RN-NewGrad

I went to a community college. I actually did not tell them of my felony because at the time I believed it was off my record. It never came up so I do not know if they actually followed through with the background check or even got the results. Maybe they didn't care, I do not know. As for how I got hired: I put on my applications a brief and non descriptive statement about my felony. I did not go into details because I did not want them picturing me as a criminal. I simply stated that yes I have a conviction that happened many years ago when I was young and that it was not related to drugs or violence and not work related. I stated that I have no other convictions since. I also reminded them in my statement that the state knows of the conviction and issued me a license to practice. I said that it was a learning experience. Again I did not go into details of the actual crime. Then I was persistent with calling HR and asking for an interview. I never brought up my conviction when speaking to HR or during interviews. Maybe my applications were passed over because of the conviction but because I actually called and asked for an interview (meaning they didn't necessarily have my application in front of them at the time) I got a chance. I also said to Hr when asking for the interview that I had other job offers but was much more interested in this position before accepting another offer. This worked for me. I think it showed that I someone who is hirable and that other facilities wanted and that I wanted the interview because of a good match and not out of desperation. Then, I really did my best at the interview. I prepared a portfolio with a personalized cover letter, I made sure I was early, dressed professionally, came prepared with questions of my own about the department, and answers to common questions that really showed my best qualities. I also showed a lot of enthusiasm/passion for the area of nursing I was applying to. Of course I remembered my manners and I also complimented the interviewer on some work related issue she was telling me about. Then at the end of the interview, I asked when they would have a decision (they said within a week because they had another interview scheduled) so then I said that I actually had another job offer but that this was the position I really wanted. It must have worked, because within a half hour of leaving the interview, HR called me to say, I was hired because they didn't want to lose me. Don't be afraid to be assertive. That is what they are looking for. So my advice to everyone is to not focus on the felony or discuss it unless asked, but be honest without telling too much in the application. Be assertive by actually asking for an interview and telling the interviewer that you are very interested in the position and say something positive about the hospital, unit, and/or interviewer (do some research first). Show enthusiasm and passion for nursing, the department, the hospital. You want to stand out as someone who is in it for more than the money and that you have a great attitude and will stay with the company. That's my advice. It is what worked for me. Maybe the lack of interviews isn't the felony, but rather this terrible job market. Stay positive! And best of luck to you all.

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Just want to update you all on my story. Since starting this thread, I have been applying to jobs like crazy and I did put on all my applications a brief explanation of my felony without too many details. I simply state that is was something that happened when I was young. I have since had several interviews and not one of them brought it up to me. I was actually offered a few jobs and I chose one I am very happy with. So I guess I have answered the question. YOU CAN GET HIRED AFTER A CRIMINAL RECORD!!!!! :yeah: Just remember to put it on the application when asked and my advice is not to give too many details because you don't want the hiring manager to imagine you doing the crime. State that it was a mistake made long ago that you have learned from it and have no convictions since. Something simple like that. I never brought it up (and neither did they) during interviews. I didn't want that being the focus of conversation and what I was remembered for, so I just made sure I went into the interview showing confidence and enthusiasm. Anyways, good luck to everyone job hunting right now. And thanks for all the support.

Sugarbush, WHERE do you live? I have applied to HUNDREDS of jobs in my area and for all shifts but only 2 interviews. They did not hire me because they wanted more experience. Lala27poodles, you should go for it if it's your dream. Who knows what the economy and job market will be like when you graduate but the truth (no exaggeration) is there really are no jobs for new grads right now. From my class of 30, only 2 have jobs but they worked at the hospital as techs prior to finishing school (not all the techs got jobs though). I strongly suggest you work as a tech while in school. I am willing to work as a tech now as an RN but they won't hire RNs as techs.

