difficulties gaining employment with misdemeanor charge/limited work historys

[CMRichardwssu]

Hi,

I am a current BSN major in NC; i currently have my certification as a medical assistant, and I have been having a hard time gaining employment. I was told that because my 2 misdemeanor charges from 1997/98 were not violent crimes (shoplifting) that I am ok in that aspect. I had no problems in 2005 gaining employment as a CNA1. But I was out of work for some years because my husband had a great job, and we had a young child- so I could afford to be a stay at home mom from 2007-2010. Upon completing my CMA certification in 2013 I noticed that I was having difficulties gaining employment as a CMA- my question is, is this due to the break in employemnt or my criminal background? And how will this effect me completing my BSN or gaining employment in the field? I love being in this field, and pray that what ever stands in my way God removes so that I can fulfill my career aspirations.

I read a few of the post here and it don't sound like it's ALL bad news as far as the criminal background.....I greatly appreciate anyone with information commenting on this.

[remotefuse]

I would just keep looking, it might just be slow hiring. I too have had to deal with a misdemeanor charge, but a lot of facilities will only ask if you have felonies. I started working in a major hospital a couple of weeks ago. There application only asked about felonies or charges that would effect licensing. So things like medicare fraud or elder abuse. Even though I knew their conviction guidelines, I was still freaking out during the background check, but everything worked out.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Bear in mind that theft convictions are often automatic disqualifers for many faciltiies, such as in nursing homes.

But honestly, who knows for certain if it's your criminal history or taking time off that is holding you back? It could be either. Or as remotefuse said, it could be because it's slow hiring and hard for anyone to get in. Or it could be any combination of the above. It's a tough market out there for anyone and everyone.

Keep applying to whatever you can. Also, consider consulting with an attorney to determine if your convictions are eligible for expungement. This will help your job hunt considerably because then you can declare "No" to the Convictions question in most--but NOT all--instances. Consult with that lawyer for more information on what expungement can and can't do for you.

Best of luck.