felony /fel″ənē/ , (in criminal law) a crime declared by statute to be more serious than a misdemeanor and deserving of a more severe penalty. Conviction usually requires imprisonment in a penitentiary for longer than 1 year. Crimes of murder, rape, burglary, and arson are tried as felonies in most cases. In many states there is current, pending, or new legislation that essentially bars applicants from taking the nursing licensure exam NCLEX-RN® or NCELX-PN® if certain felonies exist in their history. Criminal background checks, state and federal, are required of all graduate nurses and, in some states, of nursing students before clinical rotations.
