illinoisbound

As far as I know, single-issues (I.e. like one misdemeanor) are likely reviewed by a single person. Pretty much as soon as they received my certified docs, my license was issued.

First of all--super similar circumstances and I'm licensed without restriction in Illinois. Each board will be different, of course. I recommend if you have it in your resources to at least speak with a few nursing attorneys. There was one I spoke with in IL who was super helpful and I never spent a dime on those phone calls. I highly recommend getting state-specific information. For IL, I had to apply for ATT, sit for NCLEX, provide all my documents to the testing authority and THEN to the nursing board for consideration. My letter of explanation was straight-forward and forward-looking. Hang in there. My DUI was the best and worst thing that happened to me. I was scared that school would find out and I would not have a positive outcome. Be humble, be persistent, and document everything.

I would imagine that it should be the same. Maybe resend any previous correspondence from your LPN application.

For anyone submitting to the BON, you have to assume they will see everything. Unfortunately, people do not realize this sometimes. I have seen other people go through similar issues. For all intents, I thought they already had my paperwork from CTS so I was in the same boat. The best I can say is call the board (call multiple times if you have to because some are better than others) to make sure they received your paperwork. If you get ANY correspondence from the board (i.e. request to appear, informal hearing) I would suggest hiring a nurse attorney.

Cruz--yes I received my license. I actually called IDFPR and found out they needed my court documents and letter of explanation I sent to CTS. You have to send to both CTS and IDFPR. If you don't know what is on your record or you have a clean record, call and ask why the check came back failed. Hope that helps!

Oh no. Illinois issued my license free and clear. I was asking about a job. Maybe this is in the wrong place.

Hey everyone. I don't know if this has already been answered ad nauseum, but I was hoping someone could shed some light. I am a licensed RN in Illinois (new). I disclosed everything to BON about my incident of DUI reduced to reckless driving while in nursing school (horrible mistake, I'm sober now). I am looking for jobs in Chicago. Illinois has a "ban the box" so they are not allowed to ask about arrests/convictions prior to interview. I am in the process of being courted by a major hospital/healthcare organization for a RN Research Coordinator position. I'm obviously going to disclose prior to them running my background check. Does this seem like the right time to disclose the misdemeanor (like on the background check/livescan form)? I've heard some industry people say that you should disclose prior to the offer stage, but I think I'm torn, especially since Illinois has worked hard to protect people who have a criminal record. Any advice/insight? The healthcare network, as far as I can tell, considered Felonies a bar to employment but I haven't seen that to be true for misdemeanors. Should I wait until my job offer?

Hey Donald, take a deep breath. Without giving legal advice, I can tell you that I spoke with a lawyer regarding my DUI/RD and she gave me a lot of verbiage to put in my letter of explanation. There are sites online that will do the same. I had to send in the letter, all relevant court documents, and I even sent in things like my honor society certificate and that I had graduated with honors. Some other people send in letters of rec/character from professionals or different community members. Something I had in mind, but didn't need to employ (I got licensed without issue) was to get a nurse attorney in case you get called in front of the board. Everything I've seen in these kinds of situations is do not go alone, the board is not your friend, etc. I wish you good luck. Take it one step at a time.

I did receive my license, after sending my letter of explanation and documents directly to Springfield (you have to do this in addition to sending it to CTS). The same day they received my letter, my license was posted.

Just an update. After sending my official letter of explanation to Springfield (you have to send to both CTS and IDFPR) and all supporting documents, I received my license today! No restrictions. SO HAPPY!

How long did it take you for your license to post after you sent your letter? I'm still waiting on mine.

Congratulations AmiC! Do you know where you will be working yet? I am hoping to get mine soon. Unfortunately, I had a criminal conviction in my background (misdemeanor) that I disclosed at the time of my application for the ATT, and I'm just hoping that all is well and I get my license in a timely fashion with no more roadblocks.

