Companies Renewing Nurse Licenses For Them?

[PamelaG59]

Please forgive me, but I originally posted this question under a thread titled "Multi State License Unit". I can't seem to find that thread for some reason but I did want to ask the question again.

The company I work for recently decided to have the nurses who hold more than one license in the business unit I work in to submit the following to them: My original and current nurse's license, a copy of my social security card, my birth certificate, a copy of my driver's license. 24 signed passport photos, certificates for any CEUs for the last 2 years (requiring each nurse, going forward I guess, to complete 30 hours of CEUs per year), 3 complete sets of fingerprints, and sign an authorization form stating that I am authorizing this company and it's affiliate's, it's agents or employees to act for me and in my name with respect to my application for licensure with all State Licensing Boards in filing my application for Licensure, paying my application fee and acting as my representative on matters relating to the obtaining or maintaining of a nursing license on my behalf with all State Licensing Boards.

Aside from the information they are requiring which, i realize, can be obtained by them anyway, my question is: has anyone ever heard of a company doing this before? Does this authorization sound like an authorization for Power of Attorney, or Durable Power of Attorney? Is this even legal? It makes me nervous because with all the other information they are requiring me to do the leg work obtaining, they could easily apply for and obtain a license in any state of the union without my knowledge because they would have my signed permission to do so, then it seems to me that they could, theoretically, allow anyone to use that license. Am I being paranoid or do I have a legitimate concern? This company is requiring this authorization as a condition of employment so if I want to continue to work there, I will have to comply with this or face disciplinary action up to and including termination for insubordination.

I find it rather peculiar that they are not requiring this authorization to be signed by all nurses no matter how many licenses they hold if they are asking us to sign this authorization. It seems to me that it should apply to all nurses and not just the ones in our business unit and not just to the ones that hold more than one license. Especially since they are gathering information in the case of needing nurses to get license in other states.

So I guess my bigger question is: What Would You do?

Thanks for any input!

Pam

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I would be telling them "Bye Bye".Honestly, why do they need all this documents? I have been licensed in 10 states and none required all of that. I would never authorize that or give my employer that data to use.It reminds me of that scam Walmart was doing, buying life insurance on employees without notifying them, with Walmart being the beneficiary.