Help with potential licensure investigation questions

[mc554433]

Hello, and thanks in advance for reading.

I worked at a nursing home and there was a complaint made by a family on the day I was taking care of said patient.

Two months later they were at the facility I guess "investigating" the incident.

I was left a message from the state worker that I could call the facility back if I wanted to talk about the incident since I was the nurse on for that day.

I currently do not work for this company anymore. Furthermore I didn't even notice this message until a week after I received it.

I have an IL RN license

My questions

!. Does this mean my license is currently under investigation?

2. Should I be looking for a lawyer?

3. How do I figure out if I'm under investigation?

Thanks again for any comments and/or help!

[dishes, BSN, RN]

If 'they were at the facility investigating the incident'. 'They' were not the Board of Nurses, when the BON investigates complaints they do not do site visits. When the BON investigates they send a letter notifying you that they are investigating a complaint against you.

You should contact a lawyer when any complaint about your care is made against you. Do you have malpractice insurance?

[mc554433]

No I do not, but I'm looking into it for my next job. Would getting that insurance now help me if I do get a letter although I wasn't insured at the time of the complaint?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

No I do not, but I'm looking into it for my next job. Would getting that insurance now help me if I do get a letter although I wasn't insured at the time of the complaint?

Of course not. If your house burned to the ground, could you take out an insurance policy the next day to cover the fire? No.

We have no idea who "they" were, but in your shoes, I would be contacting an attorney and not posting any more details online.

[crazin01]

Initially, I 100% agreed with Roser about retroactive insurance policies not existing, but a quick google search does find malpractice insurance that can be retroactive, so it is worth looking into, it would seem. I imagine for this to happen, the insurance company would charge a substantially larger premium, since you're seeking coverage after the fact. I do not have any personal experience with malpractice insurance, so I cannot really help there.

When you say 'they' were at the home and you assume were investigating, you mean some type of investigator, like a DA or somebody affiliated with a prosecutors office? I assume an actual state agency is looking into since you received a phone call. Also, make NO statements to anybody (nursing home, investigator, family, nurse manager, colleagues) until you speak to an attorney. It would not hurt to speak to the nursing home & not reveal anything from your side but simply to inquire as to what patient & what the exact complaint is, if you do not have any idea. I can't imagine you don't have an inkling though, or have not heard something from co-workers.

I'm just curious about everything, but wondering if things normally take 2 months to investigate after an official complaint. Especially in a nursing home, where the patients do not turnover quickly and he/she was probably under your care a few times in between complaint & investigation. Also, out of curiosity, did you quit/resign or were you terminated from this facility? Was it somehow related to this 'incident'?

And, this is just my CYA at ALL costs/trust NO ONE side: but maybe speak to your manager/supervisor in person/ on phone & let him/her know you are RECORDING the conversation & just ask the questions about complaint, etc. If you are asked questions your reply is "Right now, I am not making a statement. I plead the 5th" or something along those lines, (a bit dramatic, yes, but safe).

Do take the advice of a private attorney & no further information posted online. Good luck & please let us know what happens after everything is resolved. Rough place to be, I imagine.