question for you all....

Nurses General Nursing

Published

When i was 18 i made a stupid decision and was arrested for misdemeanor theft ( i had shoplifted) This conviction is on my record and when i began nursing school i simply had to fill out a form explaining how i had changed and how i did my duty to resolve this offense and then they allowed me to participate in clinical....my question is how will this affect me when getting a job?? Is there any way to get this off my record?? THANKS!

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You need to talk to your BON and your attorney. We can't answer that for two reasons: each state and facility is different, and we can't give legal advice.

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Specializes in med-surg.

Does your state have any kind of First Offender statute? In our state, if its the first misdeanor offense and there are no additional charges for the same crime within (1 or 2 years), then the record is sealed and basically expunged from the record. I think the law understands we all do something kind of dumb every once in a while and that you shouldn't have to spend the rest of your life paying for something you did as a teen.

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Follow up question...

How would i go about finding out about expunging a record in iowa? I have googled it and found nothing.

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Call the courthouse or your attorney. There is paperwork involved and a certain length of time has to pass.

Warning: even an expunged record has to be admitted to when applying for a license.

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With good intentions, everybody here, including myself, can offer you advices; however, these advices tend to be based on our opinions. What you really need is a lawyer who can offer you an expert advice based on your specific case. Being admitted to nursing school does not mean you will be automatically eligible to receive your license when you pass the board exam after you graduate. The board of nursing will have to review your case first. I'm sure after you have spent long years trying to earn your degree, you will want somebody who is legally competent to represent your case to BON. That's why you might want to consider getting a lawyer, so you won't waste the years you spent in school.Hypothetically, what if the BON won't grant you this license because the BON might think you are a liability to this profession or whatever its other reasons; then you just wasted your time in nursing school.

We are not sure if your misdemeanor record will prevent you from getting your license unless you can confirm it with a lawyer. Remember, it's a case by case basis, so the same offense does not mean the same judgement in the eyes of BON.

Been there....

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Are you wondering if it is hard to get hired in hospitals with a record?

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