Nursing Admission

The Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) requires that every nursing student in Arkansas be made aware of potential bars to being able to obtain nursing licensure. Some clinical agencies require the nursing student to undergo background checks prior to participating in clinical experiences in the agency. The Nurse Practice Act of the State of Arkansas details information regarding (1) the requirements that first-time applicants for nursing licensure in Arkansas undergo a state and national criminal background check; and (2) criminal offenses that can potentially disqualify an applicant from taking the licensure exam and/or receiving a professional nursing license.

Graduating from a nursing program does not assure the student of ASBN’s approval to take the NCLEX-RN® licensure exam.

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Please follow the instructions below to complete your Arkansas State Police and FBI Background Check. This is the same information on your list of immunization handouts.

You will not pay for any of these services. If it asks you to pay, do not proceed.

Before Starting:

• A valid Harding University email is REQUIRED.

Getting Started:

1. Log onto our website at www.VerifyStudents.com and click Students Start Here.
2. Use this special promotional code: HARD200E
3. Complete profile & e-sign forms as they appear.

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Please use the following link to complete the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry Form; some of the needed information is listed below.

1. Arkansas DHS Child Maltreatment Request Form - v2 - Formstack
2. SELECT – You are an out of state individual, provider, school or state agency.
3. Organization Requesting the Report – Harding University, Carr College of Nursing
4. Representative Name and Info:
   
   Jeanne Castleberry
   915 E. Market Ave.
   HU 12265
   Searcy, AR 72149
   501-279-4682
   
   jcastleberry@harding.edu

It will generate a form and send it to your email address (please use your Harding email).

You will then receive an email with your request form and electronic signature (three pages). Please forward that email to bsn@harding.edu.

Verified from AR BON site 8.15.24

https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/arsbn-criminal-background-checks

ACA 17-87-312. Criminal background checks. (a)

(1) Each first-time applicant for a license issued by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing shall apply to the

Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police for a state and national criminal

background check, to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(2) At the time a person applies to an Arkansas nursing educational program, the program shall notify

the applicant in writing of the provisions and requirements of this section.

(b) The check shall conform to the applicable federal standards and shall include the taking of

fingerprints.

(c) The applicant shall sign a release of information to the board and shall be responsible to the Division

of Arkansas State Police for the payment of any fee associated with the criminal background check.

(d) Upon completion of the criminal background check, the Identification Bureau of the Division of

Arkansas State Police shall forward to the board all releasable information obtained concerning the

applicant.

(e) For purposes of this section, the board shall follow the licensing restrictions based on criminal

records under § 17-3-102.

(f)

(1) The board may issue a nonrenewable temporary permit for licensure to a first-time applicant

pending the results of the criminal background check.

(2) The permit shall be valid for no more than six (6) months. (

g)

(1) Any information received by the board from the Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas

State Police under this section shall not be available for examination except by:

(A) The affected applicant for licensure or his or her authorized representative; or

(B) The person whose license is subject to revocation or his or her authorized representative.

(2) No record, file, or document shall be removed from the custody of the Division of Arkansas State

Police.

(h) Any information made available to the affected applicant for licensure or the person whose license is

subject to revocation shall be information pertaining to that person only.

(i) Rights of privilege and confidentiality established in this section shall not extend to any document

created for purposes other than this background check.

(j) The board shall adopt the necessary rules to fully implement the provisions of this section.

(k)

Verified from AR BON site 8.15.24

https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/arsbn-criminal-background-checks

1) The board may participate at the state and federal level in programs that provide notification of an

arrest subsequent to an initial background check that is conducted through available governmental

systems.

(2) The board may submit an applicant's fingerprints to the federal Next Generation Identification

system.

(3) The fingerprints may be searched by future submissions to the Next Generation Identification

system, including latent fingerprint searches.

(4) An applicant enrolled in the Next Generation Identification system is not required to re-fingerprint

when a subsequent request for a state or federal criminal history background check is required if:

(A) A legible set of the applicant's fingerprints is obtained when the applicant enrolls in the Next

Generation Identification system; and

(B) The applicant is subject to the Rap Back service of the Next Generation Identification system.

(l) The Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of

Investigation may maintain fingerprints in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.

History Acts 1999, No. 1208, § 4; 2001, No. 303, §§ 2-4; 2003, No. 103, §§ 1, 2; 2003, No. 1087, § 15;

2003, No. 1386, § 1; 2003, No. 1449, § 1; 2005, No. 1923, § 2; 2011, No. 570, § 121; 2013, No. 302, § 1;

2015, No. 1047, § 1; 2017, No. 367, §§ 17, 18; 2017, No. 492, § 1; 2017, No. 664, §§ 11, 12; 2019, No.

315, § 1542; 2019, No. 626, § 1; 2019, Act 315, No. 990, § 76.

 

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ACA 17-3-102. Licensing restrictions based on criminal records Verified on the AR BON site 8.15.24 .