Thanks for the reply but as I mentioned before felonies can not be expunged. And by "minor" felony I mean that it was not murder, rape etc. There is a BIG difference between murder and some petty theft but they are still both felonies, hence the word minor. Besides, as I mentioned, I DID NOT DO THE CRIME in the first place and I was a teenager(charged as an adult), so to me, it was minor. Also if you start reading the law books, there really are some laws that would shock you. Things you would never even think are illegal are and the word felony implies a terrible crime and that isn't always the case but I am still being classified in the same category as murders and rapists and so no wonder I can't get an interview. Also, as I stated, I did not disclose this to my nursing school director or the BON prior to sitting for the boards because I did not know it was on my record until after passing the NCLEX as I already explained. The fingerprint check did not come back apparently until after the test. Maybe my felony is only seen by FBI fingerprint and not by running my name (I don't know) So, I have been honest. As soon as I learned it was on my record, I have always checked yes on my applications. I already know from talking to lawyers that legally there is nothing I can do to fix this but get a pardon, but that will never happen because after doing some research, it appears that there are thousands of pardon applications sitting on the governors desk having never been looked at because governors don't want to appear to be soft on crime. The reason for my post as I mentioned before was to see if any HR person will even consider looking at a job application from someone who checked yes to a felony. This isn't about being honest, because I am being honest. I can't really explain the situation very well anyways without the interview. I still would like to hear from those that have checked yes and got the interview. On a side note, there are countless people that have been wrongfully convicted (including myself) in this country alone and society looks down on them and asks them to be sorry for the crime they did not commit. Imagine for a second how your life would be if YOU were accused of something you did not do and then for the rest of your life you had to be looked at as a criminal and couldn't even get a job and people told you to just be honest and say you are sorry and have learned from your mistake (In other words admit to the crime even though you didn't do it). Don't think it is possible... then you are wrong. It happens way more than anyone thinks. Think about it. Police officers are just regular people like you and me. They are biased and they aren't judges or lawyers either so when they arrest someone, many, many times they are wrong. But when a jury and judge sees that person in the courtroom, they like you, automatically think guilty because this society thinks that if they were innocent then the cop wouldn't have arrested them. We really put a lot of power in the hands of the police officers. Many of which are crooks themselves. Our legal system is far from anything we want it to be or think it is. From the cop all the way up to the law makers themselves. The system is flawed and therefore can't be trusted. But we are taught as young children to trust the police officer so we do and we trust the system and so there are a lot of you out there who automatically assume I am guilty and so it is my mistake to live with. Isn't this what the HR people think too, probably. So that's my problem. How do I get to be seen on my application as the smart, skilled nurse I am instead of the crime I was accused of?

Similar thing happened to me. I had a conviction many years ago that I was told would be removed and I believed it and moved on and sorta forgot about it. So over the years I have never reported it to employers and have never been denied employment or entrance into nursing school which further confirmed in my mind that it was not on my record. It wasn't until after I passed the NCLEX and was waiting for my license, that I discovered it was still there because I got the letter from the BON stating they could not consider licensure because of my background and until I sent in court documents and a statement. I sent it all in and about a week later, I got the license!!! I did not know they would fine you $500. I guess I got lucky on that one. I did explain in my statement to the BON why I did not disclose though, I wonder if that helped. I know $500 is a lot but they are going to grant you a license still, right?? Hope so!!

Thanks for all the replies. TO REMILEKUN: I read the actual law that requires facilities to not employ healthcare workers without a waiver however this law states it does not apply to licensed professionals such as an RN since the state is in a way providing a waiver when they give the license. Therefore, I would not require a waiver. Even with a waiver, the problem I think really would be getting the employer to give you a chance after reading on your application that you have a felony. They are not obligated under this law to hire you just because you have a waiver. It just gives them permission to if they want to. It's good to know it worked out for you and your wife :) Good luck in school! TO BCCSTUDENT: I did not have any trouble getting my license. I did not inform my school or the state prior to NCLEX of the felony because I did not know it was still on my record until after I took the NCLEX and the state sent me a letter stating I had this on my record and they could not decide whether to license me until they had certified copies of the court documents from the case and a statement from me describing the events surrounding the case. Once I sent that stuff in, it was only about a week before I had my license. It was that easy. Of course I was nervous and stressed out waiting and I even called them to ask if I had any chance. They told me it is decided on an individual basis. My case was 14 years ago and was not related to patient care or violence and I have had no convictions since so I am sure that helped. So to answer your question, I did not need an attorney but I would go ASAP to the circuit clerk of the county where your charges were from and get certified copies of the court dispositions. If you aren't sure of all the convictions, you may want to run a background check yourself first or just wait until the licensing board asks you for it all because they will tell you the results of their background check. Try not to stress like I did, you are likely to get your license if the crime was years ago and if not, you can always try again. If they are not felonies, you can go to the circuit clerk and ask how to expunge/seal the records which will help in getting a job because then you can legally check "no" on the job applications. GOOD LUCK! TO HOUSTONTXRN: Since your conviction is not a felony, I am almost positive you can have your record expunged/sealed. You can go to the circuit clerks office or read about it online to see if you qualify and how to go about it. It can be done without a lawyer if you want but there is a filing fee (well worth it). If the courts give you the expungement then you can legally check "NO" on your job application and it won't show up when they do the background check :) GREAT NEWS!!!! I just got a call for a job interview (and yes I did check "yes" on the application). I will let you all know how it goes. And in the meantime, I would still love to hear from anyone else who has been in the same situation. I would really like to know of hospitals that do give RNs or other healthcare workers with felonies a chance.

