Expunged record and nursing school

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i have this pain eating me up for years. i was arrested for shoplifting 2007. this is how it happened. i went to the mall , i bought several stuff from a diff store, then i went to jcpenny, i was trying some outfits i wanted to buy, then all of a sudden i got a call that my best friend passed. i started crying and immediately hurried out of the store . i picked everything with me , my sister was waiting for me infront of the fitting room. i got stopped at the store. i didnt know why i was stopped. i was crying due to the news. i asked if i had something with me, i told them, stuff i put from a previous store, i gave them my bags, only for them to bring out parfums i wanted to pay for. i was shocked. i apologised and explained what happened to me. they never listened to me. i told them that i was a gold member of the store, that my husband and i have shopped millions of times. that was the worst day of my life. i got arrested and was fingerprinted. i had no priors and have never had any. my lawyer told me to take some theft class and community service,the case of dismissed and was expunged a couple of months ago. i want to go into nursing school in florida.i mailed them a letter asking me if i hav a chance,i got a response back that they cant respond because i havent started nursing school yet. i need honest advise please, do i have a choice??? thanks

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I haven't applied for nursing school yet here in Michigan, but I'll tell you what the board of nursing told me. Once a record has been espunged you do not have to say you were convicted of any crimes. So when asked on the application your answer would be no. I had my record espunged and I have applied and got a new job since. Here in Michigan they get rid of your finger prints and all. Thats through the State and Federal. I even called before I applied for the job and the Federal agency told me that no record was showing for me. I even did the ICHAT here in Michigan and nothing came up. Try background checking yourself and see what comes up. I haven't had any problems. Go ahead and apply you will be ok. Good Luck!

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All of this is based on individual cases. Expunged means NOTHING, insomuchas, BONs will still see the conviction.

Given this story, IMHO, I would go for it. You will never know unless you try.

I have 2 misdemeanors. I finish school Sunday. :D I will apply for a license and take the NCLEX (if awarded my ATT). I will come back here and let everyone know how it went. Maybe that will give you hope!

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Specializes in ER.

If this arrest is truely expunged, you do not, by the definition of the law, need to disclose it to anyone. Expunged means it is no longer a part of YOUR legal record. Why are you asking the nursing program about something that does not legally exist?

Go to the nurse board (in your state) website and read their policy on expunged offenses.

g Luck,

h

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thank you so much for all the response. i will keep you guys posted as the events unfolds. i have passed the entrance exam. so excited. i have an appt next week for my remaining paper work..

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Specializes in Surgical Trauma ICU.
If this arrest is truely expunged, you do not, by the definition of the law, need to disclose it to anyone.

This information is wrong. You will have to disclose this to the board when you apply for a nursing license. Prepare a letter explaining your circumstances and how you have learned from this experience and provide proof of expungement. If you fail to disclose it on your application, they will find out and they will make the process extremely painful for you.

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Good luck FLmomof5!

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Thanks! :D

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I know this must be hard for you and scary at the same time because you can not look ahead to the future to know the outcome. My advice to you (speaking from experience), is to be upfront and honest with your BON. Many people may say since it is expunged they will not be able to see it. Think of it like this...BON has many privaleges and this is one of them...they exist to protect the people and regulate. They can and will see what the arrest was for and whether or not it is expunged. You would much rather write them a letter explaining the circumstances, etc. and send them a copy of the expungement, than to have them send you a letter back denying you, because in their eyes you lied to them about your situation. It is better to be safe than sorry. I had an incident that happened when I was a teenager that I wrote about to the BON. It wasn't very pleasant, but I did it and the outcome was great. People make mistakes...we are all human. I believe most people at the BON do understand this fact and if you are upfront and honest about your situation, will probably give you a chance. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you :o:):up:

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Dont kno if you got the answer you were looking for but yes, the BON will know because you have to get fingerptinted. That being said you probably will get licensed if you complete all the terms of your case/probation etc. Getting it expunged will probably serve you when applying for a job.

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wunmi30... have u found anything out? i am in the same situation as u so please let me know!

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I had a minor pot charge from when I was 19 in 2001 expunged recently, I disclosed it to my state's BON and had no problems although it just took a little longer. Now I have gotten a great job "contingent on background check." The website is called PreCheck. Debating whether or not to mention it. I'd hate to get disqualified for being dishonest but at the same time I'd hate to mention it if I don't have to. I can't find on this website if they find expunged records or not.

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