(a) An individual is not eligible to receive or hold a license issued by a licensing entity if that

individual has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to or been found guilty of any of the following

offenses by any court in the State of Arkansas or of any similar offense by a court in another state

or of any similar offense by a federal court, unless the conviction was lawfully sealed under the

Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing Act of 2013, § 16-90-1401 et seq., or otherwise

previously sealed, pardoned or expunged under prior law:

(1) Capital murder as prohibited in § 5-10-101;

(2) Murder in the first degree and second degree as prohibited in §§ 5-10-102 and

5-10-103;

(3) Manslaughter as prohibited in § 5-10-104;

(4) Negligent homicide as prohibited in § 5-10-105;

(5) Kidnapping as prohibited in § 5-11-102;

(6) False imprisonment in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-11-103;

(7) Permanent detention or restraint as prohibited in § 5-11-106;

(8) Robbery as prohibited in § 5-12-102;

(9) Aggravated robbery as prohibited in § 5-12-103;

(10) Battery in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-13-201;

(11) Aggravated assault as prohibited in § 5-13-204;

(12) Introduction of a controlled substance into the body of another person as prohibited

in § 5-13-210;

(13) Aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer or an employee of a

correctional facility as prohibited in § 5-13-211, if a Class Y felony;

(14) Terroristic threatening in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-13-301;

(15) Rape as prohibited in § 5-14-103;

(16) Sexual indecency with a child as prohibited in § 5-14-110, if the offense is a felony;

(17) Sexual extortion as prohibited in § 5-14-113;

(18) Sexual assault in the first degree, second degree, third degree, and fourth degree as

prohibited in §§ 5-14-124 — 5-14-127;

(19) Incest as prohibited in § 5-26-202;

(20) Offenses against the family as prohibited in §§ 5-26-303 — 5-26-306;

(21) Endangering the welfare of an incompetent person in the first degree as prohibited in

§ 5-27-201;

(22) Endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-27-205;

(23) Permitting the abuse of a minor as prohibited in § 5-27-221;

(24) Engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print media,

transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct, pandering or possessing visual or

print media depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, or use of a child or

consent to use of a child in a sexual performance by producing, directing, or promoting a

sexual performance by a child, as prohibited in §§ 5-27-303 — 5-27-305, 5-27-402, and

5-27-403;

(25) Possession or use of child sexual abuse material as prohibited in § 5-27-603;

(26) Computer exploitation of a child in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-27-605;

(27) Felony adult abuse as prohibited in § 5-28-103;

(28) Theft of property as prohibited in § 5-36-103;

(29) Theft by receiving as prohibited in § 5-36-106;

(30) Arson as prohibited in § 5-38-301;

(31) Burglary as prohibited in § 5-39-201;

(32) Felony violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, § 5-64-101 et seq., as

prohibited in the former § 5-64-401, and §§ 5-64-419 — 5-64-442;

(33) Promotion of prostitution in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-70-104;

(34) Stalking as prohibited in § 5-71-229;

(35) Criminal attempt, criminal complicity, criminal solicitation, or criminal conspiracy,

as prohibited in §§ 5-3-201, 5-3-202, 5-3-301, and 5-3-401, to commit any of the offenses

listed in this subsection; and

(36) All other crimes referenced in this title.

(b)

(1) If an individual has been convicted of a crime listed in subsection (a) or subsection (e)

of this section, a licensing entity may waive disqualification or revocation of a license

based on the conviction if a request for a waiver is made by:

(A) An affected applicant for a license; or

(B) The individual holding a license subject to revocation.

(2) A basis upon which a waiver may be granted includes without limitation:

(A) The age at which the offense was committed;

(B) The circumstances surrounding the offense;

(C) The length of time since the offense was committed;

(D) Subsequent work history since the offense was committed;

(E) Employment references since the offense was committed;

(F) Character references since the offense was committed;

(G) Relevance of the offense to the occupational license; and

(H) Other evidence demonstrating that licensure of the applicant does not pose a

threat to the health or safety of the public.

(3) The waiver requirements of this section are not required for a renewal of a license if

an individual has been convicted of a crime listed in subsection (a) of this section and has

either:

(A) Completed the waiver requirements of this section at his or her initial

licensure;

(B) Been licensed in this state before the enactment of subsection (a) of this

section; or

(C) Attended a professional or occupational school, program, or training in pursuit

of an occupational license before the enactment of subsection (a) of this section

and would have been qualified to hold an occupational license on or before July

24, 2019.

(c) If an individual has a valid criminal conviction for an offense that could disqualify the

individual from receiving a license, the disqualification shall not be considered for more than

five (5) years from the date of conviction or incarceration or on which probation ends, whichever

date is the latest, if the individual:

(A) Was not convicted for committing a violent or sexual offense; and

(B) Has not been convicted of any other offense during the five-year disqualification

period.

(d) A licensing entity shall not, as a basis upon which a license may be granted or denied:

(1) Use vague or generic terms, including without limitation the phrases “moral

turpitude” and “good character”; or

(2) Consider arrests without a subsequent conviction.

