Question!!!

From what I hear from the nursing school that I am attending is that not all nursing schools care if you have a criminal past but you have to report it to them and to the state board of nursing, because they check your background and they will find out, if they find out and you didn't tell them YOU will be in trouble. Since you don't have a felony, I would continue with the prereq's and try to get into school.

call your state board of nursing now. they should be able to answer this for you

Hello. I am currently doing my prerequisites to apply for the ADN program. I know they do a criminal background check prior to acceptance. A year ago, I was convicted of a misdemeanor, for petty theft. ( I took a book from Target) I have paid all my fees, and served my probation. Would this prevent me from being accepted into the program? I'd rather not waste time with all of the prerequisites only to find out I will not be accepted. Thank you so much for your time!

Don't panic and hear me out. There are a few parts to a problem like this. First, your ADN program must know about this. Just go ahead and make an appointment with a program adviser now and face the music. Your probably OK with them without a felony or substance abuse issue.

Second, your board of nursing is NOT going to like this as a recent offense. Do something to prove you have taken responsibility (besides court stuff) like speaking at schools, volunteering in something related to prevention or private counseling addressing why you did this. Document everything. Get letters of recommendation.

Third. Your biggest problem might be your eventual healthcare employer. If you have done all that is suggested, your odds are improved.

How bad do you want it? You can recover from this if you act in a smart and deliberate way.