I am wating to go into lpn class with a felony

whatitdo1983 · May 11, 2011

@Juwon.. please inbox me with some more inforamtion... you are really giving me some hope here... i been out of school for almost two years here dealing with some issues.. but i am almost done with school for nursing in the state of geogria. so any information you have on this matter with help.. if you want to you can email me at [email protected].. thank you very much

diane227, LPN, RN · May 11, 2011

Moving to another state will not help you because your background check will still show up. It also depends greatly on what your convictions were for. If you have convictions that have to do with domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault or misconduct, assault, theft and certain other crimes, hospitals and nursing homes will not hire you. Because you would be in a position to care for a population that is considered vulnerable and the laws are very strict on this standard. What ever you do, DO NOT LIE on any job application or application for nursing school. Be honest and up front.

alexiscc · May 22, 2011

It sounds good about the situation in Illinois... however, the OP should think hard if she'd go into the field with a conviction--because even if Illinois is lenient now... doesn't mean it later won't go the route almost ALL other states went--no jobs with felony conviction and often no licensing. I wouldn't invest serious money and time/get in debt over something that can be so easily taken away by changing law.

Tiger747 · May 22, 2011

Finding a nursing job with a felony in 2011? LOL Ain't gonna happen.

In my town you won't get on at Walmart. Convenience stores? Forget it.

Call centers? No way. Independent McDonald's franchise? Maybe.

10- and 15-year-old misdemeanors mean no job---anywhere, let alone nursing.

Employer's market with 5-6 people per position available. Young, 25-35-year old model types with squeaky clean backgrounds.

Truck driving. That's it.

Now... my neighbor lady is a drug addict (crack, meth, pills,etc.) who has a rap sheet a mile long-- in fact her poor husband sold his Harley just last year to post her bail for stealing cell phones to sell and buy drugs with--- became a pharmecy tech (no, I'm not making this up) and got a job at CVS. However, she is a Loni Anderson lookalike that also found a way to cheat at bingo, making a fortune before all the bingo halls figured it out.

So, there are exceptions; but, I'm telling you, the lady in the above example is really a professional con artist(my neighbor for 22 years). I'm talking genius. Any other drug addict would not get a job as a pharmecy tech.

Save yourself the heartache.

Starting Over... · Jun 23, 2011

Finding a nursing job with a felony in 2011? LOL Ain't gonna happen.
In my town you won't get on at Walmart. Convenience stores? Forget it.
Call centers? No way. Independent McDonald's franchise? Maybe.
10- and 15-year-old misdemeanors mean no job---anywhere, let alone nursing.
Employer's market with 5-6 people per position available. Young, 25-35-year old model types with squeaky clean backgrounds.
Truck driving. That's it.
Now... my neighbor lady is a drug addict (crack, meth, pills,etc.) who has a rap sheet a mile long-- in fact her poor husband sold his Harley just last year to post her bail for stealing cell phones to sell and buy drugs with--- became a pharmecy tech (no, I'm not making this up) and got a job at CVS. However, she is a Loni Anderson lookalike that also found a way to cheat at bingo, making a fortune before all the bingo halls figured it out.
So, there are exceptions; but, I'm telling you, the lady in the above example is really a professional con artist(my neighbor for 22 years). I'm talking genius. Any other drug addict would not get a job as a pharmecy tech.
Save yourself the heartache.

I have to disagree with Tiger in regards to not being able to find a job with 10- and 15-year-old misdemeanors

I have a rap sheet a mile long of misdemeanors (no felonies) and I have been able to find jobs.

As a matter of fact, I am about to embark on a new and scary journey of quitting this job to become a nurse. I am not a nurse, but the point is I have been able to find jobs.

The great job I have now has afforded me a home, cars, etc...

I had to complete an extensive background check to get this job and it turned out okay because I'm still employed there.

And no I do not work for minimum wage (not knocking you if you do) I work for a fortune 500 company holding a leadership position.

I had to list everything that I was convicted of (I did not have to disclose arrests because they only asked for convictions)

Yes it was scary and I felt embarrassed. However, I was honest and gave them only what they asked for and I also outlined the steps I have taken to show that I don't repeat those mistakes and how I want to put the past behind me.

My advise to anyone looking for a job doing anything legal is to be honest when asked about felonies, arrest, misdemeanors, etc and don't repeat the same mistake. It also helps if you seek some sort of counseling, rehab, anger management, etc....so that you don't make the same mistakes and be upfront and let your employer know that this keeps you in line.

Don't do it if you want it to look good because lies will catch up with you but if you do it because you honestly do not want to make the same mistakes then you will be fine.

You never know, the person at the receiving end of your job application can very well have a rap sheet too.

I'm not sure if I will be able to get a nursing license but the only way I will know for sure is to try. No one, not even the board can give you the green light that you will get in because everything is done on a case by case basis.

Am I confident I will get in? Hell no!!! Am I scared as what? Of course I am!!! You would be too if you were about to quit a job that pays good money and wants to promote you, had a mortgage, bills, are a single parent, and still needs to find a way to get health insurance for a child that has asthma while unemployed going to school for nursing.

What I can do is tell you though, is that if you are a sex offender with any type of conviction or even not having a conviction, you can pretty much kiss the dream of nursing good-bye.

I found that out when a nursing school told me what types of cases were getting rejected by hospitals to complete clinicals.

