Any person in Pennsylvania arrested for and charged with a suspected driving under the influence crime may experience many penalties. For drivers who work as nurses, the potential consequences they face may increase.

A nurse must obtain and regularly renew a license to practice in Pennsylvania. Criminal charges may interfere with the ability to obtain or renew such a license.

The initial application for a nursing license

As explained by the Pennsylvania Department of State, a person wishing to receive a professional license as a nurse within Pennsylvania must submit an application. Part of the process that ensues includes a criminal background check. A drunk driving conviction may appear on this record. The criminal background check may include records from other states that the applicant lived in within the prior decade.

A nurse’s responsibility to report

According to the Pennsylvania Bulletin, a person holding a professional nursing license in Pennsylvania must report specific actions or violations to the state. These include any convictions for drunk driving or drugged driving.

A nurse who may not have been convicted of impaired driving yet but who has plead guilty to such a charge or who has started a probation sentence related to an impaired driving offense may also need to report this information to the state.

Other problems for a nurse after a DUI

In addition to concerns about protecting a professional license, a nurse may need to contend with protecting the right to drive after a drunk driving arrest. The ability to drive may directly impact the nurse’s ability to get to work and keep a job.