I agree that there should be a waiver by the state as there is only a 50-50 chance the student will be allowed to, by request, be granted by the state the opportunity to test for licensure.
That can be a double edge sword. In some cases when these students are enrolled they can quickly become behavioral problems for instructors and other classmates. They are not necessarily vested in the program for future career goals and my be motivated to continue the program just to avoid jail time.
Schools need to evaluate the risks associated with admitting students with problematic backgrounds when designing policies and procedures. The comments on a team approach may mitigate some risk of individual discrimination as discussed in this thread. Documentation throughout the process and consistency in how "similar" situations are handled are important even though each circumstance may be unique.
I think it's a reasonable safety valve regarding the specific student. But, as noted in this string, it subjects the school to other potentially negative impacts such as to their placement and graduation rate which should be factored into school's determination of their policies regarding this matter.
I agree with you completely I am so glad to have had this training as it has opened my eyes to the situations we are facing.
I feel that this is a very difficult issue to address. Personally, the student has to make the decision to move forward or not with the program of choice. But on the other hand, the school has an obligation to make sure the student is fully aware of the obstacles.
There should be a more defined outline of dealing with this issue by admissions, especially at the time of enrollment and a background has been indicated by the prospective applicant.
From my understanding if the student passed all the tests and went through the whole application process we cannot discriminate and allow them to enroll. Now if the student discloses that he has a felony on his recored I believe we can discuss that with them.
Although, it may hurt the schools placement numbers, it still gives character to the students that want to make the most of their life by continuing as well as completing their education.
The BVN/PT in California will allow a graduate to take their NCLEX-PN exam with a questionable background. Students can pass and be counted in our pass rates, however they may not be granted a license. This does effect our employment rates. I know our state resources are limited and therefore probably impossible for them to process this information prior to a candidate entering the VN program, but that would be a great way for potential students to decide if they should invest their time and money in the program to begin with.
Some states have clear guidelines for what criminal activity convictions would preclude aceptance for licensure. I think a school's admission policy should reflect this (But only if it is clear). Other states are not as forthcoming with information on what will or will not block licensure. In these states, we must be more carefull to allow the student to make the decision with full understanding that completing the program may or may not lead to licensure and employment.
Clinical facilities are becoming more choosy about students accepted with certain items on the criminal backgrounds. This makes it imperative for our directors to know the community standards. It is not ethical to admit students who will not be able to complete the program due to a criminal background.
Being upfront and disclosing all to the student is the best honest way to handle it when they have criminal backgrounds
Stephanie - thanks for sharing some specific information for your state.
I agree, this does not have to be a difficult subject to approach. When we get to the part of the application where it asks about criminal history I make it clear that one reason we need this information is we would not want them to waste time and money as well as get their hopes up for something they will not be able to pursue if having a specific criminal background will keep them from doing so.
Well sometimes there are problems with background checks. We ran into problems with some services that do not go back far enough to find a record. The student goes to get licenced then boom they are sunk.
We have a Criminal Justice and First Response area of study and most if not all jobs in the Criminal/Juvenile Justice Field require not only criminal clearance, but also child abuse clearances, and a clean driving record. Isn't this something that prospective students should be well informed about, otherwise I believe we are misinforming the potential inbound student
I feel that in certain medical programs, such as Pharmacy Tech, Nursing, etc... there should be well defined school policys for Criminal Background checks on students.
When the student graduates and then cannot get employed because of their background, even if the school has warned them in advance, these types of situations have a way of becoming the schools problem and that can lead to many other dilemmas.
That would certainly be nice if they were not included in the placement rates...sadly probably unrealistic for us to hope for this. We are doing a disservice to prospective students if we are not honest about the requirements of the specific field they are entering. Many of the grads will have employment options but a background may severly limit the options.
I agree with this statement completely. If an institution put a person with a background through school knowingly, then it could possibly create a very negative situation. All of the instances above really do a nice job of opening some important factors to consider.
I totally agree because depending on the background infraction, it may or may not keep the prospective student from entering a certan program, however, to a prospective employer, that infraction/violation may rendor them unemployable in some fields. Referring the prospective student to another field to avoid the positive background check is not beneficial or fair to the student in a future job search.
I agree as well, this course was very helpful and I am glad I had a chance to take it and understand the guidelines more
