Convicted felons and nursing

1 After watching a series of video's r/t elder abuse at Ohio nursing homes,

http://bcove.me/fz2thp4r

http://www.wkyc.com/video/default.as...tvideo|article

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=15132394


Is it fair to say that convicted felons should not have direct care with patients? (i say its fair to say that)

Also, why is someone who is convicted, passing a background check at a health care facility?

I don't understand, Metro Health is a county run facility, not a private one, surely, they, who have taxpayers money, should make a concerted to comply with strict ethical policies regarding patient care.
Many of these abusers aren't convicted felons. That's how they pass the background checks and get jobs. There is no way the facility would know that these people are going to abuse their patients until the people get caught (if they get caught). Very sad.

I know nothing about this place, but I do know that facilities that have a hard time keeping staff positions filled are sometimes not as scrupulous as they should be regarding background checks. The more desperate they are, the lower the standards drop. Sad, but true.

Quote from rn/writerI know nothing about this place, but I do know that facilities that have a hard time keeping staff positions filled are sometimes not as scrupulous as they should be regarding background checks. The more desperate they are, the lower the standards drop. Sad, but true.

You people hear "felon" and only think murderers, thieves, child molester or other violent crimes...Definition: A felony is a criminal offense for which a convicted person can be sentenced to serve one or more years in a state or federal prison, pay fines or both.So the guideline is ANY crime that sentence is over 1 year. There are MANY crimes that hold jail sentences over a year.How about removing a fire extinguisher? 3rd Degree FelonyTaking a Stop sign? 3rd Degree FelonyIf you were 18 and had sex with your 17-yr old high school sweetheart?Statutory Rape- FelonyDUI/DWI?I illustrate this as an example that not all crimes should be disqualifying for medical positions nor does it give an indication that these people would be poor caregivers. Do not be so quick to judge people that might have a criminal record if you don't know what crimes they have been convicted.

Quote from Mrs. SnowStormRNMany of these abusers aren't convicted felons. That's how they pass the background checks and get jobs. There is no way the facility would know that these people are going to abuse their patients until the people get caught (if they get caught). Very sad.

Good points. Especially if a felony conviction took place before the person was, say, 25. People do dumb things without realizing the consequences. And, yes, there are many felonies which have nothing to do with either harming another person or violating a trust.Still, facilities need to be looking into job candidates' histories and deciding who is a good risk, not just neglecting that part of the background check.

Quote from JuwonI agree completely with Mrs. SnowStormRN and EmergencyNrse ....., it depends on the nature of the crime. Not all people who are convicted felons are bad people. You never know the situation which led some people to become a felon in the first place.....besides, there are lots of healthcare workers who have had their record expunged/sealed and can also pass a background check, so to OP, does tha make them a good person, when you clearly dont know if they have previously had a record or not. In summary, I believe it has to do with the nature of the crime and if the specific person is a repeated offender.

Quote from rn/writerGood points. Especially if a felony conviction took place before the person was, say, 25. People do dumb things without realizing the consequences. And, yes, there are many felonies which have nothing to do with either harming another person or violating a trust.Still, facilities need to be looking into job candidates' histories and deciding who is a good risk, not just neglecting that part of the background check.

interesting..... in my state, i am not sure you can take boards if you have a prior felony conviction.....andi have no idea what would happen should one be convicted of a felony.... used to be , years ago, a person had to be of high moral character to even go to nursing school and then sit for boards...now adays, there would be major discussion on the definition of high moral character.....i always remind my progeny not to do anything that might bar them from entering certain kinds of employment....

Quote from lady constanceinteresting..... in my state, i am not sure you can take boards if you have a prior felony conviction.....andi have no idea what would happen should one be convicted of a felony.... used to be , years ago, a person had to be of high moral character to even go to nursing school and then sit for boards...now adays, there would be major discussion on the definition of high moral character.....i always remind my progeny not to do anything that might bar them from entering certain kinds of employment....

Clearly, if you read through the Original post without bias, my issue is with convicted felons taking care of vulnerable members of society. It matters not (to me anyway) whether or not they are a good person or not (being a good person is relative..it is not well defined) what matters to me is that there are consequences to actions and if someone has already shown, to the point of being convicted, that they cannot follow a set of rules, then yes, i will say it, i DO NOT want them having free reign with my loved one in a nursing home. We all know that nursing homes get away with a lot r/t not being as strictly monitored as Acute care hospitals.I watched all three videos. Only one of the three aides had a conviction of a felony in 2008 after she was hired in 2005. The BON should have caught it in her license renewal. She probably falsified on her renewal and of course no record check was done. The other two aides were bad people with a CLEAN record until now with the present assault felony convictions. The male RN with sexual rape/abuse pending conviction had no prior record until now. These were felons that were not caught YET. The problem is at this Nursing Home and the Administrators that permitted these behaviors turning a blind cheek to it. Clearly having one alleged abuser for care is terrible let alone three or four is horrific and plain obscene!

op, you hear the word "felony", and automatically classify anyone who has one as being too dangerous to work around vulnerable populations, however, if there ever was a comprehensive study of all known abusers in the health care system, you'd be surprised to find that most of if not all of them had no prior convictions/record before licensure. furthermore, their crimes are committed after licensure and never picked up because until recently, background checks weren't required for renewal. "also, why is someone who is convicted, passing a background check at a health care facility?"because convicts, either misdemeanor or felony, have a right and opportunity to show that they have learned from their pasts and are rehabilitated, ready and willing to take on the role of upstanding members of their communities. in order to reasonably justify your train of thought concerning following rules and consequences, the whole world would have to be raised the exact same way with the exact same opportunities and nuclear units. then you'd be better able to say that so and so should not be in health care because they are convicted of whatever. since in this world there are varying degrees of moral input, upbringing, opportunities and beliefs, you cannot in good conscious be as general as you are being in your judgment.as emergencynrse has pointed out, what constitutes a felony vary from state to state. in my state, simple assault and battery is a misdemeanor. should someone convicted of this be allowed to work in health care? it is very upsetting to continue to hear about these stories of elder and child abuse in health care, but if you ban everyone who has a criminal history from entering into the field guess what?......it would still happen. for everyone that is reported, there are twenty that are not. something as simple as pinching a patient for soiling himself after you just changed him is abuse, yet it goes on all the time. the people doing the pinching have no criminal histories.......i do find this whole situation sad, that people can be denied careers based on transgressions over 10-15 years old because of the stigma of "felony, conviction, arrest, dui, etc...." there are and should continue to be time bars on felony convictions. there are and should continue to be case by case examinations of convictions. there are and should continue to be psychological consults in some of these case by case convictions. there are and should continue to be mandatory drug evaluations in some of these case by case convictions. i say allow someone to prove that they are not the same person they once were, nor do the same things they once did and should that proof be forthcoming, praise god that he is still in control and let them get on with their lives.