I was a cam model. Can I still be a nurse?

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Hi there. I'm really nervous to post this...so please be nice.

From ages 18-22 I was a cam model (that's internet Media done from home, if you didn't know. Don't Google it! :p) I never got very popular but it was a good way to pay for school and feed my family without having to pay for a babysitter. (I worked nights)

I'm not sure if this shows up on a background check. It didn't when I was in CNA classes, and I was easily hired after that as a CNA/HCA. I'm worried about being hired as an RN though. I did not use my real name as a performer, but for taxes and age verification I did have to use my real name.

I'm currently doing prereqs for nursing, and I was wondering if anyone had any idea:

1. if this will come up in a background check? I messaged the person in control of background checks for my school and she said she wasn't sure, but it "should be fine as long as it doesn't show up"

2. if it DOES show up, is this going to be a huge issue? I heard that there was a nurse who lost her license for investing in/owning an adult site. But I think she continued that AFTER she got her license.

Nursing is really really what I want to do, but I'm worried about going through school and not being able to get a job after.

Please save me your judgment ? what's done is done and I don't want to get into a whole big 'is Media evil' discussion. I know some nurses who danced/stripped to pay for nursing school, but cam work leaves a bigger footprint considering it's literally all pictures and videos.

I live in Washington State and plan to stay here. We're in a pretty liberal area so I dunno if that changes anything.

I've accepted that I'll probably never be able to work with kids, but I really hope I don't have to give up nursing all together.

I filed taxes obviously during the years I worked, so I'm not sure if background checks include that.

Thanks for reading!

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Here's a similar thread that addresses those questions:

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/nursing-and-the-992195.html

On a side note, I'm wondering if I should get into camming or stripping biz. I could use the money.

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Thank you! I searched but I guess I missed that one.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

PA BoN has a moral turpitude clause.

Hopefully you were actually over 18 and your clients were adults. The risk is if someone recorded a session and recognizes you then it's no longer anonymous.

Run your own background check. Check your credit report to see what is your employer listed company band. If discrete I'd not worry as much as if it was "Hot XXXXZX cam Girls R Us"

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I checked my credit report and didn't see anything.

I was 18, I actually think I might have been 19 now that I think about it, but anyway..thank you for the reply!

I can't find any sites that tell me what the exact clause says. I also don't really know if I'm searching right. I've been googling "Washington state BON moral turpitude clause" and I'm getting a lot of unrelated stuff. Or I'm going crazy. Or it's the migraine I'm developing.

Do you know what kind of background check I should get for myself?

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Specializes in Telemetry.

There's also this thread:

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/help-how-extensive-990589.html

That thread was stress inducing. I think it gave me heartburn.

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

Honestly I feel that it shouldn't matter. Who cares if you did Media in the past. It is a legitimate legal business and I feel that people shouldn't judge you for that. Whoever said nurses have to be pristine and full of purity is full of crap and obviously think nurses are virgins dressed in starched white dresses all the time. We're not nuns or anything.

I for one am sick of the perception that as nurses we have to be pure, perfect, compassionate beings who live in martyrdom. We are human, and we want to be treated like one, not placed on a pedestal of unrealistic expectations. So honey, I may not be helpful but I wish you good luck and screw all who give you flack or judge you.

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RescueNinjaKy said:
Honestly I feel that it shouldn't matter. Who cares if you did Media in the past. It is a legitimate legal business and I feel that people shouldn't judge you for that. Whoever said nurses have to be pristine and full of purity is full of crap and obviously think nurses are virgins dressed in starched white dresses all the time. We're not nuns or anything.

I for one am sick of the perception that as nurses we have to be pure, perfect, compassionate beings who live in martyrdom. We are human, and we want to be treated like one, not placed on a pedestal of unrealistic expectations. So honey, I may not be helpful but I wish you good luck and screw all who give you flack or judge you.

Thank you! You are so sweet.

Also Nurse Leigh, I read through that thread and holy cowww what a mess.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

This isn't the first thread on this subject, and if I remember right previous threads went off the rails rather quickly! To give you a serious answer I doubt if your work history camming will have any impact on your ability to get a nursing license as long as you were employed in a legal business as an adult and your clients were participating legally and were also adult. That being said state BON rules and regulations vary wildly, if you are concerned about any moral clauses in WA that might affect your ability to get a license you can always ask a lawyer that specializes in nursing licensure if there are any possible issues for you. I believe an initial consultation is usually free or at least low cost.

As far as employment after you are a nurse is concerned, as long as your employment history doesn't show up as "cam girl" there is no reason to tell prospective employers what you did for a living to pay for school. Though it might be kind of embarrassing if a future employer or co-worker remembers you from that time.

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Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.

I am a Washington state risk manager and am reasonably familiar with the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission standards for nursing licensure and the contents of the typical background check, since I deal with this in my job. In my view, you have little to worry about either from the licensure or background check perspective. First and foremost, licensure and background checks look for criminal convictions from public records, and certain felony or misdemeanor convictions have the greatest impact on licensure and employment. From your original statement, you were engaging in legal acts and did not incur any criminal sanctions as a result of your work. Therefore, nothing will appear in the background checks and there would be nothing to self-report in your license application.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/6000/ProcedureA21.05.pdf is a list of the 'license approval exceptions' process used by the Commission when granting nursing licenses. You can see that convictions of certain crimes result in a denial of license while others result in conditional issue. This does not apply to you since you have no criminal convictions, but it shows the thought process of the Commission.

Once you get your license, however, RCW 18.130.180 takes a more broad view of unprofessional conduct when an act which is or is not a crime involving moral turpitude, dishonesty or corruption is committed relating to your profession. A boundary violation with a patient or key party of a patient is an example of such and the Commission takes a dim view of this.

Once I was licensed and hired, I would keep my mouth shut about this and I would never, ever, ever mention this to a colleague or co-worker since if your employer were to find out about it, it probably will have a poor prognosis for the future of your job. Please let me know if I may be of any further help.

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I honestly think you'll be fine.

Background checks run by schools and employers check to see if you have had any sort of run in with the law in the past, not who you have worked for. In fact, that information isn't even available to them.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

If nothing shows on your credit report or BG and nothing illegal was done that you are aware of, then move on and don't discuss. There are others that will perseverate on your past if given the opportunity. Don't give them the ammunition to make you miserable.

Live long and prosper.

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