Category: License Protection

I have heard from many nurses that where they are working is understaffed which is not safe for the patients. Those nurses put in a lot of overtime because they are concerned that if they didn’t, there would be fewer staff available to care for the patients. They also expressed concerns that if the facility is able to get staff […]

What would you do if your supervisor asked you to do something that you think may be questionable? Would you follow the order or would you question it? Let me give you some examples to consider: You work homecare and you never see your supervisor. She tells you to sign her name on your time card so you can get […]

Each year 7,000 nurses have some type of discipline placed on their license. My home State of Indiana has the highest number of nurses on probation. Other top contenders for that dubious title are Texas and Ohio. If you would like to see the discipline imposed in your State, check out the National Council of State Board of Nursing website […]

Your license is a privilege and not a right.  Just as your driver’s license can be suspended, so can your nursing license.  The Board needs only to provide you with reasonable notice which could mean the day before or even, and I have seen it, the morning of a hearing.  In the hearing the State must show that you are […]

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 lose […]

Over the past 20 years, I’ve represented more than 300 healthcare providers before the various licensing boards. I’ve seen nurses accused of practicing medicine without a license for misunderstanding the dosage, nurses accused of neglect for failing to answer another nurse’s patient’s alarm like when the other nurse said she would answer it, and nurses accused of abuse for removing […]

Brittney Wilson, RN, BSN Technology and social media have added many new benefits as well as many new challenges to the nursing profession. On the one hand we now can access patient data and chart on patient care more quickly and easily than ever and we have access to a nearly limitless online support system of nurses. However, on the […]

I’m always interested in hearing advice from other nurses on how those in our profession can protect our license.  Every nurse I have represented has said to me, “I never thought I would appear before the Board.”  But “I don’t know” is not a defense. I have my way to teach nurses how to protect their license but it is […]

Many nurses incorrectly believe that the only nurses who end up before the Licensing Board are impaired.  This is simply not true. An impaired nurse is someone who uses alcohol or a controlled substance on a regular basis and to the extent that it interferes with their work.  And here’s a sad fact, many of these nurses don’t know that […]

I frequently get panic calls saying “HELP!  I just got a letter that I have to appear before the Board.” The first thing that I would suggest is to take a deep breath and read this. There are two types of communications you may get from the Board.  The first is an investigation letter and the second is actual charges […]