Background Check

Altra, BSN, RN · Sep 10, 2004

Sounds tough, Deana ...

I have no idea about how juvenille convictions are viewed, and this probably varies greatly from state to state, so I'm sorry I can't offer anything concrete there. Better to find out exactly what the scoop is NOW, than when you're closer to the NCLEX. A good place to start might be your state's BON website - if the application for licensure is posted you can see exactly what the process entails. Then a phone call about your specific situation would probably be in order.

BTW -- just as a heads up -- these background checks are fairly standard. Many, many clinical sites require them of students. As will nearly all of your future employers.

Best of luck to you. :)

jennielynn · Sep 11, 2004

We had to have background checks before we could even get accepted to Nursing school--but I'm in a hospital based program. I would think--though I'm not sure; that as long as it was a misdemeanor--they wouldn't make a big deal out if it. If you're really worried about it--you can go to your state police website and request a background check on yourself (for a small fee) and view your record for yourself. It usually only takes a few days--sometimes you can get it instantly. I always thought that after 7 years (provided you don't get in trouble again) that your record is treated as "clean"--but I'm not positive.

I hope this information helps. If you ask me--what you did as a juvenile (again--provided you have no convictions since then) has no relevance to the person you are now!

cherokeesummer · Sep 11, 2004

It's my understanding that under 18 records are "sealed" but then again, I'm not a legal expert, just something I was told by my aunt back when I was a teen. She was the assistant warden at the local jail.

Not sure though! I would think life as an adult (I was a rotten teen too!) will have proven that you have led a responsible life. :):)

Maggie in NC · Sep 11, 2004

You can go to your local Sheriff's office and request a background check on yourself to see what's on it. That will give you a better idea of what you have to work on. If you're doing VERY well or on VERY good terms with your nursing instructors, if something does come up, if you request letters from your employer and instructors, it makes a difference. (according to the instructors at my school...)

jennielynn · Sep 11, 2004

well--I can speak with some experience. I, too, wasn't a perfect child---or even young adult for that matter. I had a misdemeanor charge when I was barely 21. After learning that I'd need a background check for school--I was terrified that it would be the only thing keeping me from finally reaching my goals after turning my life around. I waited until the last possible moment to get the check done--with the fear of my record coming back tainted. Turns out they gave me a clean check---with not even a word mentioned about the previous charge. It was over 12 years ago--so I'm assuming it "didn't count against me". If it was still legally active on my record---I would assume that it would have shown up on my background check. They issued me a clearance right away.

The best thing you can do is get a background check on yourself. If it comes back with the charges; find out what you have to do to convince the school or the Nursing board that you are a different person now. I've no doubt that they will respect your effort to rectify your past if you follow the proper channels. Heck, these days--even convicted criminals are given every opportunity to begin new lives after they are released!!!

Snoopd · Sep 11, 2004

I wouldn't worry about this questionaire. To even get into nursing school you probably had to be a registered CNA first, which means you had to go to clinicals for that, which means your state required a background check so you could go on your CNA clinical. Do you remember ever being asked for your driver license number on any forms you filled out? If you were, this was the real background check that was done on you in your state. Questionaires that ask you to provide "criminal" or "arrest" or "conviction" info are basically people or organizations that are on a fishing expedition and want a confession out of you. For a real criminal background check you do not have to provide any info, not even a social security number - just your driver's license number, and/or fingerprints. "They" can trace all your driver licenses from other states with your current drivers license number and all felonies and gross misdimeanors convictions. Your driver license number is your legal I.D. Nothing, not even your social security number matters. All felony records and gross misdimeanors can be traced with a valid driver's license number. Even your fingerprints don't unearth everything in every state. Your program will "conduct" a "background" check every year as required by state law. Any questionable criminal history will be automatically sent to the BOD so that they can consider whether to allow that individual to enroll and later practice nursing. I bet you are already out of the woods - since you are starting a nursing program - unless you have a conviction dated after your CNA background check. You are 33, your "past" has probably been purged from any file already anyway, or is sitting lost in a file cabinet in a storage facility, slowly turning to mold - probably not on a computer anywhere. Despite the seriousness of these background "official proceedings" and the nervousness they cause in people, nobody, not the nursing school, not the BOD, not even the state, really wants to invest much time or money to look into your "sordid" past. That's why they often expect you to provide all the info with these "confession questionaires". Even Police Depts. and Sheriffs' Depts. do this with law enforcement recruits, because they know that they, despite their computer data bases, can't find out much about any body except for recent "crimes". Relax, and answer no on these forms. You will not have a problem. If you answer yes, you are then forcing them look deeper into your past - they are then required to investigate because of your "yes" answer, and you may cause yourself even more stress and maybe some embarassment. If there was any thing wrong with your very minor past history, you would never have even been offered admission to a CNA program, or clinical, let alone nursing school. You are in the clear. Enjoy your future education and profession!

P.S., I doubt your Board has a background check dept! They probably get a stack of paperwork and contract it out to the county or an independent contractor who probably spend less that a minute per application. If they wanted to really look deeply into someone's past this would cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per application. Your Dept. head is lying to you. Shame on them. You're cool.

