Reporting a Criminal Charge or Conviction to your Nursing Board

Many states holds that any licensed or certified health care professional who has been charged with a misdemeanor involving conduct that may affect patient safety must notify their licensing board (“Board”) in writing within a specified period of time after the charge is filed. Being charged with a crime means that a police officer has issued an arrest or citation and has sent copies of their report to the prosecutor’s office for review.  Failure to report the criminal charge within 10 working days can result in an act of unprofessional conduct.

However, some states only require that criminal convictions be reported to their licensing board.  Please contact your Board and determine which standard applies.

• Do not rely on your criminal defense attorney to advise you in matters regarding nursing board matters.
• Do not contact any representative from the Board in regards to your criminal matter (unless self-reporting).
• Do not discuss your criminal matter with supervisors, administrators or colleagues (unless your employer requires self-reporting).
• Document everything in detail. Your memory regarding the incident will degrade over time, so it is important to document names, dates, places, etc.
• Do not withhold past crimes or fail to list new convictions on your re-application.