Category: License Protection

Recently I was on an airplane when a passenger became very ill and went to the restroom.  A flight attendant asked if there was any health professional available to provide help. My first thought was “Oh, no.  I haven’t practiced in years!  Do I really want to get involved?  And, if I do, can I get sued if I try […]

Did you know that if you have professional licenses in more than one State and an action is taken against your license in one of the two, it is most likely that an action will be taken against your license in the other State as well? Did you also know that if you have a license that is no longer […]

It’s that time of year in Indiana, license renewal of the State’s nurses. If you’re not in Indiana, I am sure that you have a similar renewal process so check these out; I think these tips will be very helpful! The Board asks 6 questions in the renewal process because they want to know that you are safe to practice. […]

Have you ever headed somewhere and took a shortcut only to wind up taking more time than had you taken the original route? Well, the same is true in nursing. Some nurses take shortcuts to expedite their work load. Shortcuts can include pre-documenting, medication administration, setting up medications early or even ordering items well before the physician arrives because you […]

The National Practitioner Databank is a repository for the names of certain individuals who have had an adverse action against their license or medical malpractice verdict or settlement. Congress enacted legislation to create the Databank because of increasing occurrences of medical malpractice litigation and the need to improve quality medical care. One of the factors that pushed for the need […]

As I begin to write this article, some of things that I will say in it are tongue in cheek but, in all seriousness, everything here is true. FAILING TO KEEP BOARD APPRISED OF YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS: I am surprised how many nurses forget to give the Licensing Board their current address, especially if the address is for licenses in […]

A sad situation occurred in South Carolina where a nurse misread a physician’s order resulting in the over medication of a child causing his death. It is so sad that this happened. The family now has gone to the State legislature and asked that a law be passed which would require the South Carolina State Board of Nursing to revoke […]

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 […]