heart broken

[dana1212]

I attend a local state college in R.I. I have had minor scrapes with the law when I was younger. I have made many positive life changes and am considered to be of good moral character. I am a single father with a nine yr old daughter and work hard at my studies to become an R.N. I just recently was charged with disorderly conduct and hired a lawyer. I was charged with throwing a snowball at my daughters school bus and given six months unsupervised probation. I am two classes away from writing my acceptance letter to the nursing program. In R.I you have to have no probation within the past 5 years, do you think that the board will make exceptions? I can get many letters of recommendations from people in politics, religion and professors in education. Please lead me in the right direction. Thank you

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I cant speak for the RI BON: only the RI BON can do that. All you can do when the time comes to get licensed is gather what the RI BON asks of you and present your case--and I STRONGLY suggest that you have an attorney helping you on this one--and hope that they will rule in your favor.

You can find attorneys who are versed in dealing with BONs here:

http://www.taana.org

Yes, an attorney is an expense. But watching years of nursing school swirl down the drain because the BON refuses to license you is far more expensive in the long run. The BON is not the nurse's friend: their primary focus is the safety of the public, not on cutting people a break. You need any and every bit of help that you can get.

However, stressing over the BON is something that is somewhat down the road. According to your post, you still have two classes to take before you start your nursing program. Focus on getting accepted into the nursing program first...by the time you complete the program, this probation will be a few years in the past and the BON could (no promises) be more inclined to be forgiving.

You can drop the BON an anonymous e-mail and ask them what they think; however be advised that BONs usually do not give definite answers until you actually apply for licensure.

Best of luck.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I cant speak for the RI BON: only the RI BON can do that. All you can do when the time comes to get licensed is gather what the RI BON asks of you and present your case--and I STRONGLY suggest that you have an attorney helping you on this one--and hope that they will rule in your favor.

You can find attorneys who are versed in dealing with BONs here:

TAANA Executive Office - Home

Yes, an attorney is an expense. But watching years of nursing school swirl down the drain because the BON refuses to license you is far more expensive in the long run. The BON is not the nurse's friend: their primary focus is the safety of the public, not on cutting people a break. You need any and every bit of help that you can get.

However, stressing over the BON is something that is somewhat down the road. According to your post, you still have two classes to take before you start your nursing program. Focus on getting accepted into the nursing program first...by the time you complete the program, this probation will be a few years in the past and the BON could (no promises) be more inclined to be forgiving.

You can drop the BON an anonymous e-mail and ask them what they think; however be advised that BONs usually do not give definite answers until you actually apply for licensure.

Best of luck.