superpotato

I spoke with the man in charge of background checks with Group One. He told me that the background check for felonies goes backwards into the deepest, darkest depths of time and space. So, if you have one, they will find it (unless it was a juvenile record). Misdeameanors go back 7 years. He also said that violent crimes, crimes against persons, drug related crimes, crimes involving firearms, and crimes indicitive of moral turpitude were all immediate disqualifiers for the hospitals hiring decisions. But, he also said that a D.O. from the Texas BNE will go a long way (in the positive direction) in the hospitals decision to hire you or not for other offenses. Group One does not make credit checks. That is done separately by the hospital. They only check employment and criminal background and they only report it to the hospital - the hospital decides to hire you (or not) based on the report. But, Group One is owned by the hospitals in DFW so they can streamline screening everyone in or out all at once.

Simple question: How far back does Group One go for a criminal background check? (just the criminal background check, not the employment check or credit check or reference check - just the criminal background check)

I am posting this again in October of 2005. I hope that my update helps anyone else who is applying for a D.O. I have started taking the prerequisites at DCCCD for the El Centro nursing program. This Fall (2005) I am taking 2 of them and in the Spring (2006) I will take the other two. The BNE will find out about any criminal offense. Although they only ask you to disclose felony convictions, they have access to an FBI background check. An FBI background check will give them all of the information that is on your arrest record. I applied for an FBI background check to see for myself what was on my record. There is no point in not telling the whole truth to the BNE. Part of the application is having two references write letters of recommendation for you, so if you don't have that already then start looking for them before you apply (which is before you start your RN program - if you are smart). I have called the BNE twice, and I got the same answer to the same question on both occassions. I don't know where one of the posters got the information that there are 500 cases in the queue waiting to be sorted through. Or, perhaps I was merely fed the 'official response' to the question. But, when I asked how long the wait period is I was told 3-6 months. It is valid for 1 year. That was the easy part. For the DCCCD program a 7 year background check is made. For my situation I will theoretically start the RN program 7 years after the offense. So, I will pass the DCCCD test. The tricky part is when you are signing up for practicals within the nursing program. From the information I have gathered, DCCCD sends you out to different hospitals, but it seems that each hospital may have a different policy regarding background checks. DCCCD checks 7 years, so if the hospital does the same and it has been more than 7 years for you then you will likely get in. But, if the hospital makes a more diligent search then the DCCCD program will try to use the D.O. to let you take the practicals. The reason that I say 'will try to use the D.O.' is because after emailing the El Centro people, I have not gotten the answer that I would hope to hear. No one ever told me that if I get a D.O. approval that I would definently be approved for practicals. So I still have a question for anyone who has been approved for a D.O. - did you pass/fail a background check when you did your practicals? What was the hospital's policy? And, did you, or have you had problems getting employed after graduation with an RN?

I found out after some searching that I need to fill out and turn in a Declaratory order to the BNE. I should apply for one before I start a nursing program because it takes 6 months to 2 years to have one approved. If it is approved then I can sit for the NCLEX (sp) to get an RN license. Thanks everyone.

I am almost finished with my BS in Computer Science but am considering switching careers to nursing in a few years (enough time to pay back loans and save up some money). I had a question about the Board of Nurse examiners and their criminal background checks. 5 years ago in 1999 I was given a felony deffered adjudication probation sentence for unlawful possession of a knife and criminal trespass (simultaneously). At DCCCD it is not considered one of the 'prohibited histories' according to their website FAQ. And DCCCD runs a seven year background check and I would start the nursing program more than seven years after the original offense date. But this is my question. Does the BNE also run 7 year background checks or do they go back farther than that? If I qualify for clinical rotations for DCCCD criteria does that mean I would also qualify to get an RN license from the BNE? And would my offense prevent me from getting an RN license by the Texas BNE? I would really hate to spend 2 years studying for an RN license and then not be allowed to practice nursing at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated.