Question about previous underage citation and eligibility for NCLEX

Nursing Students NCLEX

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so my freshman year of college I was stupid one night and ended up receiving and underage drinking citation and a public drunkenness citation. These are the only things in my past and I was told they are not criminal offenses. However my clinical instructor said she thought it may be a problem when I apply for my NCLEX in upcoming may. So I was curious if anyone knew if I have to disclose this information to the board of nursing when I apply and if it will impact my eligibility. If you could let me know that would be great thank you so much!!

Specializes in CVICU.

Hey jnett810,

I got a DUI my first year in college as well. Being young and irresponsible. Drinking tickets or any of the like will not hinder you from taking your boards or becoming a great nurse. When you take your NCLEX, you will be asked to submit legal paperwork to the state before you will be allowed to test. I had to send these documents before I took my LPN boards and again before my ADN boards. As long as you receive no more citations like these, the background check should be clear after 7 years following the conviction. Just make sure you have copies of all the court documents saved together in a folder so that when they ask for it you are ready to go. You should know by now how long it takes the state to file papers, so the faster you are on your end, the better. Everyone has a past and everyone makes mistakes. I am currently getting ready to start CRNA school and, although it has been a pain to keep submitting legal documents, it hasn't slowed me down in my career. It's not the end of the world! Good Luck with school!

Okay thank you so much!! So just out of curiosity do I have to click off something when applying to take it? Or since it was a summary offense does it not apply?? I'm not sure bc it wasn't a criminal offense and I never had a court date I just paid a fine. Also it hasn't showed up on any of my background checks at all over the past 3 years so I didn't know if I would be okay for the NCLEX as well.

You need to disclose it. If you do not and it shows up then there will be a problem.

Specializes in CVICU.
You need to disclose it. If you do not and it shows up then there will be a problem.

Absolutely! Be honest about it because if they find it and you weren't up front about it there may be repercussions. They can't deny your licensure for a minor ticket like that. They basically just look for felony charges like battery and refusal to pay child support...etc

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