CORI and background check question

Jess RN · Jan 31, 2005

When I submitted my own situation, I called the Board and spoke directly with the individual who handles these things and she flat out told me what I stated above about the Board being there to help you and wanting you to succeed. This person also told me that she gets hundreds of these calls a month.

Thanks so much- this makes me feel so much better. I am so ashamed to have this in my past- because it is truly not a representation of who I am. I think the only way to make it good is to own it, apologize and lead an honest, upright life. After talking to my program and getting their assurance along with the BON's, i will just have to take it on faith that it will be ok. But I know I will worry until I am actually sitting taking teh NCLEX!

Thanks again for your help!

Jess

begalli · Jan 31, 2005

I am so ashamed to have this in my past- because it is truly not a representation of who I am.

A little humility never hurt anyone! Call it "character building." :)

Thanks again for your help!

You're welcome.

raindrop · Feb 1, 2005

Wow. Great question. I don't mean to take over your thread with my own Q's, but I have one related to this topic.

I'm 27 now. When I was 17, I too, was arrested& fingerprinted for a marijuanna joint. First time (and last time) that I ever tried the stuff and I get in big trouble. It was a scary and horrible experience.

Anyhoo, 10 years have passed since then. When I was 22 I got my LPN which was 5 years after the arrest. I don't think I mentioned it to my school or anyone else b/c I thought that since "charges were dropped", it meant my record was clean. It has been 5 years now since I got my LPN and it's been fine. I've even had criminal background checks for jobs and it has apparently come out as fine.

So, now that I will be graduating with my RN in 14 weeks (Yayyyy), you guys do think I need to say something? It is embarassing and it's really something that people frown upon. It has been 10 years and charges were dropped....I got my LPN without a prob....but, but, but....SCARY.

You know what, I think I just answered my own Q. It's something I have to do otherwise I will NEVER be comfortable. I just hope that they won't consider me a big druggie, etc, etc., and deny me :crying2: .

begalli · Feb 1, 2005

I am absolutely NO legal expert (I'm a nurse :) ), but I think that something that you got popped for (like smoking a joint or shoplifting) when you were a minor is either sealed or expunged. I think that means that the DOJ and FBI never know about it. The DOJ and FBI are the agencies that the CA BON uses for background checks.

So if you were to leave off something that happened when you were a dumb kid I don't think it would show up (not a knock at kids, I have 3 lovely and very successful ones, but all kids have to go through a "dumb" period to learn).

I reported my temporary childhood lack of judgement because like most people who face this, I was freaked out about anything and everything and I wanted to be completely forthcoming about my past however insignificant it was more than 20 years later.

I don't know about disclosing something that happened as a minor when you already have a license. Would it be a risk of them saying....why didn't you tell us this the first time (even though I doubt they would give it any weight - again a dumb kid mistake)?

If this were a first time application for ANY license, I'd say talk about it, but in my humble opinion (well, I'm very opinionated ), let it go.

ZZTopRN, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2005

I wholeheartedly disagree with #1. Bad check writing can be considered both civil and criminal (felony).
In the application for my license in the state of CA the instructions CLEARLY state the "applicants are required under law to list all misdemeanor and felony convictions." Even if something was expunged, they want to know about it. NOT disclosing this information is considered "falsification of application" and they will deny your application.
I'm sure other states have similar requirements.
Imagine what this would look like if you did not report it and it showed up?
I did something stupid when I was a teenager in the 70's. I got picked up, fingerprinted, and had the living heck scared straight into me. When I applied for my license, I included a letter explaining what that was all about even though I knew that my record had been expunged (I wrote the police department). This is what the Board wants. I believe they are, in part, testing your professional integrity by asking that you submit your background fully and truthfully. When they see that you have done this, they usually will take it case by case and will work with you to help you obtain your license.
I would NOT let something like writing that check stop you from becoming an RN, but certainly DO NOT brush it under the rug.
Maybe you can contact the board in your state or find their website and look at their application.

She is absolutely right about full disclosure. I live in California also and they are not the only state that requires full disclosure. I checked with my BON in MO and the requirements are the same. My license was suspended in another state after I had been arrested because someone put drugs in my purse and the charges were dropped. I had one evidentiary hearing with the BON where they wanted to me to admit guilt and take an ethics course.

After all that I was totally done with nursing and never went back. However, I have been asked to renew my CA license and go to work for them.

I would recommend getting ALL your documents together. It does take a long time. I had to get records from the BON, a background check that only showed the case was dropped, I got the arrest record, the court records, the Board's Investigative report, my correspondence to the Board who suspended my license when I was gone from the state, my marriage license to show change of name, you name it. So I advise you to start getting every piece of document you can find because it takes a long time. And if there is some little thing you missed and they ask for it, they will write you back about it and that will delay things further.

