Can you become a nurse with a drug charge on your record?

Whether one can become a registered nurse with a criminal record depends on: 1) the State he/she is in, and 2) the kind of crime he/she has been convicted of.

In California, the applicant needs to disclose to the California Board of Registered Nurses ALL crimes he/she has ever been convicted of and arrests. The Board then makes the determinations on case by case basis. It is often suggested that the applicant expunges his or her convictions and/or seals his or her arrest records prior to applying.