I would jump for joy if mine posted in 2 weeks! Are you recently licensed? I'm in FL so I don't have any friends with whom to compare notes.

Mine arrived today! I tested on 2/15, saw my pass on the website 2/16. The day that I e-mailed the rep and she told me the delay was 4-6 weeks, the letter was postmarked (2/26). I received the letter today, 3/2. For anyone else who is curious. I sent my money order (I heard this is faster than personal check) and certified it via USPS. Estimated date of delivery is Monday! I'll update this if I see my license!

Thanks for your reply! I hope that it's closer to 2 weeks and not 4-6. I can only imagine licensing will take even longer. I guess they don't need nurses that badly.

So, I'd heard that Continental takes about 10 days after passing to send you your pass letter. I passed NCLEX-RN on 2/15, so I emailed the rep today to ask when to expect my pass letter. She said 4-6 weeks! And that's not even the end of it because I'll still have to wait for the license. I asked if they could send electronically, or even if a friend could pick it up, and she said no (I knew she would). I even told her that I had job prospects and that me and my family were depending on employment. I guess they don't care. Super frustrating. Has anyone else passed recently and received their letter? I'm praying I get mine sooner than 4-6 weeks.

Ok, thanks! I just hope it comes soon!

How long did it take you to get your letter? I passed on the 15th of February and I'm still waiting, but I've heard 10 days, plus I live in Florida.

The day I was arrested for my DUI was also the Best and Worst day of my life, too. Thank you for your perspective. I haven't read all the comments here yet but I did want to urge the OP to consider that he/she had a drug problem. It's amazing what kind of things we do when we're sick in our addictions. I'm grateful to have found recovery.

I think licenses can take a while to post. I would say call IDFPR since they issue the actual licenses? Honestly I called them three times to request fingerprint cards (which never arrived) and each time I felt like I was talking to a very incompetent person. I'd suggest calling and bugging them until you get someone that can help you. If you're in Chicago or Springfield maybe you could go in person? The squeaky nurse gets the license. I'm sorry that I can't really help because I have the experience. I felt bad that no one answered your question. Good luck!

I guess I would call Continental to see if you can get it straightened out. Could be an artifact of their computer system, since it looks like it may have been generated after your first nclex attempt. If you received your official pass letter, you could continue checking the BON website for you license?

Did you reapply to Continental for your second NCLEX?

I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone. I received a DUI charge (RD conviction) my first semester of nursing school (November 2016) It was a non-injury, pretty straight-forward incident. I was incredibly depressed. I really wanted to drop out of nursing school because I was terrified no one would give me a license. The only good thing to come from my DUI (for me) was that it was last time I drank alcohol and I've been sober now for over a year. I applied for licensure in IL (I'm from another state) this month with supporting court documents and letter of explanation, and received my ATT pretty quickly. I disagree with the post above that says you can just say it's reckless driving when you apply if you end up pleading down. When you submit your application, you will have to provide a letter of explanation, the original citation, and all supporting documents (probation, termination, compliance, basically anything related to your criminal case). I'm still not sure if I'll have additional issues post-NCLEX. I've heard of people dealing with license issues after passing their NCLEX. I hope not for me! If anyone has any insight on that, please share. :) Through my research, I spoke with a nurse attorney in Chicago (Sue Wagener) and she gave me some good advice. I'd hire her in a heartbeat if I needed to go up against the board, but like I said that has not been an issue for me yet. She has a relationship with Janet Pickett (also mentioned above) and it seems like between the two of them they are pretty good and navigating this issue with the Illinois BON. It has been a nervewrecking process, but all I can tell you is that time definitely helps. I was inconsolable for a good long while after my arrest, and the best advice I can give is take it one step at a time. Stay clean, do as best as you can in school, and focus on being a good nurse.

Did you submit your documentation with the application or were you asked for the documents later on? That seems to be a common theme. I have not gone through any review process yes, submitted my application and received my ATT, but am concern the process will occur after I pass the NCLEX.