nursing school with past dui

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Hello to whoever can please help me. I live in Indiana and I have been getting ready to register for classes at Ivy tech to begin my nursing classes. It was brought to my attention by someone that a DUI I foolishly got ten years ago when I was 21 could possibly keep me from getting board certified once my classes were finished. I don't want to get all the way through two years of classes just to be told I cannot obtain a license because of one dumb mistake I made ten years ago. I realize every state is different and I have tried researching online and came up with no concrete answer. I have read that they will make you take AA classes to get a license but I don't need them as I am not an alcoholic. I know they run a background check when you go to get your license but do they also run a "casper" report? I don't currently take any controlled substance, but I used to three years ago. Will that also be held against me when I go to take my boards and get licensed? I really need some help as I don't want to spend thousands of dollars for nursing school and then not be able to work as one. Thank you so much to whoever can shed some light.......

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When it came to situations such as this we were advised to talk to our Dean of Nursing to see which steps needed to be taken and also to contact our state BON to get input on what could be done during school/after to attempt to rectify the situation. I would recommend the same for you. Good Luck.

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Be honest. I know in my last semester while the licensure process was being explained to us, one of our instructors told us if you had something in your past you have to write a letter to the BON explaining the situation and how you've changed, better person, blah blah (must be honest and sincere and have changed life since incident... She said there were ppl who still got a license and had a past.

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Great questions! I don't have answers but if I were in your situation/with questions like these, I would call your state Board of Nursing or contact the Dean at the school you are considering. To stay anonymous as you search for answers you could call another school in Indiana to get an overview of the issues.

I hope this helps! I know that the Nurse Practice Act in each state is enforced by the Board of Nursing in the state. An attorney may be able to consult with you for free and steer you in a beneficial direction as another way to gather information.

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Thank u!

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