student nurse dreading outcome of misjudgement

hollybear1414 · Oct 7, 2005

um....sorry to say it but you..err..i mean "you'r friend" might have troubles getting employed at a hospital if they do a criminal background check (which they all do im sure)

youknowho · Oct 7, 2005

um....sorry to say it but you..err..i mean "you'r friend" might have troubles getting employed at a hospital if they do a criminal background check (which they all do im sure)

Hollybear1414,

you could have answered the post without the sarcasm. We are here to help each other after all. who knows or cares if the OP is referring to her/himself or someone else.

To the OP, call the BON and find out now. Dont wait and make sure your friend always discloses any criminal information the BON wants to know.

Good luck.

Helen46 · Oct 7, 2005

TELL HIM TO GET A GOOD LAWYER. THIS IS THE ONLY PROPER ADVICE TO GIVE.

I knew someone in Adelaide (south Australia) who made a much worse mistake than this - and the judge decided not to give him a criminal record because it would ruin his career (he was studying law). ask the lawyer to look up these types of precedents so that he/she might ask the judge not to accredit him with a record. But he/she must get a lawyer.

Helen

Hello everyone. I'll make this short and to he point. My friend is in nursing school now and made a error in judgement. He was caught shoplifting at a department store. The item was a little over 100 dollars. He is 22,this is his first offense, doesn't have a lot of money and out of desparation he made a very bad decision. My question is can he still be an LPN,or even take the exam if when the time comes a criminal backround check shows simple larceny? My fiend has been a nervous wreck since this has happened and regrets making a bad choice which he feels may jepardize his future. I don't know what to tell him so can someone please reply back. Thank you I appreciate you taking the time to view this message.

Helen46 · Oct 7, 2005

I'm on IM at 'Helen_devilland' if you want to chat. I also spent some years at law school. My mother was convicted when I was 8 years old for stealing nappies for her baby. we were dirt poor and she couldnt afford to buy them. All students are poor, and people do things out of desperation. Just concentrate on doing the best you can to get out of the trouble you are in.

Helen

TELL HIM TO GET A GOOD LAWYER. THIS IS THE ONLY PROPER ADVICE TO GIVE.
I knew someone in Adelaide (south Australia) who made a much worse mistake than this - and the judge decided not to give him a criminal record because it would ruin his career (he was studying law). ask the lawyer to look up these types of precedents so that he/she might ask the judge not to accredit him with a record. But he/she must get a lawyer.
Helen

Helen46 · Oct 7, 2005

CORRECTION: I am on IM at 'Helen_dehavilland' if you want to chat.

Helen

TELL HIM TO GET A GOOD LAWYER. THIS IS THE ONLY PROPER ADVICE TO GIVE.
I knew someone in Adelaide (south Australia) who made a much worse mistake than this - and the judge decided not to give him a criminal record because it would ruin his career (he was studying law). ask the lawyer to look up these types of precedents so that he/she might ask the judge not to accredit him with a record. But he/she must get a lawyer.
Helen

mariedoreen · Oct 7, 2005

Your friend needs to talk with his state's board of nursing to determine how this will affect his ability to sit for his licensing exam. Unfortunately, what one sees as an error in judgment others may see as a crime.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Oct 7, 2005

Hello everyone. I'll make this short and to he point. My friend is in nursing school now and made a error in judgement. He was caught shoplifting at a department store. The item was a little over 100 dollars. He is 22,this is his first offense, doesn't have a lot of money and out of desparation he made a very bad decision. My question is can he still be an LPN,or even take the exam if when the time comes a criminal backround check shows simple larceny? My fiend has been a nervous wreck since this has happened and regrets making a bad choice which he feels may jepardize his future. I don't know what to tell him so can someone please reply back. Thank you I appreciate you taking the time to view this message.

It's amazing how many times this same and similar question has been brought to this board.

Anyhow, the best thing would be to have your friend call his/her state's Board of Nursing as they are the most indicated to answer each individual case.

I have heard of people with much worst than this and they absolutely fine. Your friend is lucky to have you.

Best wishes to you both.

