Previous felony convictions, 1400 percent increase!

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · May 31, 2011

Thankfully, just because people with felonies attend school, doesn't mean they will ever be allowed to obtain a license. But yeah, schools should filter out these people by asking if they have a conviction. That way, the students don't waste money on a program only to be stopped by the BON, and waitlists are shrunken down.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · May 31, 2011

Please provide a link to show the evidence for that stat. Otherwise it doesn't really mean anything.

Trenia · May 31, 2011

I thought all schools do extensive background checks? Mine sure did.

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 31, 2011

Please provide a link to show the evidence for that stat. Otherwise it doesn't really mean anything.

Cut and paste the first sentence of the OP into google. The statistic looks like it comes from the AZ BON.

kalevra, BSN, RN · May 31, 2011

I though people with felonies cant work as RN so why would they even try to get into a program that they cant get a license for. Especially since there are times in which you will have access to narcotics. just my :twocents:

classicdame, MSN, EdD · May 31, 2011

maybe the higher stat is due to more states doing background checks than was done in 1992. Scary

BabyLady, BSN, RN · May 31, 2011

Many state nursing boards are reporting a 1400 percent increase in previous felony convictions among nurses applying for
nursing licenses since 1992. Is this just a sign of the times? Boundary violations are at an all time high and is a real
problem for state nursing boards. Employers ask on employment application forms "have you ever been convicted of
a crime". Should students be asked about criminal convictions prior to applying for nursing school? That's one deserving
student who gets bumped.

Your legal rights are drastically different when appying for school vs applying for a job or licensure.

In many nursing programs (such as mine), the school has a policy that admission practices for one program cannot be different from another. In other words, if you do background checks for nursing, you would have to do it for education, etc. Therefore, they do not.

The law changed the year I graduated, nursing students are now required to have background checks because the surrounding hospitals required it of all students before attending clinical experiences.

To me, if you have been convicted of ANY crime, you need to do a substantial amount of research before you choose a profession that a background check is pretty much guaranteed before you are offered a job. It is not the school's responsibility, it is that of a student's. Its not like they "forgot" that they went to court and got a conviction....cracks me up every time I hear someone make that claim.

However, recent past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior. We had a girl in my class that actually got a felony removed from her record FOR THE PURPOSE of being able to attend nursing school by the court. However, she had an issue with anger management and got into another fight, therefore, another conviction, during nursing school. That pretty much sealed her fate with regards to my school. To me, she got what she deserved.

netglow, ASN, RN · May 31, 2011

My college does background checks. You simply will not be allowed onsite at ANY clinical site with a criminal record. That means you also don't get into the nursing program, or any healthcare program that requires a clinical element.

manstat · May 31, 2011

My college does background checks too. They also state that you may not be able to complete clinicals based on hospital guidelines of the places you'll be at. They follow that iwth something like 'if you're unable to complete clinicals, you'll likely not pass the necessary classes and thus be dismissed.'

It's pretty simple in my eyes. If you have had moments of judgement lapse in the past, who's to say you're not going to have a similar lapse working with a patient?

bagladyrn, RN · May 31, 2011

I'd love to see the statistics as to what percentage of these grads went to "private" (High cost) programs. I'd bet the schools really don't have any concern whether or not the grad can get licensed as long as they've already gotten their money.

MusicEMT · May 31, 2011

my EMT program required a background investigation.. and i took it at a CC..

alot of schools are now requiring a background check now.. which is fine by me.. less competition for nursing school..