Since I do not fit that description, I knew that I may have chance :yeah:

NurseHopefulInOH · Jul 1, 2011

I am from OH and we were told in our first week of classes if you have a felony DUI or DWI to go ahead and get out of school now while you can still get your money back for classes. They said you will not be able to sit for boards. One of my classmates was convicted of a misdemeanor during school I believe and did not receive his ATT because of this. He may have fought it and eventually got it but I don't know. All the job applications I have filled out (in OH) have asked if you have been convicted of any felonys/misdemeanors and if yes you will automatically not be considered for this position. So yes its very strict in Ohio I have no idea what other states are like however. Good luck to you.

Karl Farmer · Jul 4, 2011

alex- spot ON about changing laws. Same with DUI laws- every year they lower BAC, so arrest even more people, so MADD claims they need to lower the BAC again, because? LOOK- we keep arresting even more people, the laws are too lenient! I am stunned to see so many in here that have wasted years and gone into hellish debt, to be screwed by the BON. There ought to be a law requiring a pre-license certification from a BON prior to entering any school, and a guaranteed license on graduation if the graduate's record was the same as when he/she started the school.

cinnamon rosay · Jul 21, 2011

Hi i am a 40yrs old cna and i just got recertified last year. In the past i went str8 to college from highschool graduated with honors. when i was 20yrs old i got a felony and and i dropped out because i was told i could be a RN i had missed up by friend after going for 3 yrs. Then when i was 28yrs old i got jumped by 5 fat women was beatin with poles and i stabbed one of them with a box cutter to get them out of me then i got other felony it was self-defense but my retended lawyer said there was no self-defense law in michigan and they were on my property. I cry all the time because im such a loving person i was protecting my children and my home. I was so upset i was working at chrysler that i didnt call in. I lost my job for being m.i.a. it been 12 to 13 yrs and i still want to go to school but don't know if i can and you help me with some answer please?

Trauma Columnist · Jul 22, 2011

CinnamonRosay - these are questions best answered by the Board of Nursing in your state and/or an administrative law attorney.

Juwon · Jul 23, 2011

Finding a nursing job with a felony in 2011? LOL Ain't gonna happen.
In my town you won't get on at Walmart. Convenience stores? Forget it.
Call centers? No way. Independent McDonald's franchise? Maybe.
This is not true, where i know quite a few nurses who have both misdemeanors and felonies that work. My aunt work and she is a nurse, and her record is not even seven years old. She just got a new job as of april 2011 part time, along with her full time job.

ErinRN2B · Aug 6, 2011

I just know these nurses personally. The one that has been to prison she is a personal friend of the family. She was denied her license initially, but she asked the board of nursing what could she do to get her license, and they asked for 8 letters of recommendations from teachers, pastors, friends, etc. The reason why they did this to her is because she had been in prison more than once. Also, my aunt when has a criminal background(2 counts of felony and a misdemeanor) and she works, she recently got her license as of may 2009, and everything went fine. After she passed the NCLEX-RN, she had to go downtown and have a meeting with the BON people in here in CHicago. They asked her about her background and after she told them that she had assaulted two police officers and got the felonies, they said ok, we know that people are not perfect and that police can be crooked. THey told her to expect her license soon and they sent her on her way. After she got her license which took less than a month, she had three job offers in less than two weeks, here in long term care, but here in chicago, LTC starts off more than the hospitals. Also, a friend of hers in the nursing program had SIX felony convictions for assault, bsttery, bugulary and the list goes on and she was granted her license and she now works. I wish you the best in your endeavor, but OHio seems like a strict state. I think illinois is pretty easy going for the most part.

Seriously? Assault and battery is not a problem to the BON?

I have a friend in the class ahead of mine that has had to jump through some hoops with the Indiana BON because she was arrested with she was 18 for being a minor in possession of alcohol - something that about 90% of the people I went to high school with could have been convicted of at one point or another! I've heard of plenty of similar stories, with less optimistic outcomes, for people with DUIs and misdemeanor drug convictions. I understand why the BON has such strict policies for nurses w/ substance-related convictions - depending on what specialty you work in, you could be dispensing narcotics to patients every day, etc. But in my opinion, substance use is often just a symptom of an underlying psychiatric problem that hasn't been dealt with properly and needs to be treated.

Speaking purely from a patient's point of view, I would definitely prefer to have a nurse with a drug or alcohol conviction who has addressed the problem and taken the steps to make sure it doesn't happen again over a nurse with multiple convictions of causing bodily harm to another person. That worries me.

Juwon · Sep 24, 2011

Seriously? Assault and battery is not a problem to the BON?
I have a friend in the class ahead of mine that has had to jump through some hoops with the Indiana BON because she was arrested with she was 18 for being a minor in possession of alcohol - something that about 90% of the people I went to high school with could have been convicted of at one point or another! I've heard of plenty of similar stories, with less optimistic outcomes, for people with DUIs and misdemeanor drug convictions. I understand why the BON has such strict policies for nurses w/ substance-related convictions - depending on what specialty you work in, you could be dispensing narcotics to patients every day, etc. But in my opinion, substance use is often just a symptom of an underlying psychiatric problem that hasn't been dealt with properly and needs to be treated.
Speaking purely from a patient's point of view, I would definitely prefer to have a nurse with a drug or alcohol conviction who has addressed the problem and taken the steps to make sure it doesn't happen again over a nurse with multiple convictions of causing bodily harm to another person. That worries me.

FYI read the definition of assault, and it does not necessarily mean bringing body harm onto someone. If you threaten someone then you have assaulted them. Get your facts straight.