Category: License Protection

Every time I see what’s happening in California healthcare right now — the strikes at Kaiser, the protests at Sharp, the layoffs at UCSF — I can’t help but hear Pink Floyd echoing in my head. Except this time, the “bricks” aren’t faceless schoolchildren. They’re nurses. One by one, brilliant, compassionate, exhausted nurses being stacked into a wall built by […]

We’ve all heard it a thousand times. That phrase has been tattooed on the heart (and charting hand) of every nurse since Florence Nightingale picked up her first pen: “If it wasn’t documented, it wasn’t done.” It’s part warning, part wisdom—and let’s be honest—part trauma response. Because we’ve all had that moment where you know you did something—gave the med, […]

  · In September 2025, a U.S. federal district court (Central District of California) ruled that nurses holding Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees in California cannot legally refer to themselves as “Dr.” in clinical settings if doing so might mislead patients. Medscape · The court rejected a First Amendment challenge by the nurses, holding that the state’s prohibition is […]

Nurses are among the most trusted professionals in our society—people whose hands hold healing, whose judgment can mean life or death. So when the regulatory body meant to protect nurses starts dismantling their careers for clerical errors or missed deadlines, we all should pay attention. The recent legislative investigation into the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) is one of […]

This is a story of a nurse’s resilience, why we raise our voices even when the world tries to silence us. A Crisis Fueled by Courage In Colorado, a nurse named DonQuenick Yvonne Joppy found herself at the eye of a devastating storm. After advocating against discriminatory behavior, she faced termination—not for poor performance—but after a critical patient death. Soon, the hospital […]

The Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) is charged with protecting the public and ensuring the integrity of the nursing profession. But recent cases have raised serious concerns about whether that mission has been overshadowed by disproportionate and punitive actions toward nurses for administrative missteps. Two recent articles — one from nurse.org and another from The Kansas Reflector — have […]

Once, Scharmaine Lawson  Baker was a beacon in our profession—a seasoned nurse practitioner, author, mentor. She wrote guides on patient-provider trust, taught about medical necessity, and inspired nurses to deliver house-call care with compassion. But somewhere along the way, the code of ethics was traded for the currency of fraud. The Scam Under the Lab Coat Between 2018 and 2019, […]

Picture this: You’re a school nurse preparing for an exciting field trip to Washington D.C., but your home state is Maryland. As you carefully organize medications for three students with diabetes, one with severe allergies, and another with ADHD, a nagging question keeps surfacing—can you legally administer these life-sustaining medications once you cross that invisible line into another state? This […]

It’s that time again—nursing license renewal season in Indiana. Even if you’re licensed in another state, this article is for you, too. Most state boards ask similar questions during renewal, and your answers matter more than you might think. In Indiana, the Board of Nursing asks six specific questions to assess whether you are safe to continue practicing. If you […]

As nurses, we’re hardwired to help. It doesn’t matter if we’re on the clock, in scrubs, or just trying to enjoy a day at the park—we hear a cry for help, and our instinct kicks in. But when you’re off-duty and a medical emergency unfolds in front of you, there’s something else you need to engage before you take action: […]