will my record show up on a background check for admission into nursing school?

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Hello All! I was admitted into nursing school this fall upon successful completion of a drug screen background check etc. Well I was arrested when I was 20 for driving with a suspended lisence in New York state which is considered a misdemeanor in NYS. I had to go to jail was fingerprinted etc. I went to court pled not guilty and I believe it plead down and was lowered to a minor traffic violation like a ticket and I just had to pay fines. So my question is when the nursing school runs my criminal background check will they see this? Or if they ask the question if you've ever been convicted, arrested etc. should I say yes or no? Also will something like this stop me from getting into nursing school? I live in Wyoming now by the way if that makes any difference.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

I would suggest you consult a lawyer to know how to properly & legally answer these questions.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Moved to nursing licensure with a criminal history forum to elicit further response. Please more that this is a moderated forum and all posts require staff review before appearing in public view.

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Specializes in Wound care.

They fingerprint you and run a very thorough background check. If your worried you can check your own background to see what is there. Go to PublicData.com. Its not free but it is worth it.

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Specializes in Rehab, Ortho-Spine, Med-Surg, & Psych.

Always tell the truth. Even if you get into nursing school, the Board of Nursing in your state will run another background check before you take the board exam. If they find you lied, which they would, you might as well kiss your degree goodbye. Admitting to a traffic related offense will not prevent you from going through school or getting a license... lying about it definetly does.

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Yes any arrest (in any state) will show up on your background check. I agree with the pp, you should always be honest. They will find out about it, so having the opportunity to explain your arrest rather than a lie would be a more favorable situation.

My school states that any arrest should be disclosed even if the arrest led to no conviction. They also stated if an arrest had occurred and it was not in regards to an offense which requires termination of program acceptance, a review board would discuss the arrest and make a choice to keep or dismiss the applicant.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Will it show up? Don't know. You could try running a background check on yourself and see what turns up...but keep in mind that the nursing school may use a different service where it would show up.

IMO, it's better to be honest, because if you fail to disclose it when you had to and the school found out about it, it could have a negative impact on your school. But if you are unsure how to answer any application questions, then you should consult an attorney.

It's good for you to address this now, as you will also have to address this when you apply to the BON for licensure, and then when you start looking for jobs. You may want to look into seeing if this conviction can be expunged (if that's an option for NY)...expungement might not help with all BONs but it will help with job searches.

Best of luck.

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