Thanks for your reply. I already know it's on my record as a felony theft because the background check done prior to my licensing. I have also looked into seeing if it can be expunged, it can't. It was committed before 18 technically but I was charged as an adult. So there is not anything I can do to change the record. I have my license so that is not a problem. The problem comes in when I have to check "yes" on the job applications. Will the HR department just set aside my app. as soon as they see that I have a felony or will they actually take the second to consider me and the circumstances (length of time, non violent, non drug related etc). Am I wasting my time applying to these hospitals? Are there places that hire nurses with felonies? It's hard enough finding a job without experience as a new grad but then add this to it. I am not giving up but I am hoping to hear from someone who's been there in my shoes and got the job. Or from an HR person that can tell me what they do when they see the yes box checked about felonies on someone's application. I have applied to every job out there. I am so upset by this because before I started nursing school, I thought this was off my record, it wasn't until I applied for my license and an RN job that I found out this was on my record. I was actually offered the job and then they fired me once the background check came back. They said I was fired for checking "no" on the app. but I am wondering if they would have even given me the chance if they had known about this prior to hiring me. If anyone knows someone in HR, please PM or reply. THANKS

Does anyone know FIRST hand whether or not a hospital will actually consider a candidate with a felony on their record? More than 14 years ago when I was only a teenager, I was charged as an accomplice in a theft. I DID NOT do the crime and I actually was the one that reported it. But maybe cause I knew so much about it or the state's attorney had a quota to meet, who knows, I was also charged. At the time, I was a young, scared kid who had no understanding of what my rights were or how a conviction would effect me. I didn't have a lawyer (just the PD). So, when they offered me a deal that if I plead guilty they would let me go, I took it. I think they even told me the conviction would come off my record. Anyways, it has never effected me getting a job before. I worked mostly in daycares. Now I am a new grad nurse with a license and even though I know it is tough for all new grad to find jobs right now. I need to know if I even have a chance. The state gave me a license so they don't see my conviction as a threat to patients. Will the hospitals or other facilities? I know hospitals do background checks so am I wasting my time applying? They say they don't automatically disqualify you if you have a conviction but one hospital I know won't even take an ex con as a volunteer. I am so worried that I went through all this schooling, time, and money to be a nurse, and now I can't. It's hard to know if I don't get responses from the employers because of lack of experience or if it is my background. If there is anyone out there who was hired AFTER a felony conviction and the hospital knew about it, please tell me. Please only responses intended to help. I don't need anyone judging me. I am an honest, law abiding citizen who has never hurt anyone in her life. Nursing is my passion, I am not going to switch careers or give up. I am hoping to hear from someone who knows first hand whether a hospital will consider me or not. Thanks in advance!

If you are done with prereqs in December, you might get in by March. That's what my experience was but it could be different now. Also I applied while I was still in my last prereq. A quarter is half a semester or an 8 week session. Each nursing class lasts 8 weeks. Make sure you have all other requirements done too like your entrance exam, doctor visits etc. Let me know if you have any other questions. :)

I recently finished the WCC nursing program and the most important thing is that you have all the requirements met. You have to be finished with all the prerequisite courses before they accept you but you can apply while still taking them. I did just that and only had to wait one quarter between my A&P 2 class and starting the program. The letter of acceptance takes awhile to come but from my experience it wasn't so hard to get in. Good luck!