Fingerprinting Texas Nurses

U.S.A. Texas

Published

How's everybody feel about this plan? I just got the notice today and am not feeling good about it.

TPTB already do background checks on us and have organizations like Group One to keep track of us....I feel this is 'big brother' getting more info on us than we need...

How's everybody else feel??:confused:

Originally posted by smkoepke

i was just wondering if it is ALL staff being fingerprinted or just nurses. If their rationale is for protection of the patient, then doctors, resp therapists, techs, cnas, physical therapists, etc should all be fingerprinted. This happens in schools everyone has to be fingerprinted all the way down the line and even the school bus drivers. If only the nurses have to be fingerprinted it is almost like a form of discrimination. I would have to comply obviously but i would be greatly offended.

It is just the nurses. Since LVN's will be under the same board I assume they will be required to be fingerprinted along with RN's. As far as I know the other disciplines are not mandated as nurses are. I will have to be fingerprinted to renew my license next year. Wonder if this could be challenged legally as a form of discrimination??

But...since other states have required this I guess some precedent has been set already.

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Originally posted by txsugarlvn

I took my boards for my LVN license back in 1995 and I was required to give my fingerprints when I went to test. So was everyone else that was testing at the same time.

So Texas LVN's have been fingerprinted since 1995?? I had no idea...guess I've just been out of touch. :imbar

I can see your point about nurses who are working under someone elses' license illegally. But I would think a picture on the license would suffice. The fingerprinting is overkill, IMO.The licenses as printed now are easy to reproduce and forge. The board creates the problem by having such a generic piece of paper, IMO.

but...guess this is happening already and I will just have to comply if I want to work as a nurse....:stone

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Well, I think that this fingerprinting thing stinks! I don't care so much in principle. However, I think the BNE should have gotten their act together before mandating this change for new grads (effective 9-1-03). I have really had a terrible experience with this and I just emailed the board a letter. Writing about it seems a bit theraputic. If you guys don't mind, I am going to cut and paste the email. Can you tell me if it makes and sense? Do any of you guys have an answer or a suggestion of how to get an answer?

Basically, the letter says that I have requested finger print cards FOUR times already and have yet to be able to get my prints done. i am way past the deadline for submission and it is not even my fault. I don't know how this will affect my ability to test or even start my job! And it is not like I can get in touch with anyone at the BNE to ask them. Nothing but recordings and answering machines (that get NO response!!!).

This is the letter if you care to read it:

To whom it may concern:

Let me first preface this letter by describing my situation. I apologize for the length. I am a senior nursing student in ***** - I graduate December **, 2003. In August, I was in contact with the board to find out what I needed to do to obtain a Texas RN license. At that time I was told to check with the website in a few weeks "because some changes were being

made." Fine. Thinking that it was not a huge deal, I searched the website on September 24. It was then that I determined that I needed fingerprints, application, etc to be submitted no later than 90 days prior to graduation (already late at this point). Naturally, I requested the fingerprint packet at that time. Two weeks later, the packet arrives... with only one fingerprint card. Immediately, I called and requested another packet. Another two weeks later, I get a new packet and immediately go to get my

fingerprints taken. At the police station, I am informed that these cards will not be accepted because they were mailed in an envelope that allowed them to get damp (warped) and bent. Once again, I immediately request a third fingerprint packet (on October 16). It is now October 31. It has been over two weeks since I last requested the cards and they have yet to arrive.

I must go on the assumption that they were not mailed, got lost or delayed for some reason. Therefore, I called and requested another packet for the fourth time. Lord knows that it will be at least two more weeks before this set is due to arrive.

My graduation is now less than a month and a half away. I am clearly far behind in the RN license process (really through no fault of my own). In addition, I have already accepted a job in Texas, put a deposit on an apartment, and my current state application deadline has passed two weeks ago.

Could you please tell me how this is going to affect my ability to start working in mid Jan 2004 and how it will affect my ability to test with the NCLEX. Please respond ASAP because I am extremely stressed over this. I am really disheartened. I was hoping that things in Texas would run much more

smoothly than this. This process has turned into a truly miserable

experience. I can not even be excited about graduation because I am so worried about this. I just need to know if I will be able to start my job and how my testing will be affected. I feel that there is nothing more that I can do to facilitate this process. If there is something else I can do please let me know. If I had known this was going to be such a problem, I would have preferred take a few days and drive to Austin and pick up the cards.

Perhaps, in the future, changes can be made to try and prevent this hassle from happening with anyone else. This is already a stressful time - graduation, starting a new career, moving to a new state, studying for the NCLEX - I would have hoped that sending in an application would not be included.

Thank you for your time and your timely response. I apologize if this letter comes off as rude but I am extremely upset over this whole ordeal.

Sincerely,

:(

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NsgTiger,

I think your letter sounds fine.

The whole thing sounds really crappy for you!!!! Our class was informed at the end of September that we had to do all of that, but our school has a law enforcement program as well, so they were able to do the fingerprinting for us. Our program director told us that she was sorry, but that some of us might be delayed no matter what because the BNE didn't notify schools of the changes before the "90 days" we are supposed to allow after the applications are sent. We met as a class and filled out our applications and had to pay by that day (which no one had adequate time to prepare for either), by money order, or our applications will be sent in even later.

It is a really unfortuate situation, and there will probably be a lot of delays. Our program director said that there are a lot of irate people writing letters and calling, which is probably why they don't answer or return calls......................they should, at least to reassure people, in my opinion.

I hope that all goes well for you with no delays.

Good luck!

