Aspiring nurse criminal history, misdemeanor possession of less than 20 g marijuana

[LoveSaintMatthew1926]

Hello,

Sorry If my typing or grammar is poor, I am doing this from my phone while I lay in bed depressed about all the information I am receiving from my research. I am a male FSU graduate with dual bachelor's of science degrees in Biology and Exercise science, my route was pre-med. I did very well with cumulative 3.53 GPA, however I may have thrown some opportunities down the tubes. I graduated in 2010 with ambitions to go to medical college, I applied twice already and currently I am on my third attempt. I can not seem to perform on the MCAT as I have taken it 4 times with really poor scores. I am looking for a new career path, my mother is a tremendous women who struggles to hold up our household. She has been a nurse for over 30 years, I am now considering the possible opportunity to become one too, however I am extremely worried about a criminal history that may obstruct any chances of becoming a licensed allied health care provider. I am 29 years old with a daughter, broke and living under my mother's roof without any sustainable income; child support, lack of sucess advancing into professional school. I would like to know if I have any chance at becoming a nurse... In 2010 I was charged with 2 felony counts and 2 misdemeanors, all charges were dismissed except for one. I have a misdemeanor conviction of adjudication withheld for possesion of less than twenty grams of marijuana. I live and Florida and I am aware of the specific rules, laws, categories in place that bar an individual from becoming licensed according to the board of nursing with their specific statutes that bar a nurse from becoming licensed, however, misdemeanor possession of less than 20 g of cannabis is not one of them as I am currently aware. I also found this information that is posted on the bar that gives a table summary of what is applicable according to conviction record guidelines.

http://floridasnursing.gov/forms/convict-record-guidelines.pdf

My question is, as I desire the prospect of becoming a terrific nurse... Considering this, if I take the few prerequisites I need to enter a program and my record shows up on the level two background check for clinicals am I going to be denied access to performing clinicals? Will I?

I understand my actions and I know I made a mistake and I have been doing what I can to try and make life better. I have never had a drug problem and have been clean on every drug test I have ever taken. Even the one I had to take two and a half weeks after the incident. What I am struggling to know is...will I be denied access to education, clinicals or licensure? Again, I was convicted of the above mentioned misdemeanor with adjudication withheld. As I am informed correctly, the charges that occurred at the time of the arrest will show up on my record regardless of expunction?

please do not hold back from giving your thoughts and response on this as so much of what I have been working towards hangs in the balance

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Welcome! Your post has been moved to our Nursing Licensure With a Criminal History forum where you'll hopefully receive some helpful feedback. Good luck!

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

So, I typed a huge reply and it disappeared! Hopefully this won't be a duplicate,

I attended nursing school with a couple of people who had similar issues and helped them do some research. Others may have better information for you, but here goes....

What we discovered is that beyond BON requirements, the individual schools and clinical sites determine what they allow based on their policies. The problem one student ran in to was that some of our program's clinical sites would allow her to participate, but others had policies that would not accept her.

My advice to you would be to reach out to specific nursing programs directly and explain your situation, sitting down with program directors face to face, if needed. It sounds like you're an intelligent and motivated individual and you're committed to making positive changes for your career and family. With your educational background, have you considered PA school since you were on a more medical track? I'm sure the hospitals will have similar policies, but it's just a thought. What about a master's program that leads to a career in research or medical technology? I have a similar educational background and found that there were many advanced degree programs and options out there for someone who had been on a pre-med track, simply because you have met the pre-reqs for many different programs, even those not directly related to health care.

One of my friends did successfully make it through the nursing program with no issues from either the school or the clinical sites. That said, I live in an area where medical and recreational marijuana use is legal, so that may color hospital policies somewhat. I truly wish you the best in your career endeavors!!

[all-k]

Have you had the misdemeanor expunged? If so, this will not show up on a standard background check. And if it hasn't been, I suggest applying to have it sealed. I have gone through this process myself and I am now a licensed RN.