What good does a BS RN with state licensure if no credible hospital will hire you?

On_the_on, BSN · Mar 19, 2012

Here's a question I have...does anyone remember the CNA several years ago that was driving home from being out with friends at 2 or 3 in the morning and she admitted to having consumed alcohol and she hit a homeless man under an underpass and KNEW she had a dying man half way impailed in her windshield and pulled into her garage and left him there to DIE through the rest of the night/morning before calling a couple of friends to go with her to dump his body at a local part...SHE WAS EMPLOYED BY A MAJOR HOSPITAL.

I am sorry. It really sucks what you are going through. I have so clue how to help, so I can offer (((hugs)))). I hope it gets cleared up, I really do.

I just wanted to say, if it helps you feel in better, that the woman who hit the man (if it is the same one I am thinking of....The one I know about it was an RN and she left him there for several days until a neighbor heard him moaning) did get fired (and jail time) for what she did. I know it is not helpful, but maybe it will make you feel better.

Good luck, Hopefully this will blow over or you will find an employer willing to "take a risk"

hoosier guy · Mar 19, 2012

Well thats just the way of the world some times. If I were you I wouldn't give up, apply to a few more places maybe farther away. Surly you will get hired somewhere by someone who has written bad checks before.

Bonnie86 · Mar 19, 2012

That's nuts. Sorry to hear this. If the BON is going to let you take NCLEX, what about getting the RN and working outside of a hospital? Are you completely ruling that out?

Marshall1 · Mar 19, 2012

I don'tunderstand why the hospital would go through the interview process and offer a position then change their minds since you were upfront from the application about your previous issues. I'm not sure how long you have been an RN or trying to get a job as one or if you are still working as a CNA but it seems to be that if you are upfront, have proof everything was taken care of then and it's been almost a decade since all this happened I don't know why you are hitting this wall. I do know some hospitals are now checking credit reports for nurses - which is new. I also don't understand why you can't be given a chance when nurse w/drug and alcohol problems who go through treatment are..also, if the state board let you sit for licensure and knew your history then that should show the employers something. Have you thought about contacting the Risk Managers directly? I know you may not get anywhere but you seem caught between a rock and a hard place. I hope something works out for you soon.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2012

If you're admitting to everything and then getting rescinded offers, sounds like what you're saying is not matching up to their background check.

OP kind of downplayed the issues in the original post. If that's what he/she is doing during the HR interview, not gonna cut it.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Mar 20, 2012

This is such an unfortunate situation - just horrible, and I feel so bad for the OP.

But - I want to clarify the whole Risk Management-HR connection thing. Our Risk Management department has to abide by standards that are dictated by our organization's insurance carriers. The rules are based upon analyses of "contributing factors in health care liability".... Heaven help us if the insurance carriers uncover any other factors - nurses with red hair? flat feet? low GPA? bifocals?

cmcervantes · Mar 21, 2012

Yeah. I kind of have to wonder... I live and work in DFW, and have a similar background. I got a DUI when I was in college in 2002. I, too, had to complete a declaratory petition and got cleared to sit for the NCLEX. Since 2007, however, I have worked in three MAJOR DFW hospitals, including one of the groups that she had mentioned. I've been offered PCT positions with the hospitals. A Class A Misdemeanor doesn't even necessarily bar you from employment as a PCT or an RN. Something doesn't seem right about the story.

jamesjamesjames · Mar 23, 2012

i don't want to cast stones because i wouldn't even be reading this forum if i'd never done something stupid in my past, but i have been through the process of getting licensed/certified in my state with a black mark on my record (misdemeanor crime of dishonesty). it was a big pain in the glutes but i did it and i'll be doing it again for another, more lucrative license and every day i thank myself, the legal system, the medical establishment, and my friends and family that i'm still here doing what i love so much. i've been reading this forum because like i said, i was stupid but i also think a lot of people deserve second chances. and so here's my criticism, not just directed towards the OP but towards a lot of people in this forum:

we. screwed. up. all of us did, really bad. there isn't much else to say about it than that. and when i see people going on and on and on about the various extenuating circumstances that led to their conviction and how unfair it is and blahblahblah just... just stop, okay? there's no one to blame but yourself in almost all of these cases i've read. whether you were ignorant, greedy, or stupid, it's your own fault you got here.

so admit it! admit it freely. own up to your mistakes. if you can't admit you made a mistake writing bad checks or driving when you shouldn't have, how are you going to admit it to the MD when you make a med error?

