Will I lose my nursing license for a traffic violation?

Nurses General Nursing

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I recently was issued a citation for passing a stopped school bus. From Google search, some lawyers say it is a misdemeanor. I am worrying about that I might not be able to renew my nursing license if it is a misdemeanor. I haven't received a court date yet. Court appearance is mandatory for this offense. What should I do now? Greatly appreciated if you can help!

I never said anything about her nursing license and I wasn't implying anything I was pretty straight up about it as I always am. We obviously disagree on this subject but as far as I'm concerned anyone making excuses about their behavior is someone who doesn't see that they did something wrong. If the OP had opened with "I got a ticket for passing a stopped school bus. Not only did I risk kids lives but now I'm afraid I put my license at risk as well" would have been enough for me as I see no reason to pile on someone who is taking responsibility for their actions. As a former pediatric flight nurse I'm going to have a visceral response to adult behaviors that put children at risk (no car seat, no seat belt, no helmet, etc.) and I'm going to be vocal about it because maybe someone else reading this also thinks it's no big deal to pass stopped school buses when it really is a big deal.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.
2 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

Yeah, try this approach/excuse with the judge and see what that gets you. Depending on your state it could be a year in prison. Did you know that at 35mph you travel 51 ft in one second? Cities and states are bringing the hammer down on this behavior because kids are being killed. A family had all three of their children wiped out because a driver felt they didn't need to stop. You would find a heck of a lot more support here if you demonstrated one iota of remorse for your reckless and selfish action. Instead, all you seem to care about is how this is going to affect you. Frankly, the fact that you're a nurse is likely to not work in your favor because you, of all people, know first hand the consequences of people's bad choices. You may not find it fair but we are held to a higher standard in the court of public opinion. And if I seem to be extra riled up about this I am. I've spent years taking care of innocent children who were victims of people who should have known better but put their needs first. Nobody should have to watch as their child is scraped off the pavement because someone else thought the law did not apply to them.

Do yourself a favor both professionally and for your personal growth, quit making excuses and take responsibility for what you did. Just because it was a misdemeanor doesn't mean it was no big deal. It was a big deal. How you handle it will reflect on who you are as a person and as a nurse.

I wonder if you're near me & referring to the same three...?? ?

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9 minutes ago, SaltineQueen said:

I wonder if you're near me & referring to the same three...?? ?

Sadly no. It was a girl and her 6 year old twin brothers. Another boy was injured as well.

A lot of times it's more than one child because they offload in groups.

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Specializes in School Nurse, past Med Surge.

I'll stay up here on my high horse & clear this up... Too many kids are getting killed or hurt. I'm getting to be about as old as dirt & the laws to stop when a school bus stops haven't changed in my state since I took driver's ed...but I bet they're about to. What about flashing red lights doesn't make you think "stop?"

https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/school-buses/

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5 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:

I never said anything about her nursing license and I wasn't implying anything I was pretty straight up about it as I always am. We obviously disagree on this subject but as far as I'm concerned anyone making excuses about their behavior is someone who doesn't see that they did something wrong. If the OP had opened with "I got a ticket for passing a stopped school bus. Not only did I risk kids lives but now I'm afraid I put my license at risk as well" would have been enough for me as I see no reason to pile on someone who is taking responsibility for their actions. As a former pediatric flight nurse I'm going to have a visceral response to adult behaviors that put children at risk (no car seat, no seat belt, no helmet, etc.) and I'm going to be vocal about it because maybe someone else reading this also thinks it's no big deal to pass stopped school buses when it really is a big deal.

1) I said inference, not implication. The people on here are inferring from her post that she doesn't care.

2) I don't see any excuses being made. Again, WE are not the judge. She shouldn't HAVE to state how badly she feels about it to us. Do I personally think she should feel badly? OF COURSE! I would be horrified if I did that. Just because she didn't state how she feels to a nursing site, doesn't mean she doesn't feel badly. She didn't post to the general public "I ran a school bus stop sign. How will this affect me? If it were FB, that would be different. She should then state she learned her lesson and feels awful. But she came to a nursing site and asked how it would affect her nursing license. I have no expectation of her expressing her feelings HERE. She was straight to the point. Doesn't mean she doesn't feel bad.

The only thing I see us disagreeing on here is her need to ask US for forgiveness. Now if she told a judge "well the bus was 50 ft ahead yadda yadda yadda...yes, that's an excuse. This site is not a court of law.

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1 minute ago, Orion81RN said:

The only thing I see us disagreeing on here is her need to ask US for forgiveness.

Never asked her to apologize to us and don't expect her to.

6 minutes ago, Orion81RN said:

If it were FB, that would be different.

How?

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Quote

People are harping on her for "not showing remorse" and saying it should affect her nursing license. I read between the lines

We have NO idea how she thinks or feels about this. Yet most replies have been inferences that she doesn't care.

The fact that she made a point of saying she was on the opposite side of the road as the bus and "50 feet away" made it seem as though she felt the ticket was unfair. She has now edited that statement out. It doesn't matter if she was on the opposite side of the road, or 50 feet from the bus when she got nailed. Those laws are in place because people in that exact same position relative to the bus have hit children. Ignorance of the law is no excuse; what she did has the potential to be fatal-kids often have to cross the street to get home, so the people who are driving in the lanes the OP was in could absolutely be in the position to hit them. People in her exact location HAVE in fact hit children as they crossed to the opposite side of the street. I don't understand how that isn't obvious to her. Not believing that she could have hurt a kid pretty much means by definition that she doesn't feel remorse for it. You don't feel remorse for something that you don't believe you did. Her ticket was well earned.

Will it affect her license? I think the odds are next to nil. Should it affect her license? I don't believe so, but showing a little understanding of the potential danger of her actions would probably serve her well in the future.

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If it really is a misdemeanor, it is a crime and an enormously big deal. Get a lawyer. This is not an ordinary traffic offense, if that is the case

A friend had a misdemeanor in my state in 1985. Never spent a might in jail, and nothing since.

But he has to check the box "convicted of a crime" when applying for employment, and cannot buy a gun or ammunition in our state.

Any misdemeanor is a huge deal.

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8 hours ago, FolksBtrippin said:

The amount of hyperbole and overreaction on this site is mindboggling.

This.....

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.

Well we all know what happened in Salem.

Look how that all turned out.

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Well we all know what happened in Salem.

Look how that all turned out.

Oh good God, talk about hyperbole!

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7 hours ago, Crash_Cart said:

Look how that all turned out.

Oh come on!

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