Bad news today, or at least enough to give me one more thing to worry about on top of all the general stress.
My Issues in Nursing class today was lead by our dept. head and went over the program's handbook. We discussed the paperwork we have to do for clinicals at our local hospital, and the question of "Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor", which is also on the paperwork for the NCLEX, apparently.
The dept. head told us that this includes things we did before we were 18, and if there were any such things in our past we'd better start working on getting our ducks in a row (finding out what paperwork etc. the State Board will require) now, in the first semester. I have a shoplifting charge from when I was about 14, and spent 2 days in jail as a result of being a runaway at age 16. I was a rotten teenager I am 33 now and just cannot understand how this has any impact! I honestly don't even remember a lot of the details, as it's been nearly 20 years ago.
My issue is this: is this stuff even still on my record? I'm pretty positive it wouldn't affect my being a candidate for licensing, but I also don't want to have to go through the major hassle (of which I'm not even sure where to begin) of having to dig up old legal/court records to supply the state board with. I want to know if I do indeed have to check "yes" on the questionairre for things that happened as a minor. I had a security clearance in the military for heaven's sake, and have always answered "no" on anything that asks that question. If that's truly the case, I'll bet the state board has to have a specific department for such things, and it's a busy one, because I can't be even remotely close to being the only one who was a pain in the a** as a teen. The dept. head said that even MIPs (minor in posession) for cigarettes counted.
Advice? Counsel? Where to start?
Sorry for the length..I just want this so badly that anything that looks like it might jeopardize it throws me into obsessive worry.
Deana

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Sep 11, 2004

I believe anything done in juvenile court is sealed at age 18. Unless you did something gosh awful and got tried as an adult before that age, you don't have to worry. I go along with the original poster that they are on a fishing expedition. I did some dumb stuff at age 14, and never turned any of that in when I got my LPN license and nobody's ever turned it up in any background check done since, and that was 30 years ago that happened, and 21 years ago since I got my first nursing license.

DenaInWyo · Sep 11, 2004

Thanks for the reassurance :)

Here's the rub: I am 100% certain that my "sordid past" wouldn't be enough to keep me from getting a license, and no, I have never been in trouble as an adult. What I *am* worried about is answering 'no' on the NCLEX paperwork, then having something turn up, even though it is minor. It's the honesty issue that they take seriously (all this according to the dept. head). As I said in my previous post, I held security clearance while in the military, and never let on that I'd had any trouble. *They* did a thorough enough background check that they knew what my last name was before I was adopted..which takes some digging.

I think you guys are right that this was long enough ago and on a juvenile record that I am going to be pretty safe in saying no. Just in case though, I've decided to a) call whomever might be in the know with the state board of licensing (w/out mentioning my name) and ask them their policy on juvenile offenses, and b) if I get a less than comforting answer there, I'm going to pay to have my own little background check done and see if anything turns up. I'm not worried about not getting a license, I'm just worried about having to check 'yes' and getting it all stirred up, like the previous poster said. (I think you're probably right, BTW). I wouldn't even know where to begin to find court documents from that long ago, and that is what the state would want.

I think my dept. head is doing a bit of CYA. Apparently someone awhile back had a DUI that she forgot to mention and swore she was never told that counted.

Ugh..I am going to stop wasting mental energy on this and get back to studying. Thanks again!!

Deana

P.S. Nope, not a CNA..not a requirement for our program.

RedSox33RN · Sep 11, 2004

CNA isn't a requirement for any of the programs I applied to either.

I would give a call to the state board of nursing. I'm sure they field these kinds of call all the time. Yes, they may want to know about it, but I'd be willing to bet that it's just for a file, and nothing to be used against you. I recall one RN telling me that they are really looking for the "big" things: DWI, possession of illegal substances w/o a script, assault, battery, etc. I personally know of one RN that was arrested for marijuana possession as a minor. She went on to get her BSN after getting her AD, and is a charge nurse. I don't know if she has any special restrictions on her license or not, but as a charge nurse, I imagine not.

Good luck, and please try not to worry! I think if they held stuff people did as minors against them in adulthood, we'd be minus many cops, nurses, doctors, politicians (HA!!) and even clergymen.

Tony35NYC · Sep 12, 2004

Dena,

I wouldn't be worried about this if I were you. Petty stuff you did before you were 18 isn't likely to show up in a standard DMV background check because many states seal up those records. My advice would be to check with your state board to see exactly what type of background check they require and, as others have suggested, order a copy of it for yourself to see what's on it. Some state boards may require a Level II background check which is done by the FBI and requires that you be fingerprinted. But, even the FBI background check is no big deal...unless the record contains really heavy stuff like multiple DUIs, sex crimes, drug crimes, grand theft, etc.

Some state boards offer exceptions if you fess up about the activities rather than try to cover them up on the application and they find out about it later. I don't know how "sealed" any criminal record is from the prying eyes of the FBI, but even in a worse case situation you could get very creative and sell yourself as a victim of circumstance. For instance, you could attach a letter to your application saying something like you had an abusive childhood and you had to run away from home to escape from the situation, and that while living on the street you met up with a group of delinquents who led you astray. You could also throw in letters of recommendation (on official letterhead) from respected peeps in the community, like your instructors, your priest...