Hodge · Oct 7, 2005

If this is a first offense, they will get a very light sentence. Have your friend talk to their legal council and explain what is going on. The prosecuter will more than likely be leanient and they might get probation for a year or 2 and then the whole thing will go away if your friend stays clean. Also, community service is another option on this. THere are ways to work this off your friends record if they are willing to be flexible. One thing that always helps is to show remorse, for what they did, in front of the Judge.............(my significant other is a Public Defender)

button2cute · Oct 7, 2005

Hello everyone. I'll make this short and to he point. My friend is in nursing school now and made a error in judgement. He was caught shoplifting at a department store. The item was a little over 100 dollars. He is 22,this is his first offense, doesn't have a lot of money and out of desparation he made a very bad decision. My question is can he still be an LPN,or even take the exam if when the time comes a criminal backround check shows simple larceny? My fiend has been a nervous wreck since this has happened and regrets making a bad choice which he feels may jepardize his future. I don't know what to tell him so can someone please reply back. Thank you I appreciate you taking the time to view this message.

Hello, Everyone

The best I can give is the following:

1) Call the State Board of Nursing and ask questions about arrest and etc. Oh, ask them if they have anything in writing that explains the guidelines for those nurses that have a criminal background. See if it is online.

2) After the phone conversation, Write down the whole conversation and the person's name that spoken to you.

3) Discuss the conversation with your friend.

4) Discuss a plan of actions - Obtaining a lawyer (try to find a nurse lawyer in your state because they will know the guidelines of nursing and can defend your friend more efficiently), do not discuss this matter with anyone else in the class or outside the class.

5) Find out if he will have federal charges or probation for the crime. That does effect the outcome with the nursing board.

6) Ask your friend, to try not to get into any more trouble at all.

7) Counseling would be a good suggestion to help him with this frustration issue and extra support.

8) Concentrate on your classes and complete your assignment. If you throw in the towel prior to the hearing of the state board than you have not accomplish a thing. Now, the issue is even bigger because one issue effected another issue and everything is chaos.

9) Stay focus and finish what you had started and become the LPN.

10) Do not worry because they do have special programs for nurses that are chemical dependent. I would think the nursing board would have a program for people with criminal records as well. I know if anyone has a criminal record for Sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and mental abuse, drugs (selling or trafficing, and etc), carrying or in the possesion of a deadly weapon, assault and battery, murder, rape, and a few others....it would be very hard to obtain a license from a nursing board.

Do not worry, just make a plan of actions and obtain a very good nurse lawyer or a lawyer who worked with nurses prior and know the guidelines of the nursing board of the state you resided in.

My advice for your friend and by the way, I was saying the word "You" in the posting and it is not for you personally. Please do not take it anyother way.

Good Luck,

Buttons

Helen46 · Oct 7, 2005

Getting a lawyer. In Australia, we have the ' Law society" They procide a list of lawyers. However, I was wondering if you might contact the law faculties of local colleges - to see if they may suggest a good lawyer.

CORRECTION: I am on IM at 'Helen_dehavilland' if you want to chat.
Helen

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Oct 7, 2005

(Okay, I guess I am going to have to be the bad guy here.....)

A $100 shoplift by a 22 year old (as opposed to a child) is not an "error in judgment." It is an indication of character.

No prior criminal record does not mean no prior bad acts. It means he was never caught before this.

Nursing is not a profession where it is OK to have fuzzy morals. Patients and coworkers depend upon each of us being the best that we can be, and that means doing the right thing automatically.

"Errors in judgment" that are really just yielding to temptation are exactly what happens with nurses who steal patients' meds, who shortcut or avoid tasks they do not like even though the patient needs them, who may lie to avoid consequences of their own misdeeds, who (noting an event described on another thread) may well think it is OK to pick a syringe up off the floor and use it in a patient if no one sees.

Of course I don't know your "friend," so this is not directed at him personally, but.....

If he did not know what he was doing was wrong, he lacks the character to be in a profession where lives quite literally will depend on him.

If he did know it was wrong, and still committed the act, he still lacks the character to be in a profession where lives quite literally will depend on him.

Either way, the legal and licensing guidelines are there for a reason. Could you (or anyone) trust him if he were not being watched or, say, if the patient were unconscious?

He can find some other profession where he can make good money, other than nursing, and he needs to go do that, not try to get around the rules yet again. He might also consider some long term psychotherapy for what could be a "character defect" (also known as a "personality disorder"), if he has any remorse for what he did/does and wishes to change.

Seriously, though, thanks for starting this thread. The issue is an important one.