PLEASE HELP! I am prohibited to practice because of a speeding ticket 5 years ago. What should I do?

HandsOffMySteth · Mar 13, 2020

The police don't usually arrest someone unless the crime is a misdemeanor or better. If the BON asked if you have ever been arrested you must answer truthfully regardless of the outcome. There is a difference if they ask if you have been convicted. In that case if a higher charge was dropped to a lower charge then you are guilty of the lower charge.

They take any attempt to hide your history more seriously than the actual crime in some situations because they assume dishonesty on your part. If you want a lawyer, there are ones who specialize in nurse related legal issues. Because your license is on the line, a consult with one of these might be in your interest.

Keep in mind that no one here can offer you legal advice.

LovingLife123 · Mar 14, 2020

Why did you get arrested for 30mph over the speed limit? There’s more to this.

Also, you don’t “forget” that these things happen. At least admit you knowingly lied to the BON thinking it wasn’t a big deal.

30mph over the speed limit gets you a reckless driving citation. There’s a reason it escalated to arrest.

TriciaJ, RN · Mar 14, 2020

1. Call your manager and tell her you got a letter from the Board due to a youthful discretion you had forgotten. Tell her you are sorting it out ASAP but will need unpaid time off.

2. Arrange an interview with the Board so you can find out just what they need from you at this point.

3. Then do what they require. You may need a lawyer to help with this. Your employer may not be able to hold your job for you.

Good luck.

Pairmyhair · Mar 14, 2020

2 hours ago, TriciaJ said:
1. Call your manager and tell her you got a letter from the Board due to a youthful discretion you had forgotten. Tell her you are sorting it out ASAP but will need unpaid time off.
2. Arrange an interview with the Board so you can find out just what they need from you at this point.
3. Then do what they require. You may need a lawyer to help with this. Your employer may not be able to hold your job for you.
Good luck.

Thank you! I told my manager and came in contact with someone who went through the same thing! It will be okay, they just want the court documents.

Pairmyhair · Mar 14, 2020

3 hours ago, juniper222 said:
The police don't usually arrest someone unless the crime is a misdemeanor or better. If the BON asked if you have ever been arrested you must answer truthfully regardless of the outcome. There is a difference if they ask if you have been convicted. In that case if a higher charge was dropped to a lower charge then you are guilty of the lower charge.
They take any attempt to hide your history more seriously than the actual crime in some situations because they assume dishonesty on your part. If you want a lawyer, there are ones who specialize in nurse related legal issues. Because your license is on the line, a consult with one of these might be in your interest.
Keep in mind that no one here can offer you legal advice.

Hey! In Illinois, driving over 30 MPH is a misdemeanor. Look it up! I was not aware that this was not a law everywhere. I have no shame in admitting anything on this blog. I found someone who went through the same thing and I have figured it all out. thanks for your advice.

Pairmyhair · Mar 15, 2020

On 3/13/2020 at 7:13 PM, LovingLife123 said:
Why did you get arrested for 30mph over the speed limit? There’s more to this.
Also, you don’t “forget” that these things happen. At least admit you knowingly lied to the BON thinking it wasn’t a big deal.

30mph over the speed limit gets you a reckless driving citation. There’s a reason it escalated to arrest.

1. There is no more to this. In Illinois you will get arrested, look it up.
2. I forgot. This is not something I think about, I was 19 and speeding got a lawyer and it was over. end of.
3. You are making assumptions because you want it to fit your narrative, I have no shame in admitting anything on here. I am not scared at all or worried of anyone’s opinion.

DowntheRiver · Mar 16, 2020

On 3/13/2020 at 8:13 PM, LovingLife123 said:
Why did you get arrested for 30mph over the speed limit? There’s more to this.
30mph over the speed limit gets you a reckless driving citation. There’s a reason it escalated to arrest.

I can believe it. Laws vary greatly between states on speeding charges.

aprilmoss · Mar 17, 2020

Depends on the state. High speeding amounts or reckless driving in many states *IS* criminal and will result in arrest. If you're facing criminal charges even if they've not hauled you "downtown" you were arrested if they gave you a ticket or other charging document."

