinical requirements, so think of it as a running compliance record rather than a one-time form.
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CUW's requirement, in its own words
The line on CUW's current Post-BSN to DNP and CAGE program pages is short: "Certified Background Check with Castle Branch required upon acceptance." The same wording ran on the MSN program page in captures from 2022, 2024 and 2025. The step belongs to the acceptance stage, well before anyone asks you about a preceptor.
Current pages for the other graduate programs, including the PMHNP MSN, the PMHNP DNP, the PMHNP certificate and the Post-MSN DNP, do not name a vendor. If you are in one of those programs, your acceptance materials or the Graduate Clinical Coordinator will tell you which check to order. Settle it at acceptance rather than at the start of a clinical course, because a background check that is still open can hold up everything after it.
Which CUW programs name it
CUW's references to the check are spread across program pages of different ages. Here is where each one stands as of September 2026.
| Program | Where it appears | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Post-BSN to DNP (FNP or AGPCNP) | Current program page | Order on acceptance |
| CAGE certificate (FNP or AGPCNP) | Current program page | Order on acceptance |
| MSN FNP and AGPCNP | MSN page captures from 2022, 2024 and 2025 | Confirm with your acceptance materials |
| MSN PMHNP, PMHNP DNP, PMHNP certificate | Not named on current pages | Ask the Graduate Clinical Coordinator |
| Post-MSN DNP | Not named on current pages | Ask before residency hours begin |
| Traditional BSN | A clear, certified background check in the Clinical Requirements Timeline; vendor not named | Follow the School of Nursing Clinical Resource Guide |
What CastleBranch tracks for CUW
CUW's order instructions for graduate nursing, archived in January 2021 under the file name "MSN Certified Background Check Process", describe CastleBranch as both a background check provider and a compliance-management partner that tracks school and clinical requirements. That makes it more than a single screening: it is a place where requirements can be held and checked over time.
CUW does not publish the current checklist, and it names no vendor for immunizations or drug screens. Follow the list that arrives with your order, and ask the Graduate Clinical Coordinator where your CPR card and immunization records belong.
The system has been part of CUW graduate nursing for more than a decade. The 2013-14 Graduate Nursing Program Student Handbook named the product CertifiedBackground.com and required an account from June 2013, and before any placement it wanted the background check finished.
Ordering it, step by step (archived instructions)
These steps follow CUW's archived order instructions and handbooks. The current package name and checklist come with your acceptance.
- Wait for CUW's instructionsThey are written for CUW graduate nursing, so order the package CUW names rather than a generic background check.
- Open your own CastleBranch accountThe archived instructions have the student create the account and place the order directly. CUW treats the order as the student's own expense.
- Work through every checklist itemUpload what the checklist asks for and note anything with an expiration date, since the record is designed to track requirements over time.
- Match it to each siteAfter approval, CUW's archived proposal form told students to ask the site about its own paperwork, orientation or computer training. Some sites run their own checks as well.
- Keep it current through the programYour clinical courses can span more than a year, so an item that was current at acceptance may lapse before the last one begins.
Where the check sits in the clinical timeline
In CUW's 2014-15 NP clinical handbook, a complete "Certified Background" file was one of the checks before a student could begin, next to any competencies the site required. That handbook started clinicals only once the contract was in place, all school and site documents were approved and the semester had begun, whichever came last.
Health systems with their own student process add clearance dates of their own. Ascension Wisconsin's page, for example, wants cleared background checks, student information and required training 4 weeks before a rotation starts. A check that is still pending at that point may hold up the rotation, so finish CastleBranch long before your first proposal. The deadlines guide shows how the dates stack, and sites with their own processes covers the systems.
What a clear background check leaves open
A clear check is one item on a longer list. Each site's vaccination rules still apply, and CUW's 2022 blog says CUW grants no vaccine waivers or exemptions. CPR, the Technical Standards for Registered Nurses and the Student Responsibilities Agreement sit alongside it; the clinical requirements guide covers them.
CUW's current pages are silent on drug screens and liability insurance for graduate students. The 2022 program FAQ listed drug testing among the extra expenses of clinicals, next to background checks and immunizations, so a site may ask for one. Your license is a separate check again: see your RN license and clinicals. Sites can also add items of their own after approval; Children's Wisconsin, for instance, asks for a certification form 30 days before a rotation.
Why CUW students choose us for clearance planning
Before we propose a site, we ask for its full onboarding list: background check format, vaccines, drug screen, orientation and any system training. We compare it with what your CastleBranch record already holds and tell you exactly what to add and by when, so clearance is finished before the proposal goes in rather than the week before your first shift.
Your CastleBranch record stays in your hands; we work from the site's list and your checklist, and we keep the preceptor's credentials moving in parallel so nothing waits on anything else. If a site asks for something your checklist does not cover, you hear about it as soon as we do, with time to finish before the cutoff. See how it works or start with your track and start term.
Questions CUW students ask
Does CUW use CastleBranch for the MSN FNP and AGPCNP?
CUW's MSN program page named the Castle Branch background check in captures from 2022, 2024 and 2025, and today's Post-BSN to DNP and CAGE pages still require it on acceptance. The current MSN pages do not repeat the vendor name, so confirm the step with your acceptance materials or the Graduate Clinical Coordinator.
When should I complete my CUW CastleBranch background check?
On acceptance, as CUW's program pages say. Finishing early matters because archived CUW rules held clinicals until background documentation was complete, and some health systems want cleared checks 4 weeks before a rotation. A check still in progress when your proposal goes in can delay your first clinical day.
Is CertifiedBackground.com the same thing CUW uses now?
It is the earlier name CUW used. The 2013-14 Graduate Nursing Program Student Handbook required a CertifiedBackground.com account from June 2013. CUW's pages today name Castle Branch, and its 2021 order instructions describe the background check together with tracking of school and clinical requirements.
Does the CastleBranch order include a drug screen?
CUW does not say. No current graduate page mentions a drug screen, and CUW names no vendor for one. The 2022 program FAQ listed drug testing among the extra expenses of clinicals, so some sites may require it. Ask the Graduate Clinical Coordinator and each site before you order anything extra.
Can a clinical site require its own background check?
Yes, sites can add requirements. CUW's archived proposal form told students to ask each approved site about its own paperwork, orientation and computer training, and health systems such as Ascension Wisconsin publish their own clearance deadlines. Build time for a second check into your schedule.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against CUW's own academic catalog, program pages and published nursing documents. Your course faculty and the Graduate Clinical Coordinator have the final word.
- Concordia University Wisconsin: Post-BSN to DNP
- Concordia University Wisconsin: Certificate After Graduate Education in Nursing (CAGE)
- Concordia University Wisconsin: Order Instructions for CUW Graduate Nursing (archived 2021)
- Concordia University Wisconsin: Graduate Nursing Program Student Handbook 2013-2014 (archived)
- Concordia University Wisconsin: NP Student Clinical Practicum Handbook 2014-2015 (archived)
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