i know i don't know you, and i don't judge you, but that's how it would look to me if i were in a position of power.

so listen, get your record expunged. if it's just a misdemeanor, you can basically fill out a form online and it will happen. or pay a lawyer to do it. from what i've read, in texas if you get your crimes expunged, you can actually answer "no" even on the BoN application. in my state, you can't. but the judiciary council also stated that if you answer honestly that you've been convicted but it's been expunged, the reviewing board must consider it as a "no." that doesn't mean you can say "no" of course.

i don't let a lot of people in my life know about what i did (they don't need to and i'm ashamed), but those that do also know how far i've come since then. you probably have people like that too. get them to write letters for you.

whether or not you think you were wrongfully accused, just say you did it and you blew it really hard. and learn to mean it. because ignorance is no excuse, in fact it's probably even worse.

i realize this seems like i'm coming down hard on you, OP, and i'm sorry because i didn't mean it that way. i am sure you really did make a genuine mistake. i didn't make a mistake, i did something willfully pretty bad and i have a hard time dealing with that. but i think nursing is a way to pay it back. that's what i truly believe, and that's what i let anyone who needs to know about my past know as well.

anyway, i wish everyone in this forum well. you can do it!

this was probably a really rambling and nonsensical diatribe but i just got done with 12 hours of clinicals and i'm a little bit addled. good luck everyone

romie · Mar 29, 2012

The situation described by the OP is not an uncommon one and I am a bit surprised to see so much criticism of him/her plight.

Yes one should completely own up and take responsibility for their actions, regardless of the circumstances behind the conviction. It's unfortunate but the main reason why people with criminal backgrounds are having such a hard time getting jobs is because of insurance/ risk management issues, not because they are necessarily bad people. After an incident in my region where a well known fast food franchise was sued after an employee killed a customer and had a prior record, the regions freight rail company laid off hundreds of their employees who had criminal backgrounds, even though these had been employees who had been with them for years, in some cases 10 years or more, but the train company was afraid of lawsuits.

It is a fact that more than 1 in 5 adults in the US have some sort of documented criminal history. The reality is the biggest difference between those with criminal records and those without is that those without haven't been caught. Everyone at some point in their lives have committed some crime, no matter how big or small. Driving to another county for a shopping trip to pay lower taxes? It's technically tax evasion. For every person with a DUI how many hundreds of people have driven without incidence and but would have been out of range for alcohol in their blood?

Fortunately there are some organizations out there that help people get jobs who have criminal backgrounds. Some are state run others are private NFPs like the Safer Foundation in Chicago whose mission it is to prevent recidivism and make society SAFER for everyone by getting people back to work. Please check out those organizations for the good ones will help you with job coaching, record expungement, even link you with financial assistance until you are working.

DirtyHippieGirl made a comment that the OP might be hiding something but I beg to differ. It is cruel to make that assumption because there are so many factors involved that are complete unknowns. First of all, many hiring managers don't know their own state laws and HR and Risk Managers may be completely different pages. Secondly, each state classifies crimes differently, each SBON has their own criteria and guidelines for how they assess applicants with criminal histories. Add up all this confusion and it is no wonder that there can be such a gap in knowledge.

I urge the OP to look into organizations that help people with criminal backgrounds get work-- you don't have to have a felony in most cases to get this help. They will at least link you with companies that already know your background and are not using that as the primary consideration ( These companies either can afford the insurance that it takes to hire people with criminal histories or get federal and state incentives to hire people in this situation). Finally, consider nursing work that isn't bedside, like case management, resource utilization, research, nursing infomatics.

It's essential to stay hopeful and not give up. Somebody out there will give you a chance and wont have defective hiring and screening processes.

mrfuturern · Jun 12, 2013

I am in a similar situation. I received my first and only DWI- class A misdemeanor just prior to starting nursing school. I am now about to go in to my 3rd semester but am constantly questioning if all this effort will pay off. cmcervantes, from your experience would you suggest me finishing? I too live in the DFW. I am just afraid that I will not even be considered for any jobs.

Irish_Mist, BSN, RN · Jun 14, 2013

mrfuturern,

I live in the DFW as does my friend who is an RN-BSN. She too had a DWI. She hired a lawyer to help her get it "cleared up" and she was able to sit for the NCLEX. She is also gainfully employed as an ER nurse. I would encourage you to consult an attorney as my friend did.