JuicyJem

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JuicyJem,

Thanks for your reply. It does make me feel a little better that I am not the only one. This whole thing is so frustrating. I just can't wait to get all of this mess behind me! Hopefully BNE will get it together so the next class doesn't have to be hassled like this. I guess for now I just have to accept that this mess is out of my hands...nothing more I can do about it. :rolleyes:

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Last year, I got a letter from the Texas RN BON stating that they were going to "invalidate" my Texas RN license, because I had not

"officially declared" myself a "resident" of Texas!

Hmmm. Well, I moved here from another state, applied for reciprocity of my RN license from my other state, paid for and received a Texas RN license, bought a house here worked here as an RN for two years, and so on.

Guess that wasn't enough, because I got this off-the-wall letter.

They gave me only two weeks notice of their intent to invalidate my license.

I had to download a form "declaring" myself a resident of Texas from The BON website, have it notorized and send it back. I sent it by certified, registered mail, so that I would have documented proof that they received it.

True, trying to contact the Texas BON via phone and regular mail gets no response. I've had better luck with emails and certified mail.

The most gracious and generous State of Texas has decided to allow me to continue practising nursing since they received my "resident declaration" form.:rolleyes:

Of course, they did inform me of their decision on their own, I had to keep emailing them over and over and asking them.

I mean, what was I supposed to do, tell my employer "My license may be valid, or it may not. I don't know because The Board won't tell me if they decided to invalidate my license or not"?

I'm sure that the merging of the RN and LVN boards will have them even more scattered and confused for some time to come.

I haven't received anything regarding fingerprints.

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I also requested a fingerprint packet. Two times. They were both bent. I live in Virginia, so this is a big deal to me to get this stuff done so I can start my job in Tx in Jan 2004. I have not accepted this job yet, but I have a feeling that I will. I did not find out that I needed to have this stuff submitted 90 days prior to graduation until 2 weeks ago. I graduate in dec. so I am also outside of the time frame. Let me know how the BNE responds to your letter regarding how you will be affected. Will you be able to sit for NCLEX? What about starting your job? Will you be able to get a GN permit or not? These are all the questions I have as well, but I, too am unable to speak to a person at the Tx BNE! I was told by my potential employer to change the last 4 numbers of the BNE phone number to 7400 and that I could reach a person there. So far, I have not been successful. I wish you the best of luck and Iwill let you know if I find out anything, since we are essentially in the same situation.

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I'm sorry you guys have to deal with all this..I had a feeling this was going to be a troublesome decision...this fingerprinting thing opens up a whole new problem for us.

As if our jobs aren't tough enough, eh??

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I did get a reply to my letter to the BNE. The reply stated that ...heck I'm just going to quote it...

"My advice to you is the same as that which Ms. Sloane has already suggested: go as soon as possible to your local police station and have your fingerprints done on two cards supplied by the police, and return them to us for processing. Provided the information on the cards is completed correctly, they will likely be processed without incident. "

Her advise is the same as what??? I was specifically told 6 weeks ago that I must use cards only from the BNE, that my local PD's cards would not be accepted!

Anyway just today I took the single good card from the BNE and got my prints done. While there, I got them to grab a blank print card and just type in the Texas code info. I can not imagine that this other card would not get accepted, the PD has the exact same card just without the code typed in.

If I were you, I would grab one of your damaged cards to get the code from, go to your local PD and use two of theirs for prints. Then just get them to fill in the Texas code info. If you do not have the code let me know and I will give it to you.

As for the consequences of the BNE failing to prepare for this change.. well guess what, we are the ones to suffer... this is what they said regarding that:

"As far as what will happen to your ability to work beginning January 2004: if your FBI background check has not been cleared by that time, you will not be eligible for a graduate nurse permit, nor will you be able to be deemed eligible to sit for the NCLEX exam. The criminal background check is a new Texas State law that became effective 9/1/2003, so the Board of Nurse Examiner's has no authority to waiver this requirement for any candidate for initial licensure, regardless of circumstances."

Wow, what a welcome to the great state of Texas. And I thought my home state was wacked out! Hopefully, if Texas wants to recruit new nurses in the future, they will make getting a liscence more feasible.

Let me know if you have any more questions. I think I gave you all the info I got. Oh yeah, and I did invest the $20 to overnight everything to the BNE. At this late date, I would suggest you do the same if at all possible.

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Thank you for your reply. I plan to send the stuff overnight as soon as I get the money. Due to problems with my school's financial aid department, no one at my school has received any sort of financial aid payments yet, so I have absolutely NO money. However, I am ready to go begging for the money to mail to apply for my license! Yep, you're right, this is a WONDERFUL :devil: :devil: way to be welcomed to Texas. I understand the idea behind requiring background investigations, but REALLY, if they knew the change was going to occur, they COULD have let nursing schools know in advance!! UGGGHHH! I have the codes for the cards and I am planning to get the prints done ASAP. Let's just pray that our cards get accepted even though they are damaged or not the cards from the BNE. Let me know how it works out, and I will let you know the same.

GOOD LUCK!

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Yeah, good luck. I'll let you know what happens. BTW, we've got a lot in common... my school's financial aid dept sounds just as bad as yours!! Keep me posted...Nsgtiger

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I am so sorry to hear of the problems that have occured while trying to become licensed in the State of Texas. Reply back and let us know what has happened since teh last time you have responded. I wonder if it would not be easier for you to get your license in the state you are in and then have them transfered to Texas? I didn't have to worry about any of that kinda stuff at my school, they did it all for us, made sure everything was filled out right, the pictures taken and everything. I wish you would of had the same experience that I did. Hope once you get your license you enjoy being a nurse and that you can see if through your care for the pt.

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