You’ve Been Charged With a Crime

I frequently get calls from nurses because they have been charged with a crime and want to protect their license.  Some nurses say to me, well, I was arrested, but it has nothing to do with nursing.  According to the Board, if you do have a criminal matter, they’re concerned about your professionalism and ethics.  Therefore, in some states, like Arizona, you have ten days to report an arrest to the Board, but in other states, you need to notify them upon conviction. 

Some states may also require you to report even if you made a no-contest plea or even if your matter goes on pretrial diversion.  I highly recommend that you review your state’s Nurse Practice Act so you know exactly what you need to report and when.  In addition, you should know your employee handbook as to what, if, and when you are required to report any matter to your employer.  

By far, the biggest criminal matter in nursing is DUI.  However, with Uber and Lyft, it seems that it wouldn’t be as prevalent, but it still is.  Be safe, take an Uber or a Lyft, and if you are intoxicated, be careful of being charged with public intoxication as well.  Again, the Boards have a duty to make sure that you’re safe.  They want to make sure that you don’t have a substance abuse problem.  They really take these criminal matters seriously.  It is better to report as required than to hope that they don’t find out because if they do, it could be worse.