Nowadays, taking a job as a caregiver seems to be the easiest alternative for people with no formal qualifications but who possess the necessary skills.
There are many agencies, families, care homes, and individuals looking for reliable and honest caregivers.
The most interesting part about being a caregiver is that you don’t need any professional training or qualifications.
This article is for you if you’re interested in this profession but have a criminal history.
Herein, I’ll address everything you need to know about taking a job as a caregiver with a felony. So, keep reading.
Table of Contents
- Who is a Caregiver?
- What is Considered a Felony?
- Classes of Felony
- Felony Charge List
- Can a Felon be a Caregiver?
- Factors that can Influence Your Chances of Working as a Caregiver with a Felony
Who is a Caregiver?
To start with, a caregiver tends to the needs of a sick, injured, or disabled person.
As earlier mentioned, a caregiver does not need formal education or professional training. Check out the required skills for the job.
- Empathy
- Patience
- Honestly
- Reliability
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Flexibility
- Attention to detail, and
- Observation
With these skills, you can become a good caregiver tending to the needs of your patients.
But what if you possess these skills with a felony? Can you still work as a caregiver? Read on.
Related: How to Be a Good Caregiver to a Little (Ultimate Guide)
What is Considered a Felony?
Most people often use felony and misdemeanors interchangeably.
However, these two differ from one another.
For clarity, allow me to define what a felony is and provide a few felony charge lists, including the most common felony in the US.
Felony is a crime punishable by a one-year term of imprisonment. Sometimes, it could be more, but it does not include paying fines.
It is considered more serious than misdemeanors, which usually allow fine or short-term imprisonment.
Classes of Felony
The classes include class 1 felony, class 2 felony, class 3 felony, class 4 felony, and class 5 felony.
Note that a murder case is also considered a felony.
Without further ado, let’s hop right into the felony charge list.
Related: 7 Easy Ways to Deal with a Difficult Client as a Caregiver
Felony Charge List
Drug offenses
This includes selling, buying, trafficking, distributing, or using drugs. It attracts a minimum of a one-year jail term.
Sex crimes
People involved in human trafficking and sexual assaults will be convicted of a felony. Their jail term is a year jail term and above, depending on the gravity of the crime.
Violent offense
Robbery, first-degree murder, and second-degree murder are considered violent offenses, and the person involved will be convicted of a felony.
Property crimes
Property crimes include vandalism, arson, and grab theft.
White-collar crimes
These include but are not limited to tax evasion, embezzlement, and security fraud.
Certain factors can contribute to felony sentencing.
This means that the sentence of a felony conviction can be lenient owing to certain conditions like a first-time felon offender or a defense felony conviction.
Also, a judge can be more lenient in a felony conviction if there are no aggravating weapons.
Related: Can You Be a Caregiver At 17? (Answered)
Can a Felon be a Caregiver?
Unfortunately, a criminal’s record is often a roadblock to getting a job as a caregiver in an agency or a care home. This is because working as a caregiver gives you access to certain sensitive information regarding your patients. Such information includes their bank details and properties.
In most cases, people with a felony are exempted from getting a caregiver job.
But hey! There are still chances of you working as a caregiver with a felony. It’s a 50:50 thing.
And it depends on a number of factors, which are listed below.
Factors that can Influence Your Chances of Working as a Caregiver with a Felony
Below are some of the factors that affect your chances of getting a caregiver job with a felony.
The employer
Some agencies and care homes will not hire someone with a felony while some others don’t mind giving a felon a chance. So, it all buzzes down to the employer.
You might get lucky and find an employer willing to look past your criminal record and give you the job. But when that happens, make sure that you don’t take it for granted.
Try as much as possible to stay away from crimes and maintain a clean sheet working with your employer.
But if an employer rejects you because of your criminal record, no worries!
There are agencies out there and you stand a chance of getting hired. So, don’t stop searching. There’s an employer out there for you.
The state laws
Your chances of getting a job also depend on the laws of your state regarding caregivers. Some states allow agencies to hire someone with a felony as a caregiver but some don’t.
For example, Pennsylvania places a lifetime ban on people with criminal records working in nursing homes and agencies as caregivers.
On the other hand, you can submit an exemption application and work as a caregiver with a felony in California if granted.
It varies with state laws and regulations. So, make sure to confirm your state law.
Year of conviction
In Texas, you can work as a caregiver with a felony if 10 years have passed since you were convinced of the crime.
Sounds great, right?
So, that means there’s still light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t give up on your dreams because they can still come through.
All you need to do is to wait till the required years of conviction are passed, and you can take up the job in any agency or care home of your choice.