Still, in my experience boards don't get too wrapped up over traffic offenses. Submit the documents they ask for.

Pairmyhair · Mar 20, 2020

On 3/17/2020 at 5:24 AM, aprilmoss said:
Depends on the state. High speeding amounts or reckless driving in many states *IS* criminal and will result in arrest. If you're facing criminal charges even if they've not hauled you "downtown" you were arrested if they gave you a ticket or other charging document."

Still, in my experience boards don't get too wrapped up over traffic offenses. Submit the documents they ask for.

I over-nighted my statement and court documents on Monday and they received it Tuesday. Got my license Wednesday! You are right, it seems like they did not get too wrapped up over it. Thank you for your response!

Pairmyhair · Mar 20, 2020

UPDATE: I am posting this for anyone in the future who may be in the situation I was in . PLEASE READ as this will greatly benefit you. The first thing I did when I received the letter was freak out and immediately become upset. Do not do this, your situation is far from the worst, you are not a criminal, some laws just suck and vary state to state. The boards have to follow protocol. Unfortunately there is very little answers online for this type of situation. I came across another post on AllNurses with a nurse in the same situation as me who was from Illinois as well. The post was years old and contained little information besides the fact she sent in a statement and court documents and almost 2 weeks later she appeared to receive her license (Judging from her posting date). She was going to get a lawyer who told her it would cost her $1500 and she could not afford that. Neither could I. SO, I decided to do what she did and just write my statement and send in court documents.
I attempted to contact her to see what exactly I should include in my documents and if I should add any additional documents but I had no luck. Could not PM her and more than likely, she was inactive on here anyway. So here's what I did:

1. I received my prohibited to practice letter on a Friday evening and immediately notified my manager that I could not work until this was resolved. I sent her a photo of the letter which explained why (Speeding over 30, send in documents etc etc). I was praying she would see it before my next work day which was on Monday and luckily for me she saw it Sunday morning! She was super supportive and encouraging and I am so grateful for her (I am sure she was shocked with the entire ordeal being it was over speeding).

2. Monday, I went to the court house and paid $6 for a stamped/seal court document of my case (I had gotten a lawyer at the time of my incident so my charge was dropped to speeding 21-25MPH ). I wrote my statement and went to the post office before noon to have both documents OVER-NIGHTED, PLEASE DO THIS, request a signature too. It was $26 but it was a great decision because I got the response quick enough to go back to work by my next work day, that Friday. So I had only missed one day of work (AKA orientation bc new grad), which still sucked but was way better then missing more. I initially thought I'd miss at least 2 weeks! Also we are going through the coronavirus crisis right now and I was convinced almost everything would shut down.

In my statement I was completely honest. I introduced myself, include your name, age, when you graduated etc. I then explained the incident which was the shortest part of the statement because for me there was not much to say especially it being nearly 5 years ago. The rest of it was more me apologizing for speeding and included that it is dangerous and inappropriate and I genuinely did not know how fast I was going nor did I know that it was an arrest-able offense. I mentioned that I had just started a job and that I was worried this would jeopardize it. I elaborated more on my current personal circumstances. Just be honest.

3. They received my documents the next day, Tuesday by noon. I called them and the gentleman I spoke with said I would have to wait it out and it typically takes 6-8 weeks. He was not much help but he can only do so much, he's not in charge of your case after all.

4. Wednesday I got an email with my license!!!! I was SO happy. I emailed my manager that I was clear for work on Friday and she was happy for me. Keep your manager in the loop. Do NOT try to go behind your managers back. You will risk your license..

Remember, do not freak out. There are far worse things than speeding that people have done. I got my license very quick. Writing my statement was hard because it was a memory I had already buried which occurred at a naive time in my life. Having to relive that memory as an adult was a bit hard so my heart goes out to anyone reading this who may be in a similar situation. I hope this can be of help to anyone out there! GOOD LUCK my little nurse friends.