Good moral character

[swacho]

Good afternoon,

Does anybody have any experience with the good moral character clause in MA? I messed up pretty badly and I am worried that my dream of becoming a nurse is in jeopardy.

The other night my boyfriend and I had an argument that got pretty nasty. He was cornering me, so I shoved him out of the way. He then called the police and had me arrested. I go to court at the end of this month. I do have a lawyer, who believes that I will not be charged since it is a relatively minor offense, and I have not had any other issues with the law.

My boyfriend called the police for this to be a "wake up call" for me. I have been having issues with depression and have been through a lot. I have been so busy with school that I had not been as active with treatment as I should be. The court ordered that I undergo a psych eval and remain compliant with medication (which I have been doing).

The bottom line is that I believe I will have to report this even if I am not charged. On the website, it mentions that anything that the court ordered to be done must be reported.

Will something like this prevent me from becoming a nurse? I am already a nurse's aide and have been working at the same hospital for 3 years, and can provide excellent references. My mental health issues have never affected my work life, but I worry that if they find all of this out, I will look unstable and like a liability. I am starting up counseling and other additional treatment.

If you don't have anything helpful to say, please do not comment. I know that I made a mistake and I deeply regret it. But nursing is what I was meant to do, and I would like some insight if any of you have had any experience with this. Thanks in advance

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Thread moved to a forum for replies from those in similar situations.

[RNskiier94]

I am dealing with GMC right now in MA... I have a prior DUI from years ago which in all instances was NOT a conviction at the end of probation. However, when I read through the BON's standards for criminal conviction and their GMC FAQ's, I did not want to risk being denied my license and therefore disclosed of this. All of my paperwork for GMC evaluation was sent in end of January. Their evaluation process takes at least 8 weeks (or so they say). Most of my class has already taken their NCLEX and passed. Its now almost March 1st, and I am still waiting for my ATT.

I guess the bottom line is.. once you finish nursing school, read over their GMC policy carefully. I was not convicted of a DUI misdemeanor; at the end of my probation, it was dismissed. Also, this never showed up on any CORI's or federal background checks in the past, nor has it affected my ability to get a job ever. However, the Good Moral Character guidelines suggest it is considered a "conviction" in their eyes. I would suggest just discussing this with your lawyer or even a professor once you start school. But I don't believe that you will be denied. I have a friend who had a previous DUI and went through this last year, and was able to take boards and pass. Also, they are now a licensed RN. I am hoping my fate is the same. Another individual I met had more serious charges against them, had to appear before the BON, but eventually got an ATT to take NCLEX. Unfortunately, the waiting process is the worst part. I am on week 4 since all of my paperwork was submitted and hoping I get that ATT soon.

You will be able to become a nurse from what I understand. I still worry as I wait through this process, and the doubts and fear of being denied do pop in my head. But I know eventually it will work out, just a longer road unfortunately. Best of luck to you ?