did a bad check ruin everything?

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'm a 32 year old Marine vet that has been accepted into Chamberlain College of nursing....until the background check revealed a bad check from 5 years ago. I was in between back to back deployments to Iraq and was unaware that I had even bounced a check until today. The school has told me that they are unable to move forward with my registration. I'm obviously freaking out and need a little advice. I plan on taking steps to resolve this issue first thing in the morning, but I'm worried that this one check for probably less than 20 dollars will ruin everything that I've worked for the last two years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Can you just pay it and any penalties and have it resolved?

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i hope so, i just found out about it today when i received the results of my background check this afternoon. i'll be making more phone calls in the morning but have been in panic mode and was curious if anyone had been through anything similar.

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Specializes in ED, OR, SAF, Corrections.

First of all - thank you for your service, Marine - I'm SO glad you came home okay.

To your question, it depends on what state you reside in. I did a quick Google search and came up with a couple of relevant sites that might help out with a little info and - hopefully - ease your anxiety a bit until you can talk to a lawyer or whatever authority can help you resolve this.

Bad Check Laws

Writing Bad Checks What is the Penalty?

I hope this resolves quickly for you so you can move on with the next chapter of your life. Good luck!

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

Hey, fellow Marine here. I would suggest you settle this ASAP. Find out who holds the account (whether it is with the original company or a debt collection company). Then I would get something on a letterhead to the effect that it has been resolved and submit to the nursing school.

If it now belongs to a collection agency don't be surprised that the amount owed is more than $20 because most likely the have been adding penalties and interest.

I think another option would be to find out if there is any appeals process with this school of nursing. They may be able to still accept you if you can state your case to the admission board.

Good Luck!

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

I personally think they should cut you some slack....after all, you served your country. Welcome home. Thank you. And, I truly hope all works out for you.

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thank you for all your posts. I just found out about it this afternoon and because everyone (except nurses and Marines) stop working at 5pm. I have to wait until the morning to investigate it further. I'm going to resolve the bad check first thing tomorrow, but I don't know what will happen after that. The email the school sent me said "We too have been notified with an Alert on your file. By having an Alert, we are unable to move forward with your acceptance process." Which could either mean they can't finish enrolling me until I've taken care of it.....or I'm done. The only things I ever wrote checks for while I was in the Marine Corps was pizza and chinese food. I'm going to freak the f out if an order of General Tso's chicken keeps me out of nursing school.

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Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

Well you broke the law; now don't get all upset that's just the reality. Yes I realize you didn't know about it etc... but it is what it is. Anisettes had a good site (the second one) where you can go on the forum and ask a question regarding this matter. Do it to relieve your stress until you can contact an attorney. They'll make you register but that only takes a couple minutes and usually you will get some good advice.

Time is of the essence so contact a lawyer STAT. Personally I think they should cut you some slack as well but I wouldn't hold my breath.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

well this may be a blessing in disguise. if you are referring to the chamberlain college of nursing in saint louis missouri i would do a heck of a lot of research before entering that school. high prices, not the greatest nclex pass rate, and more than usual hassle with instructors. only decent thing about the school is the fact that most students don't have to be put on a wait list like other schools in the surrounding area.

if the college you are referring to is the one in saint louis then maybe this little mishap has blessed you with the opportunity to do some extra research on the schools in the surrounding area. i suggest any of the community colleges in the area and have mostly positive things to say about the program at the university of missouri - saint louis. please check the pass rates of the schools that you are interested in, because no matter how cheap or expensive your degree is, if you aren't prepared to pass that test then you can't be a nurse.

alright, with that said i would write an appeal to the school letting them know the situation and how you are planning to deal with it in hopes that they will let you proceed. i would also start trying to figure out how to appeal and get the penalties removed and then pay whatever fine you need to pay to get it over with.

furthermore i would like to suggest that you think of your career choice very carefully. unless you are trying to get some other position above a basic asn or bsn the rules and regulations reguarding how we keep and get our license's are ridiculous and not worth the pay we make. please skip all the b.s. and look at being a doctor, a radiologist technician, or something long those lines. that's just my personal experience talking though.

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Thank you, and yes I'm aware that I broke the law, I'm not disputing that. I'm going to pay my debt (fine) to society first thing in the morning for writing a bad 10 to 15 dollar check for food. I would have done it five years ago if I had known. I'm just trying to get advice from anyone that has gone through or knows someone that has gone through a similar situation. It is the Chamberlain in St. Louis. I've heard both good and bad things, but feel that the amount of effort I put in will determine my success or failure no matter where I go. Although I have to admit that there is no waiting list was significant. Thank you very much for your advice and allowing me to vent a little. I'll tackle this issue in the morning.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

A single explainable mistake 5 years ago is hardly a pattern of criminal activity or moral turpitude. I can't believe the school is jerking you around because of that. You deserve much better treatment than this.

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I'm not trying to scare you but:

A fellow classmate passed her boards and the Board of Nursing gave her a little trouble about getting her initial license over a couple bounced checks from about 5 yrs ago. She was in a similar situation, her husband is a Marine and something happened with his pay while he was overseas... It happens. I hope it gets resolved before you try to get licensed.

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