Can You Have A Criminal Record And Be A Register Nurse

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It's possible to become a registered nurse when you have a criminal groundwork. It depends on the circumstances, the state in which you alive, when y'all committed the criminal offense, whether your criminal record was expunged and other factors. In addition to felonies, crimes that indicate you are dishonest or may be unethical can also affect your ability to obtain a license. In some cases a criminal record can proceed y'all out of nursing schoolhouse, while in others, the nursing school may have yous but the state board of nursing will not consequence a license. In that location is no hard and fast respond to the question, and then it is important to inquiry the regulations in your land.

Protecting the Public

Registered nurses take intendance of children, elders and others who may exist vulnerable to abuse, harm or fraud. Each land has a board of nursing that oversees and regulates nursing practices inside the country. State nursing boards are also charged with protecting the public. Applicants who accept a criminal history must supply additional information compared to the average applicant. For example, someone with a criminal background might need to provide court records related to her offense. She might also have to submit to a lengthy investigation. Boards often accept broad latitude in determining why an bidder should non be issued a license. The North Carolina Justice Center website notes that the lath can deny a license for any crime that makes the bidder unfit or incompetent to do nursing.

Criminal Backgrounds Vary

A criminal background can embrace a wide range of infractions, ranging from shoplifting or drug possession to rape and homicide. In some cases, multiple arrests for traffic offenses result in a criminal record. Many nursing schools perform background checks and make up one's mind whether to have someone based on what they notice. In addition to convictions for a criminal offence, having a pending charge on your record tin affect your ability to get into nursing school, according to the Boise Country University website.

State Regulations Vary

The state board of nursing issues RNs a license to practice. When yous utilize for a license, the lath will perform a criminal background bank check. The licensing board evaluates each instance individually. In some cases, the board volition automatically deny a license, no matter what the extenuating circumstances are. In Oregon, for instance, people who have been convicted equally adults of murder or manslaughter, kidnapping, rape or kid abandonment are not eligible for an RN license. In other cases, the board of nursing will review the specific case. A conviction for theft, for example, might not disqualify you if there were extenuating circumstances or the crime occurred many years ago.

Improving Your Chances

To improve your chances of obtaining a license, you should present the lath with detailed and truthful information nearly your criminal background, according to an article on the website of the Higbee & Assembly law firm. In California, for example, you might be asked to provide information about cases that take been expunged or removed from your record, convictions that occurred before you were 18, and military machine convictions. If the board denies your application, yous might exist able to entreatment.

Clearing Your Record

If you were arrested but never tried or convicted, yous can petition the courtroom to seal your record, which means employers cannot obtain the information. If were bedevilled, yous may be able to have the conviction expunged. This is a legal process in which the conviction is removed from your tape, though yous must still disembalm the criminal offence to the Board of Nursing. If you have a criminal history, consult a lawyer to encounter what you lot tin can exercise to attain your goal of condign an RN.