Two Old Prior Dui's Maryland

[JD_925_]

Hello, I am nervously going back to school to become a LPN this upcoming year, this will be a complete career change for me as I am 40 years old. It's been weighing heavily on me that I have two prior DUI misdemeanors in Maryland (where I live) from 2004 and 2007, by the time I finish schooling these priors will be around 20 years old. (I have not any any convictions since, not even a speeding ticket.) I know I will need to disclose this information to the BON however I am extremely nervous of being denied. My life has changed drastically from my early 20's life. I don't drink at all. I've been a stay at home Mom and my family is sacrificing so much for me to have the opportunity to go back to school. I know this topic is case by case however I wanted to see if anyone out there has any advice or has been in this situation? Thank you! 

[Anonynurse66]

Hi there,

Many states don't require self-disclosure of prior criminal history, and some states that do require disclosure only look back a certain period of time.  I am not sure about Maryland in particular, but Pennsylvania and Delaware do not require disclosure but DC does.  Instead, many states just rely on the info in background checks--which could be state or FBI, depending on the state. 

When I was in nursing school I looked carefully at a few states' license applications to see what they look for, and then I got a state and federal level background checks just to see what was on it.  Your DUI might not show up where you think it would. 

I have one DUI in Maryland in 2005 (and a handful of other expunged charges, which by law do not need to be disclosed in most cases) and it doesn't show up on an MD or FBI background check, and I've been careful not to apply to a state that requires self-disclosure because (1) I haven't really wanted to, and (2) it  is a big gamble because if one state denies a license then when you apply to another state BON they might ask if you've ever been denied a license.

Maryland doesn't allow convictions or PBJ's for DUIs to be expunged, but the governor can make the DUI go away.  I looked into this a few years ago and it looked like a long process.

Congrats on turning your life around, by the way 🙂

[Almostthere28]

Hello,

I came here too whenever I had anxiety about my criminal background coming up to my board of nursing. So I thought I would hang on to this site and share my story to people like me. :). 
 

Firstly, congratulations for changing your life around! It is something I can empathize that is so far in the past that it makes you cringe that you have to relive it. Although I think you will be just fine!
I have a past assault causing bodily injury (though it was dismissed) following a DWI a couple years after that. The DWI was almost 7 years ago. 
The board allowed me to sit for the NCLEX and continue on my journey to become a RN. It did take a little longer, while my classmates were getting "Bluecards" within a week I had to wait a month. And yes, it was agony. But it was all worth it and I am happy to share my story today.

Next you're probably going through all the steps that the board puts on their site and thinking you may have to go through a long, extensive research of your crimes, that probably is unlikely. No charges for 20 years is a person that has shown rehabilitation that is what the board is looking for when they look into the crimes, dates, how long it's been, and any current. With that being said I live in the State of Texas. I have seen that some states are a little different so you may have to check with your state.
But I would breathe and give yourself grace because you are not the only one to become a nurse with your charges and worse :) I hope this helps.