My thoughts on 'what should I tell the BON'?

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, plasmapheresis.

Post after post asks:"What should I tell the BON? Should I tell them this? Will they know about that? I was arrested for this, but charged with that- should I tell the BON what I was arrested for, or what I was charged with?". My advice is to repeat verbatim to the BON what is on your arrest record, what caused you to be arrested, what happened during your legal course, and the final outcome/charge. There's no point in trying to sugarcoat anything- already, you have to provide them every record associated with your arrest (even if you are cleared and charges dismissed)- and what folks don't realize is that while you are sending all of that official information to the BON, the BON is also contacting all of those court agencies to obtain that information directly. They will absolutely be comparing and verifying what they obtain independently with what you provide voluntarily. Not only that- you have no way of knowing what sources are available to them- local, city or state data banks, FBI files, whatnot. There is no chance of you skirting any of the issues you face, and if you attempt to do so, you will not obtain a license, or have it revoked, or worse. The BON is the 'government', thay have you in a corner. Stick to the facts, be consistent and forthright- there's no alternative. Also, back to a common theme- if you are arrested for probable DUI, and the charge dismissed- be prepared to be treated as though you have a DUI conviction (and that applies to any other offense- such as abuse, theft, whatnot).

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The changes that have happened in this country just since the early new millenium would boggle the mind. Used to be no one even asked about misdemeanors; today, they are as awful as a felony. If you have ever been arrested, you are essentially a criminal, even if it was a case of mistaken identity and you were able to prove you were having a blood transfusion when the theft occured. I am not exaggerating in the least.

I was not even convicted-- case dismissed-- and I have a probationary license from the nursing board, and the judge refuses to seal/expunge my record even though the law (House Bill 1211 in Indiana) says he must.

If I live to be 80 years old, I will never forget the sweat young lady who went before me at the B.O.N.. She had a solitary little, bitty D.U.I. a half decade earlier. The hoops they made that person jump through before they would even allow her to sit for her boards was science fiction. The poor thing probably could not even afford all the counselling they wanted her to get. Who would even still be prepared to take the NCLEX after a year of alcohol/drug counselling and clinical evaluations? And for a single D.U.I.?

Until this starts happening to the loved ones of those creating and enforcing these silly rules, it will only just get worse. Save your money.

If anyone reading these posts has a criminal record of any kind and still wishes to be a nurse, I hope you are either independently wealthy or very happily married to someone who can support you. In 2011, becoming a nurse with any kind of criminal background is the definition of a "pipe dream".

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, plasmapheresis.

Agreed. And until one of those arrests happens to those hypocrites that act as though they are as pure as the driven snow, so they stop the hateful, Draconian push towards a prison society, it won't get better. MADD, for example, became so militant that its founder left the organization- it now serves soley to provide itself with high paying jobs, while they claim they are all about public safety. Not only are payroll taxes plummeting with the economy, at the same time this country continues to spend even more to punish nonviolent offenders, which also prevents them from obtaining gainful employment, ever, which further erodes tax income, and so on and on and on. It has to crash.

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Tiger474,

IF your charges were dismissed, were you also provided a diversion? What are the details in your case if you don't mind? Also were you charged with a misdemeanor or a felony?

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I was charged with a misdemeanor. The case was formally dismissed;however, it is still on my record. Fine print says, "Dismissed". Currently, the judge doesn't like the new law, House Bill 1211, that allows for the sealing of crimes 8 years old and older due to the fact that the databases all over the internet show these crimes, and the law makes it a misdemeanor for an entity to post/show these violations if they have, in fact, been sealed. He calls it "ex parte" in that he wants every database summoned so they know to remove the data.

This, obviously, is impractical.

Regardless, dismissed or not, I would have had a probationary license which is 100% worthless unless you are already working or know someone. One look at that status, and your application goes in the can.

The B.O.N. considers arrests as "marks". Marks = probationary license. If we look at it from a standpoint of probabilities, many people with records simply are never going to be nurses.

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