Nursing is a profession that many people are drawn to, especially if they like to help others. It takes a special kind of personality to want to dedicate one’s career to helping other people who are often sick or injured. Without nurses, we would have a lot of problems, because they do so much to assist in caring for people. For those who wonder, you can’t automatically assume that a nursing career for ex-felons is not possible.
Whether or not you can find a nursing career for ex-felons largely depends on the type of crime you were convicted of, and who is doing the hiring. Having a felony conviction does not automatically mean you cannot be a nurse. There are some places that may still hire you to work as a nurse, and some nursing schools that will accept you into the program.
Getting Started in a Nursing Career for Ex-Felons :::: Ex-felons who are interested in a nursing career should start with looking at their criminal record. Determine if there is anything that can be done to improve it or make it look better. If there is a new felony conviction it may be more difficult to explain how you have changed and grown since that poor decision. You may even want to consider working with an attorney to address issues on your record if there are things they can help with, so that it is improved and cleaned up to the best of your ability.
After that you will need to find a place to attend nursing school. There are nursing programs around the country, so you should be able to find one somewhere near you. Nursing programs are available at small community colleges, large universities, and everywhere in between. There are also some nursing programs that are offered through private schooling programs and even online.
A lot is going to come down to what the felony conviction was for. If you hurt someone it will be more difficult to move into a nursing career. Also, how much time has passed and how old you were when committed the crime are both issues that will be impacted by the decision of whether or not you can move forward with a nursing career for ex-felons.
Nursing Programs that Accept Ex-Felons
Your first task will be to find a nursing program that accepts ex-felons. This is going to be something that is up to the school and individual program. There are programs that may not ask if you have been convicted of a felony, and others that may find it to be more of an important issue. Start by reading over the website and program information for the nursing school you are considering.
Some nursing programs may put the information online regarding whether or not they accept ex-felons in the program. If you don’t see anything on the website stating that they do not accept ex-felons, then there is a chance they do. Fill out the application for the nursing schools you are interested in attending. If they do ask if you have been convicted of a felony, be honest. There is no point in not being honest about it, because they can still find out the information and it will look worse if you tried to hide it or lied about it.
Once you fill out the applications for nursing school you may get a call to get clarification regarding your ex-felony status. This may happen if they asked about it on the application or if they ran a background check and obtained the information. Be honest with them in answering the questions. They may still accept you, despite the felony conviction, so do not assume the worst.
Finishing Nursing School as an Ex-Felon
Once you get accepted to a nursing school it is time to look for a job in the field. Start by looking online for nursing jobs. They can be found on job websites, as well as hospital and clinic websites. Read the job descriptions to see if you meet the qualifications for the position. Some may want year’s worth of experience to be considered for the position, whereas others may be hiring those new to the nursing field.
Pay attention to whether or not they have information on the application and job posting about being convicted of a crime. Most applications will ask if you have ever been convicted of a crime. If they do ask this it is always going to be best to be honest in your response. You do not want to lie to them, get hired, and have them find out that you lied. It will look worse if that is what happens.
If they ask on the application if you have been convicted of a crime or have a felony, provide them with accurate information. Perhaps you can write a letter to the human resources manager to go with the application. In the letter you can provide an explanation about the felony conviction and how you have a passion for helping people and want to become a nurse. Turn the letter in with the application so that it can be considered as they read over the information.
Other Options
There are additional nursing options that may be open to ex-felons. Some also do not require as much schooling as it does to become a registered nurse. These include working as a health aid in places like assisted living centers. Those who work as nursing aides or health aids tend to work alongside the nurse in healthcare settings. They may work in a nursing home or go the homes of people who need additional assistance.
Those positions do not require as much schooling and may be easier to get into for an ex-felony. They will give you an ability to have a health-related career that helps people, just like a nurse does. Both of the jobs do similar tasks in helping people, but the nursing jobs require more schooling and have more responsibility.
