Bankruptcy or credit collections ruin chance of taking NCLEX-RN

[henryjames6868]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if a person had a record from collection agencies or filed bankruptcy would it prohibit him/her from taking the NCLEX? I dont see why it would but just curious.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

office of Inspector general

[happy2learn]

unpaid child support or failure to pay student loans will result in one appearing on office of inspector general (oig) sanction list preventing employment in most healthcare facilities getting medicare or medicaid funds.

see: oig exclusions list + affect on nurses ability work

unpaid state taxes may also prevent licensure in many states.

this doesn't surprise me. if you don't pay the government, the come back to bite you hard!

but this doesn't mean you can't get a job, just not in facilities that receive these benefits.

credit collections and bankruptcy will not affect your ability to take the nclex-rn.

i have a friend that has a ton of collections, she became an lpn while having all of those collections, and she has a job.

as far as employment, yes, some employers can take your credit into consideration. however, i have horrible credit and got a job in a cash control position. they pulled my credit, but they weren't looking at collections. they were looking for judgments or convictions that could be related to thefts.

[happy2learn]

Collections or bankruptcy will not get in your way of taking the NCLEX.

I know someone with a TON of collections who took the NCLEX-PN with all of those collections, and she has a job.

Some employers take your credit history into consideration. Also, just because an employer pulls your credit report doesn't mean they are looking for collections or bankruptcy. Many employers find employment verification on there, or are looking for judgments that may pertain to crimes one has been convicted of.

[KayteRN]

No. I filed bankruptcy last year and still took my nclex. Havne't found someone to hire me yet, but thats another story.

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

thank goodness they don;t have debtors prison anymore !! whew !! lol

[Zookeeper3]

ok, so you can do the exam. But let me share, that we had to foreclose on a house in NY, after paying rent once we moved out of state and a year later the house hadn't sold. This did NOT affect me negatively for hiring. Unfortunately everyone already knew the housing stunk there and were not surprised.

I've found that "in this economy", employers for experienced nurses just don't care. For new nurses, your loans are promised (generally) that you can't default from them. So past experience tells me you'll be aok. Many people go bankrupt getting an education, do right by their student loans and the re-establish credit.

Unfortunately, you're not alone, I fear you're part of a trend and the industry needs to adjust to give you time to re-group and recover to be viable. Good Luck:D

[rainstorm83]

In orientation, we learned that our school does not accept students with felony records because they are not permitted to work in the medical field, which all students have to do in clinicals. They then went on to talk about non-felony criminal records... If you have a non-felonious record, you can work in the medical field or pursue a degree (including taking the NCLEX).

Yes, someone could decide not to hire you based on any information they can find and you probably won't even know. However, I don't see that as a good reason not to try. If Nursing is what you want and you are willing to bet on yourself, you will eventually prove yourself to employers.

Also, a bankruptcy is not a criminal issue. It is a legal procedure to clear debt. A foreclosure could be considered a civil issue, not a felony or even a misdo-miner. None of this will prevent you from taking the test and isn't likely to greatly affect your chances of getting hired in the future.

[henryjames]

This doesn't surprise me. If you don't pay the government, the come back to bite you hard!

But this doesn't mean you can't get a job, just not in facilities that receive these benefits.

Credit collections and bankruptcy will not affect your ability to take the NCLEX-RN.

I have a friend that has a ton of collections, she became an LPN while having all of those collections, and she has a job.

As far as employment, yes, some employers can take your credit into consideration. However, I have horrible credit and got a job in a cash control position. They pulled my credit, but they weren't looking at collections. They were looking for judgments or convictions that could be related to thefts.

Thank you. This is nice to know cause I know I have BAD credit.

[care365]

Hi!!! I recently have a interview and they told me that they will hire me. They are in the process of doing my background checks and drug checks, etcs. I know I have really bad credit and I'm sooooo worried that

they might not hire me because of this fact. Do you guys think it will affect my chance of getting this job???

I really want to work here. please help!

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

I am not sure if a credit check is part of a nurse's background check. They check criminal, Medicaid/Medicare fraud, the elder and child abuse registry, ect... The only time I have ever had my credit checked was when I was getting a promotion at work, but I was also dealing with tens of thousands of dollars a day. Did you ask during the interview? If not, call HR and ask. You don't have to give your name, but simply ask, "just a quick question about the hiring process of RN's at your facility...as part of the background check, is one's credit history taken into account?"

I think you will be fine. Congrats on the new job offer!