hopeful advice needed

[G8kca]

i am 37 years old and when i was 24 years old some friends and i were shoplifting , i had to pay a fine and have not committed a crime ever again. i want to apply to a nursing program, but just recently discovered the nursing school in my city do not accept application from students with a felony or a criminal background. i am a surgical technician and work in a surgery center... i have also did clinicals in the local hospitals... i want to know if anyone know someone with a criminal past has ever applied for a nursing license and was denied or approved... help what should i do

[chelechele]

I think it depends on the state that you live in. In tx you have to get approval from the board of nursing if you have any criminal history (anything other than traffic tickets) in order to take the NCLEX. Your school should have information about it. Good Luck to ya!:)

[AprilAnney]

If you have nothing else on your record, I'd look in to getting it expunged. Might cost a bit and be a pain with paperwork, but it'll be worth it in the end. I'm not 100% sure how it works, but it's not necessarily the school that is concerned with your criminal record, it's clinical sites. So if you're at a new clinical site ever 8 or so weeks, you'll be constantly writing essays or having an interview with someone to explain your background. It might be worth it to contact a lawyer just to get it removed so you won't have to deal with it anymore.

Good luck with everything!