Category: License Protection

There are three types of law, well, really four, which fall under either the Federal or the State governments. The first is “criminal law.” If there is a criminal issue against you, it will affect your freedom. These are very serious situations in which your freedom is at stake. In a State case, a County Prosecutor determines whether charges may […]

This past week I went before the Nursing Board. Not only do they hear matters against nurses who licenses are being charged but also cases of individuals who have completed their nursing education and now want to sit for the test. Some have skeletons in their closet such as a previous DUI conviction or some such criminal matter. Once you […]

Is a med error considered malpractice? “Malpractice” is a fancy word for negligence, but involves a professional. There are 4 elements of malpractice: Duty (the standard of care) Breach (you didn’t do what you were supposed to do or did something that you should not have done); Causation; and Harm. So, let’s put it in layman’s terms. You have a […]

Lorie answers questions for Caroline Porter Thomas’ EmpowerRN tribe

Undoubtedly, you worked hard to obtain your nursing license. Depending on what type of nurse you are, you may have spent up to 6-8 years, and tens of thousands of dollars, obtaining the necessary education, training, and certifications to become a licensed, practicing nurse. And yet, one split-second mistake, bad decision, or momentary lapse of judgment could cause you to […]

An interview with Lorie Brown, Brittney Wilson, + Jamie Davis

There is little doubt these days that one of the most important questions on the minds of nurses is “if I am assigned a patient infected with the Ebola virus, can I refuse to take care of that patient?” The answer is “no!” I know how scary it can be to take care of a patient with a highly contagious […]

My new client, Katie, sits across from me because of a situation that happened at work and resulted in a complaint before the Nurse Licensing Board. She’s scared and crying. I can tell by talking to her that she is a very compassionate nurse and does a great job. Yet, she doesn’t understand why this is happening to her. Like […]

  If you’ve been asked to go into a peer assistance program or if you voluntarily choose to go into the program to protect your license, here some things you should know. First, you will need to sign a recovery monitoring agreement which basically is a contract that you are entering the program and agree to certain of its requirements. […]

Substance abuse is one of the most important issues in nursing because access is so easy. Even with Pyxis machines that distribute medications with a thumb print, there still are ways that a determined nurse can divert medication. According to the Indiana State Nurses Assistance Program [ISNAP]: Impaired nurses demonstrate mood swings and irritability. He/she may seem depressed for no […]