Category: License Protection

I often receive calls about communications or actions which are taken out of context usually leaving the nurse in trouble because there is no way for her to defend herself. It’s a “he said/she said” situation. Employers are likely going to believe the patients and not the nurse. Unfortunately, the same can be essentially true with the Board which can […]

It was 2:45 a.m. when it happened. I had just sat down for the first time all night. One of my patients, a sweet elderly man with dementia, had been restless and in pain since midnight. I had given him his scheduled pain medication around 1:30 a.m., documented everything, and even noted his verbal response: “Thank you, honey. That’s better.” […]

Nurses see firsthand what works and what doesn’t in healthcare. We’re the ones at the bedside, coordinating care, catching medication errors, and advocating for patients who might otherwise be overlooked. But pushing for change in a system resistant to it? That can be risky. Too many nurses have faced retaliation—being labeled as “difficult,” denied promotions, or even fired—just for speaking […]

Imagine standing in a courtroom, accused of a crime. The prosecution must prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the highest standard of proof in the legal system. That means every shred of evidence must point so clearly to your guilt that no rational person could doubt it. This is how our legal system protects individuals from wrongful conviction. Now, […]

  I remember the first time a seasoned nurse looked me in the eye and said, “If it’s not documented, it wasn’t done.” I was a new nurse, fresh-faced and eager, still trying to keep my feet under me during a 12-hour shift that felt like a marathon. At the time, I thought documentation was just a formality—something we did […]

These are the words of a nurse’s biggest nightmare. The last thing we want to do is to be sued in a medical malpractice case. But the good news is that it is unlikely that you will be sued because attorneys typically name the hospital. The hospitals have insurance, and they don’t know whether the nurse does. So, typically the […]

It’s an unsettling thought, isn’t it? To consider that in the act of simply doing our job—communicating with patients, families, and colleagues—we might unintentionally put ourselves at risk. A casual comment can be perceived as a definitive medical opinion. A shared moment of empathy can be construed as overstepping professional boundaries. And when things go wrong, the words we spoke […]

We have all heard that you have the right to remain silent anything that you say can and will be used against you. However, we tend to forget this saying when it comes to being asked to speak to our supervisors or even investigators. We want to tell the truth and look good for our supervisor or investigators because we […]

The nursing shortage is one of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare today. A recent article proposes a solution that sounds logical at first: shift tasks away from nurses and onto non-skilled workers or technology-enabled support systems. Obviously, this was not a solution promoted by nurses. This approach risks oversimplifying a complex issue and may even exacerbate the problem. Instead […]

Becoming a nurse isn’t just a job; it’s a calling, a journey, and an achievement that requires immense effort, dedication, and heart. Remember those long nights of studying, the anxiety of clinicals, and the joy of finally passing the NCLEX? You’ve poured your soul into this career, and your nursing license is a symbol of that hard work. But here’s […]