What states don't require disclosure of mental illness to get licensed?

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I am interested in becoming an RN. I have MI that is controlled well with medication. I'm reading that some states, especially TX, have questions about mental illness on their applications for licensing.

Do I have to reveal that?

Are there states that don't require that information?

I'm afraid if I say no, somehow it will come out later and I will lose my license.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Oh, that's a tough one.

The reason BONs (and other licensing boards) exist is to protect the public. They take a very dim view of any problem that has the potential for adversely affecting an individual's ability to practice safely. But BONs are pretty uniform in their VERY negative reaction to any sort of falsification or failure to disclose. As part of my job, I have to keep abreast of BON activities in multiple states, and each of them impose fairly severe consequences for these two types of infractions.

If your physician is willing to provide a formal attestation of how well you are controlled, it may be less worrisome to simply disclose.

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Specializes in ICU + 25 years as Nursing Faculty.

The Texas Board of Nursing (TBON) has a process that you might find helpful. The process allows you to determine BEFORE enrolling in nursing school whether or not your problem (criminal, mental health, chemical dependency) will be an obstacle to licensing or not. The process is called a "Declaratory Order".

This is a quote from the TBON web site:

A petition for Declaratory Order is a formal disclosure to the Board of an outstanding eligibility issue that may prevent an applicant from taking the NCLEX examination upon completion of a nursing program. The Declaratory Order process permits the Board to make decisions regarding a petitioner's eligibility for licensure prior to entering or completing a nursing program.

Texas Board of Nursing - Declaratory Order

Lying about this to the board of nursing is a great way to turn a potentially small problem into two big problems.

Good Luck!

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

Lying about this to the board of nursing is a great way to turn a potentially small problem into two big problems.

I had a "friend" who lied to the TXBON about her mental illness. She originally told the board that she is Bipolar. A few years later she went to renew her license & put on the renewal that she is not Bipolar. She got in major trouble; had to pay fines & enroll in TPAPN. Whatever action that was taken against her LVN license was taken against her RN permit.

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Thank you. That's what I want to avoid.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Thank you. That's what I want to avoid.

If you're honest with the board there will never be a problem. Many nurses with mental illness practice in Texas.

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I am looking more into FL than TX at the moment. I absolutely won't lie as I know it will come back to haunt me.

My concern is finding out before I start school what the criteria is for licensure with an MI. Does anyone know how FL works for that?

Thanks!

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