The Board that said I could get my license back said they would give me one but I would have to be on probation for a certain amount of time, tell my employer about it and report back to the Board. I did not do this. Who is going to hire you like that? Anyway it will be 10 years since this happened, and I am praying that the CABON will reinstate me without going to do the suspension bit with the other state. It has already been since August 2004 and I have just gotten in my application for renewal with CABON the 1st of January. I am hoping I will get an answer in the next 3-4 weeks.

I wish you the best of luck and as soon as I find out I will definitely let you know. But it is so important to get all those documents going.

I've read somewhere the amount of time passed may be a benefit. I don't know if this is true or not, but lots of hugs.

mv

smj67 · Feb 1, 2005

There seems to be a bit more to this issue than I thought. But I have been CORI checked before ( I also hold gov't clearnance) and asked if thesen type of offences were checked and told no. But I could have been misinformed. I'm in Mass. But still I would not worry to much. Anybody out there with definite info on this? -john

I wholeheartedly disagree with #1. Bad check writing can be considered both civil and criminal (felony).
In the application for my license in the state of CA the instructions CLEARLY state the "applicants are required under law to list all misdemeanor and felony convictions." Even if something was expunged, they want to know about it. NOT disclosing this information is considered "falsification of application" and they will deny your application.
I'm sure other states have similar requirements.
Imagine what this would look like if you did not report it and it showed up?
I did something stupid when I was a teenager in the 70's. I got picked up, fingerprinted, and had the living heck scared straight into me. When I applied for my license, I included a letter explaining what that was all about even though I knew that my record had been expunged (I wrote the police department). This is what the Board wants. I believe they are, in part, testing your professional integrity by asking that you submit your background fully and truthfully. When they see that you have done this, they usually will take it case by case and will work with you to help you obtain your license.
I would NOT let something like writing that check stop you from becoming an RN, but certainly DO NOT brush it under the rug.
Maybe you can contact the board in your state or find their website and look at their application.

begalli · Feb 1, 2005

John-

I think the point is full disclosure. I personally would not take the chance of something maybe not showing up. You just never know. It's a lot about integrity and truth telling. It's not always about the offense itself.

The best thing to do would be to check with the Board in your state.

begalli · Feb 1, 2005

This is from the Mass BON:

http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/rn/forms/gmcreq.pdf

(acrobat reader required)

They do require full disclosure of both misdemeanors and felonies.

Jess RN · Feb 1, 2005

I looked at that same document over and over again. The issue is in the BON's definition of "conviction". In that document they list convictions as:

In my particular circumstances the verdict was "continued without a finding" which the court DOES NOT treat as a guilty verdict- but the BON does and requires full disclosure. If the final disposition of the case had been "dismissed", the MA BON would not require disclosure.

-Jess

Jess RN · Feb 1, 2005

Here is a quote from a rep of the MA BON who emailed me back about my questions:

Unless the offense was included in the list of mandatory permanent
exclusion from licensure, you would not be prevented from writing the NCLEX
or licensure in Massachusetts. But you would still be required to go
through the GMC evaluation process but you would need to wait until eight
(8) weeks before you graduate. For more information you can also talk
with your nursing education program.

So basically, anything other than a dismissal of a case needs to be reported and anything outside of the madatory permananet exclusion from licensure will not prevent you from writing the NCLEX, provided you go through the GMC evaluation process with the appropriate documentation.

Don't know how helpful this is to all- because this is only MA BON's process- other states may vary.

Jess

smj67 · Feb 2, 2005

Thanks for this info..very informative. This also answers Future Nurse Jess's question. I guess the most of the cori checks I've had didn't require so much disclosure. Great point on the moral character issue. That should keep out the bad people from being hired. But it also makes me wonder how some of the weirdos do get hired! Rules are good but only for the honest folk or so it seems. Also I do have as a minor a misdermeanor that is sealed and it did not show. It was non violent, non drug related a long time ago.

This is from the Mass BON:
http://www.mass.gov/dpl/boards/rn/forms/gmcreq.pdf
(acrobat reader required)
They do require full disclosure of both misdemeanors and felonies.

surfer05 · Feb 11, 2005

I went to California and did a walk through without realizing that I had a previous felony showing with fingerprints that happened 30 years ago. 1 am 48yrs old. never been finger printed before and after several request nothing showed up. It was not until after I got home that I was notified by cbon.I did not respond and my application was destroyed. It has been about 4 years and i want to go back to ca.Need to know who I can contact at the cbon before sending application. any help would be appreciated.tnanks