New Graduate; Hired then position revoked d/t background; What to do

[edwardsrn62]

I recently graduated with my BSN from Univeristy of South Carolina and then passed my state boards with 78 questions. I live in a small town and applied for positions at both of our nursing homes and our only local hospital. I had done several clinical rotations on one unit in particular and thoroughly enjoyed the unit and the coworkers, and so applied for a position on that unit. I interviewed and was hired. Then, I get a call from human resources asking about my background check and because I have a charge of "Dogs running at large" (actually my ex husband called animal control on me right after we split up but while I was still in school, so it really was not legit, but anyhow...) and I checked I had never been convicted of a crime they had to revoke the position per human resources. Now I am extremely embarrassed and have lost my only chance of working at that hospital at least for the next 6 months. I feel I need to email the unit supervisor and say something but Im not sure what to say while still sounding professional. Does anyone know what the correct thing to do is? And yes now I realize I should have checked I had been convicted of a crime but honestly forgot not only about the charge (It was over 3 years ago) but also didnt really think it was a crime per say. I was thinking it was more along the lines of a speeding ticket for some reason. I am a single mother and worked very hard to make it through school and pass the NCLEX and now I feel stuck. My main concern is if I should or should not contact the unit supervisor and if so how and what do I say while still sounding professional?

[llg, PhD, RN]

Your original post is not clear. Were you convicted of the charge or not? If you were convicted, then you need to start taking that event seriously and be prepared to answer "yes" to that "Have you ever been convicted ..." question. If you were not convicted (and did not plead "guilty" or "no contest" ... then the correct answer is probably "NO" to that question. If you are unsure, you should consult your attorney.

First, clarify your facts. If there are court records or anything like that, get a copy of them and be prepared to share copies with future employers if they would like to see them. Anything approaching "lying on an application" usually automatically disqualifies someone from employment. So be sure to get your facts straight on future applications -- and if the incident is going to appear on your criminal background check, explain the situation and show them the paperwork before they discover it, not afterwards.

[SlightlyHumerus]

WOW. that is an amazing story. Surely you can find a local attorney and ask if "dogs running at large" is a crime? It sounds more like a measly HOA violation. Definitely! definitely! definitely! follow-up with HR first, then the Unit Supervisor, by phone and in writing explaining the misunderstanding so there is no possibility of a black mark appearing on your file at that facility. Do all the homework llg suggests, and be persistent with deserving the job... you earned it! After all, you were hired to be a NURSE, not run Neighborhood Watch Patrol... lol

[Sam J.]

There are about a million dog bites in America per year, and many of the victims are maimed or killed, and many of them are children. Whether your locale ranks a loose dog as a crime or a violation, depends on your locale.

That said, it's coming to the point that even sneezing or coughing without covering your face might become actionable by any BON.

[MatrixRn]

The real question is if you have the crime on your record or not, and based on the fact that it showed up on your criminal background check it sounds like a yes. HR is NOT going to hire, in their mind they were duped.

If you were not convicted or if you were make sure you fully disclose this information before applying to your next job.