(e) Due to the serious nature of the offenses, the following shall result in disqualification for

licensure, regardless of the date of conviction or the date on which probation or incarceration

ends unless a waiver is granted under subsection (b) of this section:

(1) Capital murder as prohibited in § 5-10-101;

(2) Murder in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-10-102 and murder in the second

degree as prohibited in § 5-10-103;

(3) Kidnapping as prohibited in § 5-11-102;

(4) Aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer or an employee of a correctional

facility as prohibited in § 5-13-211, if a Class Y felony;

(5) Rape as prohibited in § 5-14-103;

(6) Sexual extortion as prohibited in § 5-14-113;

(7) Sexual assault in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-14-124 and sexual assault in the

second degree as prohibited in § 5-14-125;

(8) Incest as prohibited in § 5-26-202;

(9) Endangering the welfare of an incompetent person in the first degree as prohibited in

§ 5-27-201;

(10) Endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree as prohibited in § 5-27-205;

(11) Adult abuse that constitutes a felony as prohibited in § 5-28-103;

(12) Arson as prohibited in § 5-38-301; and

(13) Engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print media,

transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct, pandering or possessing visual or

print media depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, or use of a child or

consent to use of a child in a sexual performance by producing, directing, or promoting a

sexual performance by a child, as prohibited in §§ 5-27-303 — 5-27-305, 5-27-402, and

5-27-403.

(f) This chapter does not preclude a licensing entity from taking emergency action against a

licensee as authorized under § 25-15-211 for the sake of public health, safety, or welfare.

(g) The disqualification for an offense listed in subsection (a) of this section and the

disqualification for an offense listed in subsection (e) of this section do not apply to:

(1) An individual who holds a valid license on July 24, 2019;

(2) An individual who holds a valid license on or before July 24, 2019, but failed to

renew his or her license for any reason; or

(3) An individual who was a student on or before July 24, 2019, in a professional or

occupational school, program, or training in pursuit of an occupational license and would

have been qualified to hold an occupational license on or before July 24, 2019.

(h) This section does not apply to licensure or certification:

(1) Of professions not governed by this title;

(2) Of polygraph examiners and voice stress analysis examiners under § 17-39-101 et

seq.;

(3) Of private investigators and private security agencies under the Private Security

Agency, Private Investigator, and School Security Licensing and Credentialing Act, § 17-

40-101 et seq.;

(4) Of body artists under § 17-26-601 et seq. who hold a valid license on or before July 1,

2024; or

(5) Of cosmetologists licensed under Title 17, Chapter 26, Subchapter 3.

The student must submit health documents indicating completion of current immunizations including Varicella (chicken pox), Hepatitis B vaccinations, tuberculosis skin test (PPD/intradermal) or chest X-ray, influenza vaccination, and other laboratory results as indicated by the Carr College of Nursing, prior to participating in clinical activities of the nursing program.

Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is required but will be completed in NURS 3000. Health and disability insurance coverage are strongly recommended. Effective Fall 2019, all upper-level Nursing students are required to provide current health insurance documentation. Insurance must be maintained throughout the duration of the program.

All health documents will need to be turned into the Director of BSN Admissions office in Swaid 112.

Students wanting to receive approval for prerequisite courses taken during the summer at other institutions must receive approval through the Registrar’s office. A syllabus with a course description may be required to preapprove each requested course. Students may contact the director of admissions in the Carr College of Nursing for more information at transfer@harding.edu.

If the applicant is not born in the United States or in a country where English is the official language, the applicant may document their English proficiency in one of two ways:

1. An official TOEFL iBT composite score of at least 83 with a minimum speaking score requirement of 26 (out of 30 (90%)). The test must have been taken within the last calendar year of admission. Official TOEFL exam score report reflecting successful completion must be received no later than the nursing program application deadline date. The TOEFL iBT test can be taken in the Harding University Testing Office. The test will be an expense to the student. Please contact the Testing Office for details at 501-279-4415 or online at harding.edu/testing.
2. If the applicant’s entire educational experience has been in the United States, the applicant is not required to take the TOEFL. To document this, the applicant must provide records/transcripts from the time that the applicant entered school in the first grade through junior high, high school and college. If the applicant cannot provide this documentation, the applicant may appeal first to the Carr College of Nursing Admissions Committee, and then to the dean of the college.

• All students must be a current Harding University student to apply for the Carr College of Nursing. For more information on becoming a Harding University student contact the Admissions Office at 1-800-477-4407.
• All students must send official transcripts to the Registrar’s Office at Harding University (must include information through last semester of the present school year). Registrar’s Phone: (501) 279-4057.
• See admission criteria listed above.
• The reference forms are under the permission of the Director of Admissions. If you have not taken any Biology or Family & Consumer Sciences courses at Harding University, please contact the Director of Admissions.
• Students transferring from another nursing program are required to obtain a letter of good academic standing from the dean or program director of the previous nursing school he/she attended.
• All students must send official transcripts to the Registrar’s Office at Harding University (must include information through last semester of the present school year). Registrar’s Phone: (501) 279-4057.

Forms will be emailed directly to the faculty reference by the Director of BSN Admission Office. The applicant is responsible for securing the references and supplying the email addresses in the application. References must include:

• A Faculty member in the Chemistry Department or two Faculty members in the Biology Department
• A Faculty member in the Family and Consumer Sciences Department