Proof that a record won't hold you back from the job of your dreams

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At 14 years old, I got into an altercation with another girl. Her parents wanted to press charges. I WAS NOT arrested; however I went down to the police station, got fingerprinted, and took a mug shot .. Then went back home. I NEVER went to court, but agreed to some terms, and the police assured me that if I didn't get in anymore trouble, my record would be expunged upon turning 18. At the age of 16 I got my CNA through a high school program, and I am now a enrolled in the #1 nursing program in the state of mississippi.Well, last week I went to the hospital for pre employment screening , and i got my background check results in the mail on the 20th.... &what do you know BAM!!! There was a battery charge listed ... Well I went to the hospital the next day (yesterday) .. &talked to the HR Rep & I really didn't even have to tell the whole story!! She offered me the position &today I went in to do all my paperwork &screening tests!!! I'm so excited!! I got the job i've been praying for

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Specializes in LTC (LPN-RN).

At the age of 16 I got my CNA through a high school program, and I am now a enrolled in the #1 nursing program in the state of mississippi.//

Congrats to you. I take it you are about 21 now? I always assumed facilites did not hire people with a background (no matter the age). Aso since your record was not expunged as you say you were told it would be, do you plan on speaking to anyone about that?

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Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

Usually your background checks you do for the NCLEX (during nursing school) are much harder then the pre-employment checks. But even then, they will let you explain yourself. But it looks like you got it all behind you.

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If the charge was when you were under 18, it shouldn't have came onto your record, unless you were charged as an adult.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
If the charge was when you were under 18, it shouldn't have came onto your record, unless you were charged as an adult.
A police officer told me that a 'clean criminal record' upon turning 18 was a myth. Over the past 15 years or so, offenses committed during one's juvenile years have been sticking on peoples' criminal records well into adulthood, sometimes for life.

Getting the juvenile record officially expunged is one of the only ways to ensure one's youthful criminal history does not haunt them well into adulthood.

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Grats girl! I'd still look into getting that expunged from your record, since you were promised it would be. It may not have stopped you from getting this job, but who knows what employers in the future will think? Better safe than sorry!

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No ! I am only 18 !and yes, my fiancé's uncle is a police sergeant &he is looking into getting this expunged ... I definitely don't want this coming up when it's time for me to sit for my boards!

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If the charge was when you were under 18, it shouldn't have came onto your record, unless you were charged as an adult.
That's what I was told ... But it still showed up! I really don't know why, then I talked to a lawyer about getting it expunged and his fees alone were $500 ... The filing fees are an additional $235 so I'm going another route!
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Specializes in GI, ER, ICU, Med/Surg, Stress Test Nurse.

My spouse had a record from an altercation when he was a teen also and we went to our local court house filled out the paper work ourselves then to the sherriffs office to have it filed took aprox 3 or 4 months for it to be completed we were told it could take up to 6 months for it to come off his record, but I think we only paid around $125 for the whole process. Dont procrastinate what ever you do. Congratulations on landing the job. Enjoy nursing school.

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I can attest to the fact that having a record does not mean you have to give up on being a nurse, but it sure does not make it easy. After my freshman year of college I was charged with a DUI that I did not get convicted for, and then another DUI that I did get convicted for and then a misdemeanor the following year. I even went to jail for three days while I was in nursing school. I personally appealed to my nursing program director and had to write in to my clinical sites to get their legal teams approval. I went through a year and a half of school not even knowing if I was going to be allowed to finish. After I graduated, I applied to take my NCLEX and was told I have to enter a professional health monitoring program. It took them two months to process my paperwork, and they then forced me through 90 days of straight AA meetings before they would even give me permission to start looking for a job. I graduated in June 2011, I was allowed to start looking for a job Dec. 2012, I applied to 50 positions and got nothing. After six months I decided to suck it up and get some experience working as a PCT on a transplant step down unit. I worked there for the last 8 months and now finally I am about to start my first nursing job. Its not impossible to be a nurse with a bad record, but you have to have tons of patience.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
A police officer told me that a 'clean criminal record' upon turning 18 was a myth. Over the past 15 years or so, offenses committed during one's juvenile years have been sticking on peoples' criminal records well into adulthood, sometimes for life.

Getting the juvenile record officially expunged is one of the only ways to ensure one's youthful criminal history does not haunt them well into adulthood.

^ This is true...In my state, I knew a few classmates that turned their lives around had to expunge their record...the courts tell people that the juvenile record is supposed to be sealed, but they just roll it over...

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Grats girl! I'd still look into getting that expunged from your record, since you were promised it would be. It may not have stopped you from getting this job, but who knows what employers in the future will think? Better safe than sorry!
thank you ! & I know exactly what you mean .. I do still plan on getting this taken care of
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