Owi stupid mistake. Where to go from here?

[Sarahlin]

I am in my first semester of nursing school in Wisconsin and three days ago received an OWI. I am a wreck. Emotional, and concerned about my future as a nurse. In the state of WI first offense OWI are not a criminal offense nor are they a misdemeanor. Does anyone have any insight if this will affect me for clinical placement?

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

To the OP, I would suggest seeking legal council about this issue right away so that you can find out what the best plan of action should be for now and what challenges you will have to face in the future as you go throughout nursing school, NCLEX, and post-licensure employment. I wish you the best of luck with your future studies and career, I hope that this one mistake will not jeopardize either.

!Chris

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Yes, but op lives in Wisconsin. Where drunk driving isn't a crime.

Made your life more difficult for no reason. My opinion..life and nursing are hard enough. You basically just gave everyone a hammer and said hit me over the head with this.

This stuff can have SERIOUS repercussions. In my state on your license they upload the entire court case to your license. So anyone looking it up has a PDF file of the entire case. That must look great when the person is applying for a job. And it is there PERMANENT.

[Sarahlin]

Thank you. I was completely upfront with my school and because of me disclosing it rather than them finding it they are allowing me to stay in the program thankfully. I know i made things more difficult for myself but I also know a lot of people have had Owi/dui on their record and have made it thru NCLEX and licensure but from what what the BON told me it will be a longer process. I definitely sought legal help. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it!

[careajean]

Not sure about your clinicals but it will hinder getting your nursing license. The BON does not care if it is a first offense and it will show up on your record (even if the court says it won't). I had a friend who had a DWI 25 years before she graduated nursing school and the BON still held her license. Even now, when she applies for licensure in another state it still showed on her record and it still took her longer to get approved and its been 35 years ago.

[Sarahlin]

I've heard stories going both ways.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Thank you. I was completely upfront with my school and because of me disclosing it rather than them finding it they are allowing me to stay in the program thankfully. I know i made things more difficult for myself but I also know a lot of people have had Owi/dui on their record and have made it thru NCLEX and licensure but from what what the BON told me it will be a longer process. I definitely sought legal help. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it!

The fact that you disclosed it before they found out about it speaks to your basic character. Yes, you had a lapse of judgement but you also owned up to it. Fortunately you're in a state where OWI isn't immediately criminalized. I'm by no means condoning this, but you should definitely count your blessings and learn from this. If you do not, then that's a serious problem.

I also happen to think that how you comport yourself after all this will also speak volumes about how you'll be as an employee. My advice is simple. No more stupidity and eventually life will return to normal.

The other thing that you'll have to remember is that this may become an issue if you move to a different state. Even though this is being handled civilly instead of criminally, once this case is completely dispo'd, you should keep a copy of the disposition and any other pertinent records as sometimes electronic records aren't correct and you will likely be asked by another BON to disclose this and that BON could make you go through another process or put restrictions on your license.

[kristimarieSC]

Thank the lord you do not live in California! Basically if the program doesn't kick you out, the clinical sites can choose not to accept you and it takes 1-2 years with a lawyer to hash it out with the BRN so you can test. I dont want to beat you up anymore, but honestly, this isn't far in your past when you were a wayward teen. You are now held to a higher standard. If you can make this mistake now, knowing the level of responsibility you hold, what will keep you from making a mistake at work that risks someone's life in the future? I really think you should take a semester off and do some soul searching. Stuff like that doesn't just happen. You made a decision. It's time to figure out why you made that decision so that one day you'll be a wonderful and responsible nurse. You aren't a bad person, but you need to be smart enough to go BEYOND admitting fault, that's just not enough. You need to understand why it happened.