Trying to be honest

jelc43 · Sep 09, 2009, 07:01 PM

I am in the same situation!! I am waiting to hear from the Ga BON, too...have had all of the same experiences, desperately waiting to hear about my application. I have a 15 year old misdemeanor for possession of marijuana. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people...didn't turn to my parents for help and ended up with misdemeanor conviction and didn't realize it until all these years later when I applied for nursing school. I used a court appointed attorney who advised me to pay a fine and everything would be over...I did...and walked away with the lesson of a lifetime. I have never been in trouble for anything since! Years later I got a background check to see if the arrest showed, and to my horror, I had a misdemeanor record..disbelief that I could have been so dumb. I went to the Director of Nursing with my story and was admitted to nursing school anyway and told that it would not be a problem since it was so old. I worked my butt off in school and was student of the year for my college. I submitted my application to BON with 3 letters of recommendation, including one from the governor's office commending me for my accomplishments...and a letter from the GA Board of Pardons stating that my request for a pardon was denied because I had not lost any civil rights. They wrote that if the BON denied licensure because of my misdemeanor they would reconsider. Well, the Board immediately sent me my ATT and I passed the Nclex on Aug 14th. The Board received my results on the 21st and I have been miserable ever since!! All they will tell me is that my application has been sent to the legal department for review, and there is no set time frame for their decision. I called today to see if my application was scheduled to go before the Board next week for their quarterly meeting, and they said no...however, the legal department could take their sweet time and decide AFTER the Board meets that it needs the Board's decision, and I would have to wait until December!! So here is the latest...another friend from my school has a 20 yr old DUI and is going through the same thing and she called today to tell them she was going to show up at the Board's meeting next week and beg for help. They told her she could fax in a request to appear before the Board next week and have her application reviewed to avoid any more lengthy delay..why couldn't they just tell us that from the beginning?? I am calling in the morning to ask for my application number and will be faxing my request the same day. Yes, I could just sit around and wait, and wait, for the legal department to make a decision, but I have already signed a contract with a hospital that is waiting on my license! The hospital has been very supportive and has let me start their new graduate program, but I can't precept until the board issues my license.
I know this is so long, but I just wanted you to know you are not alone!!! Call the board and see if you can request to appear before them next week and get your license! Good luck!

Pegasus65 · Sep 10, 2009, 10:29 AM

Hi Jelc43,

You must be talking about RN board meeting next week, as the LPN board, which is who I am waiting on doesn't meet again until I think it is October 14th or something like that. However, I think that your idea of making the trip there would be your best bet at this point and I am thinking I may have to do the same thing if I haven't heard from them by the time they meet again. The fact that they refuse to give us any information other than "legal has it, with no time frame" and "you have to wait" could cause us both to be sitting here indefinitely! I can't continue like this.

As I was telling my mom this morning, I don't even know for sure that the disposition letter I sent to them is what I need to go ahead and get my application processed. I could be sitting here on my laurels waiting and they STILL don't have what they need, hence more delay. Since no one will even tell me IF my letter is with my file I feel like I am totally in the dark without a clue as to where to go from here and this waiting is really beginning to get on my last nerve. I am trying really hard not to be resentful of the fact that they had NO problem in cashing my application check and they definitely knew about the old DUI from the beginning, as I disclosed it WITH the application. They also had no problem letting me spend the $200 to take my NCLEX either! I am scared to just sit here and wait until the board meets again in October only to find out they don't have what is needed because then I will be waiting yet another two months until December before they meet again. As of today I have still not received the letter that their website says was mailed to me on August 21st.. sheesh I could have WALKED to Macon and back by now to pick the darned thing up! Frankly I don't believe I have ever been mailed anything

I had wanted to pursue my RN, but I am wondering if it will be the same thing when I apply for a RN license. I honestly don't know if I want to go through this again. I had no idea there would be this much trouble getting licensed as an LPN. My school led me to believe, as yours did, that because this issue was so old and I have been a model citizen since then, there would be no problem

Please feel free to private message me and let me know how your case comes along. I have actually been emailing back and forth with another lady in Georgia who went through exactly the same thing with the Georgia BON with a misdemeanor case that was 23 years old. She finally got her license. I am hoping this will be the case with me very soon.

Have a great day!

jelc43 · Sep 10, 2009, 07:04 PM

you aren't going to believe this...but I got my license today!!!!!! I called 3 x today, the last one in tears! My license came through this afternoon and I am so grateful to God for getting me through this! I also received a letter of concern warning me to never work impaired...I will never be impaired period!!! My license has no restrictions, thank God! My friend is going through the EXACT same thing as you and is still waiting. She had a DUI from 24 yrs ago with no disposition available either. I think that may be the hold up, but they told her today to be patient and she may have her license by the end of next week. So hang in there, keep calling, it will come!! I think it is important to be polite, even when they are not, and even though you are so stressed. I understand, believe me!

**sirI** · Sep 10, 2009, 07:08 PM

CONGRATULATIONS, jelc43!!

Lovenox1 · Sep 10, 2009, 07:45 PM

Oh, goodness I hope something happens soon for you...I'm still just doing the first things with a lawyer from TAANA and will have to file a petition and also dealing with other things during the middle of trying to study!!...It sounds like some of the people have been having some luck in your neck of the woods. Keep us posted...:typing

KAYBDT6 · Sep 11, 2009, 01:12 AM

KAYBDT6 · Sep 11, 2009, 01:13 AM

congrats!

Pegasus65 · Sep 11, 2009, 04:55 AM

OMG I am so glad for you Jelc43!!!!!! I can totally understand what a sense of relief you must feel!!

I sure hope I will hear something from them soon. I agree with the old adage about "getting more flies with honey than vinegar" and have been very polite even though some of the representatives were um, "not so nice" to put it mildly. All the grumbling and fussing I have done has been to my 84-year-old mom who lives with my husband and I.

She keeps telling me to hang in there that eventually I will get them. Again CONGRATULATIONS...

Have a great day!

jelc43 · Sep 30, 2009, 06:50 AM

Pegasus65,

Just wanted to check in with you and see if the board has issued your license?? I am waiting to hear your happy ending!

Pegasus65 · Sep 30, 2009, 02:25 PM

Jelc43,

Unfortunately I still do not have a license

When I called two weeks ago I was told,... they had "all needed documents" and it was still being processed. When I called last Friday I was told, "it is in the final stages of processing" and to check back the middle of this week if nothing has posted. As of today I still do not have a license. I am literally to the point of tearing my hair out. What really makes it bad is there was someone in my class who had much more serious criminal charges than I did and her license posted two weeks ago lol. My best friend in the nursing class also had a DUI 17 years ago. She didn't send her application in until weeks after I did because she didn't have the $200 to take the nclex. Her application was entered into their system on September 2nd (mine was entered in on July 22nd) and her license posted on September 28th, a mere 26 days!! Her application apparently didn't even go before the board, as they don't meet again until like Oct. 14th!!

I truly do not understand what is going on. I am trying so hard not to lose my temper, but enough is enough!! Each week all they want to do is get me off the phone. I guess I will call back in the morning after giving it to this afternoon to post. I almost hate calling because being told the same spiel over and over all just puts me in one heck of a crabby mood for the rest of the day. I thought maybe I would ask to speak to a supervisor or as my instructor told me an "application specialist". This is going into the third month and my patience has just about ran out. Obviously there is something wrong somewhere and someone needs to tell me what I need to do to get it corrected.

Hope you have a great evening!

Trying to be honest

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