Student with criminal record seeking mentors/knowledgeableadvice.

LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN · May 23, 2012

what I am hoping for is to find a nurse who has been through it and can offer guidance. I know I have to do excellent in school, cultivate mentors, stack my letters of recommendation and stay out of trouble, but I want a more concrete plan.
I have 4 misdemeanors from 6 to 10 years ago, no drugs no alcohol or violence; just the idiocy of a young impoverished girl. I have been volunteering in low-income and women's clinics for 4 years and was a CNA way back when I was convicted of those crimes, my CNA was never taken away though I let it expire after I survived Hurricane Katrina and I doubt I could get it back.

I am concerned about your being a licensed nursing assistant when you were convicted of those crimes. You did not mention what the problem is (and it is not necessary to provide us with info); however, if the confiction was for theft, fraud, ect. that is a serious problem for your license.

You must provide info about those convictions to not only the school but any hospital/clinical sites (aka background checks), this may cause a problem. If you get as far as applying for the NCLEX, once you apply for your RN, the background check and fingerprints will reveal a conviction while being a CNA. Look at the Calif nursing website and check to see info about convictions. I am not certain, but I believe that a conviction involving theft, fraud while being employed as may disqualify you. Talk to the Calif BON as only they can give you definitive advice.

foreverLaur · May 24, 2012

A crime or act is considered substantially related to the practice of nursing if, to a substantial degree, it

evidences present or potential unfitness of a registered nurse to perform nursing functions in a manner

consistent with the public health, safety, or welfare.

Such acts or crimes include, but are not limited to:

(a) Conviction of child abuse.

(b) Violation of Nursing Practice Act.

(d) Crime or act involving sale, gift, administration, or furnishing of narcotics, dangerous

drugs, or dangerous devices.

(e) Conviction for assault and/or battery

morecoffeepls, BSN, RN · May 24, 2012

Communicate with your state board as much as possible before registering for school. Congratulations on being accepted, by the way. They may give you ambiguous responses, but save the communication (emails, in all likelihood) and perhaps they'll contain verbiage that might mean something in court, if need be. Being a convicted felon made the decision to become a nurse extremely anxiety-inducing. Imagine not being able to take the NCLEX after all the sacrifice and hard work of nursing school? If the BON implies that you will not be able to obtain licensure regardless of the things you listed, then choose a different path and don't look back. Did you have to compose a letter to these schools concerning your criminal record? I did, and I believe I may have had to submit something similar to the state. I wrote what I felt to be true, and believe this may have made all the difference. Do not minimize whatever it was that you did, be accountable for it, and cross your fingers. I attended nursing school not knowing whether I'd be able to obtain state licensure. It was a level of stress I hope to never revisit. There are people on this message board, as in "real life", who are quick to judge, slow to forgive, and have difficulty seeing beyond their own self-importance/righteous indignation/skewed moral compasses. If that sounds defensive, you're right. But I know who I am, and could care less about the opinions of these people (probably the only salient advice in this post, lchavez). That being said, the "idiocy of a young impoverished girl" is a cop-out. No one cares about your station, feels sorry for you, or should; nor should you upon reflection. I know that's not what you meant; however, you were an idiot and those were your circumstances. Own that, and if it prevents you from becoming a nurse, then so bet it. If fate determines that the call to nursing is something that you can realize one day, then wonderful. One of the better decision I've made in my adult life, that's for sure. You're obviously a good person who made some mistakes. You'll be fine, either way.

AJPV · May 24, 2012

I just graduated and passed the NCLEX. Among my classmates, I was quite surprised at how much the state board was willing to overlook past offenses - even serious ones. The trend that I saw is that our state board looked kindly upon these circumstances:

- Significant amount of time lapsed since the offense

- Limited number of offenses (not an endless string of them)

- Less serious offenses (not ones involving abuse, violence, narcotics, fraud, etc.)

- Evidence of rehabilitation/proven character

I was surprised to see a student who had a DUI from as recently as 4 or 5 years ago approved to take NCLEX and become licensed without any probation on the license or any restrictions. Another classmate had a more substantial criminal history involving multiple convictions for substance abuse and fraud/forgery. That person still got approved by the state board, but the license is on probation for several years and there are requirements the person must meet. Another classmate had a fairly serious incident of vandalism/property damage, but the incident was almost 20 years old from early adolescence. The person included a written statement and there were no questions whatsoever from the board and the person received a full license without probation.

I think the overall lesson I learned is that people often have an overly-harsh impression of how the state board responds. The important thing is to communicate thoroughly with them, be absolutely honest and don't try to hide anything (they have deeper access to background checks that INCLUDES suspended/diverted sentences), and be able to prove your CURRENT character to them.

lchavez · Apr 27, 2014

wow, I had lost my log in and am just now revisiting this post. Thank you for all the information! I am a year away from graduation and am confident that I will get my license, I am even planning on moving to another state with a faster process. It has been hard & scary and I am worried how it will affect my ability to find employment as a nurse, but its my calling and Ill do what I can!