Nervous00

My situation is a bit complicated Tazzi. I don't want to get into too much detail because then this will turn into a criminal record advice thread, but the jist is that my record is a juvenile one and I am trying to figure out whether the board can even consider it or not. Here is what other agencies have said in writing: The DHS (who licenses CNAs) said they do. The LVN board said they do NOT (under any circumstances) The RN board has given me the problem mentioned above. So you see this is not a matter of discretion, it is rather black and white (even if they can consider "certain" juvenile offenses and not others, I would like to hear this.) Thanks Morte! I've never contacted my state rep before, what did you say to him?

Oh and mods, PLEASE don't lock this thread and post the "criminal record response"! This thread is not asking legal advice regarding my criminal record! Thanks

Hey guys, I'm in a predicament. My state BON (california) Will not answer my inquiries regarding whether I can get licenesed or not because of my criminal record. Long story short they don't respond via any method which holds them accountable for what they say (email or snail mail) and when I call to ask why, the person tells me they are too busy with other stuff. However, when I ask my question over the phone, the staff is more than willing to help, but their answers will conflict with each other (one person will tell me no, another will tell me yes) Quite frankly I need an written answer to my question so that so that I know it is accurate and I won't waste a significant amount of time and money in school and then be denied licensure. Is there any way for me to force this unhelpful BON to give me an answer within a reasonable timeframe? I hate to do it but I am considering hiring a lawyer to send them a letter if that will help (I doubt it, but maybe the lawyer knows of some legal measure that requires this agency to answer inquiries of my nature?) Thank you!

Hello, I have sort of a strange question. If anyone has volunteered at a hospital nearby the pomona area and the hospital required a FINGERPRINT CARD to conduct a background check, please let me know what hospital this was. Why am I looking for this info? Without getting too complicated I'll just say that I have a juvenile record which disallows me from doing certain things. For example I can never work in law enforcement, but I can work in a "regular" hospital (one that does not do fingerprint chcks. They don't do these checks because they do not have the authority to) the BON can not consider m juvenile record for licensing purposes. High security hospitals are a grey area though, and the best way to find out if they can consider my record is to apply to volunteer at one. I hope that wasn't too confusing, your comments are appreciated. THanks!

I owe you guys a big thanks for all the help you have provided. I've been thinking it over and I think my best course of action is to disclose my conviction to the nursing director after I am admitted into a program. I didn't want to do this for fear of been viewed or treated differently but clearly not disclosing can cause problems with clinical rotations. As far as licensing I am confident that I can be licensed because the person who I spoke with at the BON told me it's not a matter of if, but when. Even if they deny my application the first few times, which would be unlikely given I provide the appropriate documentation of how I have changed and am a functional ember of society, I can reapply after fixing any reason for denial. I also need to call the BON again to see if they require juvenile convictions to be reported. I was told all licencing agencies have access to, and therefore consider juvenile convictions but the LVN application proves that assumption wrong. Thanks again Nervous (but a little less)

This is correct. juvenile cases don't result in convictions, they result in ajudications. Therefore I can truthfully answer "no" when asked if I have been convicted of a felony and my record will reflect that. The exceptions (among some other things) are the state licensing agencies and facilities where my offense is considered just like an adult offense. I have already spoken to the BON and they have informed me that my conviction will not bar me from licensing as long as I can demonstrate that I am fit to become a nurse. State facilities are not so understanding. Someone with a serious felony like me will never work there. As I have been advised by my lawyer this (and applying for my license) is the only time I should report my conviction. Doing so at other times may expose problems that could have been easily avoided by following the correct legal procedure, which unfortunately is not always to openly disclose everything.

I understand where you're coming from but the law doesn't work that way. That's why my conviction only shows up to certain specific agencies . It is sort of a protection for juvenile offenders, because the courts know that employers or even schools would discriminate heavily on felons but licensing agencies have measures in place to consider if they are fit to be licensed or not. I appreciate the info though, I will definitely need to see about what state facilities our programs may use.

Hello, Can any nursing students in CA let me know if they were required to submit a fingerprint card as part of their background check upon entering nursing school? I ask because I'm in kind of a complicated situation. I have a felony on my record which occured when I was a minor. Since this was a juvenile crime the record will not show up under any background check except a DOJ or NICS check, both of which require finger prints to be submitted. There are only a few organizations (most state agencies and law enforcment) that are allowed to access these systems, and only the ones that have access are the ones that I must report my conviction to (like the BON) This is important because if I were convicted as an adult and had an open record, nursing schools could pull up my record and report it to the hospital which would basically make it impossible for me to do rotations. My lawyer advised me that schools don't have access to the "fingerprint" systems but time is coming up and I am getting more nervous each day so I thought I'd ask you guys just to make sure. Any comments are greatly appeciated!

Teriyaki, Thank you for sharing your story, it is an inspiration to me because I am in almost the same situation as you were (difference is my felony was much more serious) Good luck to you and the OP :)