RNhopeful13

Definitely get a lawyer with BON experience on board. Like you said, with the arrest + psych history, it may turn into a doozy trying to get approved. As far as saying you're an alcoholic or not, I don't feel that's what the board is looking for. They are looking for you to explain and take full ownership of what happened, and what you've done to change & make sure mistakes like that never happen again. I would think involvement in AA would be good because even if you aren't an alcoholic, you made a dangerous decision related to alcohol. With your psych history, get documentation from doctors/therapists on your progress detailing your journey to stability. Think of it this way: you need to pull out all the stops and present all the information you can to show the board that you are able to be a safe and competent nurse. I'd really recommend a BON familiar attorney to help guide you. Wishing you the best of luck.

Edit: In case it wasn't clear in my original post, I plan on being completely honest and disclosing everything when I apply! Is working with an attorney the best way to go? I just want to make sure I do everything correctly and by the book..

Hi everyone! I will be graduating from my RN program in December. It is the most embarrassing situation of my life, but a few years ago I was arrested for shoplifting. I don't want to give too many details away since you never know who will read this, but essentially it was an honest yet stupid mistake on my part. It was for an item that cost less than $20 that I misplaced in the shuffle of trying on clothes and accidently walked out with. That being said, I still completely take the blame and make no excuse because intentional or not, the incident occurred and could have been prevented. I was able to get a great lawyer and I don't know the technical terms but they dismissed the charge pending completion of a small amount of community service & of course no more trouble. I then had it expunged from my record. This is my deepest, darkest secret. I am still working on moving past the shame and guilt that I feel for letting something like this happen. I feel like I can't forgive myself, and I am so afraid it might prevent me from practicing what I love and feel so passionate about. I have been "the good kid" all my life and just want to take care of others. I mostly just wanted to unload on here since like I said, no one save my parents and 2 close friends knows about this. I'm in charge of planning our graduation but deep down I'm almost dreading it because what if I get denied? I am planning on working with my lawyer again when I apply, and I'm getting recommendation letters and character references from my instructors, preceptor, and past employers. If anyone has any advice, I would very much appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to read my novel if you made it this far :)

Sorry to hear that. Any updates?

I'm surprised by how negative some of these responses are. We all know how difficult nursing school is, and people failing a class is not uncommon at all. Everyone deserves an opportunity to have a second chance, although it may be a little difficult depending on the situation. I would focus on what you can do to make your application more competitive to help make up for the prior failed classes. Perhaps raising your GPA, obtaining letters of reference from your old instructors etc. Just don't give up hope! I had to retake Med Surg 1 which meant I had to remediate the course, then apply for readmission. I was approved, and I'm very proud to say that I've managed to pull out A's and B's in all my other nursing classes and will graduate in December. Don't get discouraged, just make a plan and work hard to get back where you want to be. Best of luck to you!