Can I lose my license???

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I have been going through some really stressful times - family wise. I was at work and I just felt lousy and dehydrated, so I gave myself a saline iv. I got caught, got fired and now they say they are going to report me to nc bon for practicing medicine without a license?????

I know of one nurse who was working as PDN. She came to work drunk, took her patient in the car (not sure where they were going), had an accident with the patient in the car. She got a DUI and her driver's license was revoked, and she spent 30 days in jail, patient ended up in ICU for 5 weeks from the injuries, person in the other vehicle also was hospitalized. License was suspended, but not revoked. I think it's ridiculous, we work hard to be licensed, we should have to at least show good common sense to keep it!

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Something THIS severe warrants only a suspension??

And there are people who will shriek "I'm not giving that PRN a half hour early, I'm not going to risk losing my license!!"

Seems we police ourselves much more vigilantly than the BoNs do....or care to do.... :blackeye:

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Does anyone here know of an actual case (not heard about, someone-told-someone-who-told-me kind of thing) in which someone's unintentional misstep caused their license to be voided? Or an intentional action that did?

I have worked in the past with an RN who lost her license for diversion (big time diversion; she not only lost her license, she served prison time for felony drug-dealing conviction(s)), and an RN who lost her license for an incident involving the death of an individual in restraints in a psychiatric setting. Both eventually got their licenses back (I knew them both after they had gotten their licenses back). I suppose someone can debate whether drug dependence is "intentional" or not, but the death-in-restraints situation was certainly unintentional.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Does anyone here know of an actual case (not heard about, someone-told-someone-who-told-me kind of thing) in which someone's unintentional misstep caused their license to be voided? Or an intentional action that did?

Guy took morphine from the unit -- boxes and boxes of MS 10 mg. tubexes. Boxes and boxes of them. Went out driving and had a close encounter with a drawbridge . . . when the arm comes down, it means stop, not speed up and see if you can "beat it." Months in the hospital . . . during which time the stolen morphine came to light. Did he lose his license? Only his driver's license. Did he lose his job? Nope. Got promoted so he wouldn't have to carry the narcotics keys.

The only person I've ever known who lost their license side kicked a Pyxis station and broke the screen, slept with a patient's family member, was caught injecting self with narcotics at work and disappeared in the middle of the shift, abandoning the patients. (And that's just for starters.) Even then, I've heard that the license has been restored.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Guy took morphine from the unit -- boxes and boxes of MS 10 mg. tubexes. Boxes and boxes of them. Went out driving and had a close encounter with a drawbridge . . . when the arm comes down, it means stop, not speed up and see if you can "beat it." Months in the hospital . . . during which time the stolen morphine came to light. Did he lose his license? Only his driver's license. Did he lose his job? Nope. Got promoted so he wouldn't have to carry the narcotics keys.

The only person I've ever known who lost their license side kicked a Pyxis station and broke the screen, slept with a patient's family member, was caught injecting self with narcotics at work and disappeared in the middle of the shift, abandoning the patients. (And that's just for starters.) Even then, I've heard that the license has been restored.

😳 Wow. When I was fresh out of nursing school I use to hate working at nursing homes because I thought I would "lose my license". Clearly I won't think that way any more.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Does anyone here know of an actual case (not heard about, someone-told-someone-who-told-me kind of thing) in which someone's unintentional misstep caused their license to be voided? Or an intentional action that did?

Worked with a nurse who served on the PTA/Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts. Arrested for embezzling a combination of $15,000 from the three organizations. Served a few months in prison, had nursing license suspended for 5 years, lost job at my facility and definitely not eligible for rehire. Has since gotten license back (after the 5 years suspension, has 5 years probation to go). Last I heard was working in a non-patient care area.

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Elk....Ruby....Rose.....wow. OMG, and these people continue to hold nursing licenses. Or, as in Ruby's story--get PROMOTED.

It would be comical if it weren't so tragic.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

I know an APN, licensed suspended for addiction, drug diversion. Later "not renewed".

Also, there was a nurse in illinois, 6-7 years ago. Felony conviction for crashing into 2 motorcyclists sitting at a red light while she was doing her nails while driving. Killed them. Don't know where she is now.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Some people just boggle my mind.

I did see a MDA resident hooked up to a self-placed propofol drip in a call room once. This was prior to the whole Michael Jackson thing.

Sent from my iPhone.

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Elk....Ruby....Rose.....wow. OMG, and these people continue to hold nursing licenses. Or, as in Ruby's story--get PROMOTED.

It would be comical if it weren't so tragic.

Well, in the cases I noted, they did both lose their licenses for a number of years, and had to jump through hoops to get them back.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Yes, I am personally aware of 3 individuals who have had licenses suspended and/or revoked.

Read your state BON newsletter/website: disciplinary actions of a licensing board are public record. Though the notation may not list the specifics of an individual's actions, it will indicate the legal grounds on which the discipline was levied.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Yes, I am personally aware of 3 individuals who have had licenses suspended and/or revoked.

Read your state BON newsletter/website: disciplinary actions of a licensing board are public record. Though the notation may not list the specifics of an individual's actions, it will indicate the legal grounds on which the discipline was levied.

This.

My state will specifically state whether a person agrees to NOT practice with their license again, so I am sure there are people that completely surrender their licenses; unsure how many actually petition to regain their surrendered license.

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