disciplinary nightmare

etmx5313 · Dec 11, 2003

I have to agree. Even before I went to school, I knew that I could not use RN or LPN behind my name. Common sense. Could be wrong, but I feel you wanted to use RN, knew you shouldent, but heck, who's gonna know?

healingtouchRN · Dec 11, 2003

while working in the ER, I had a client tell me she was a nurse. I saw her paperwork saying she was an MA @ a doctor's office. I read her the riot act about nurse impersonation. NOT OK in this state!!! She gave me some offhand comments about doing the nurses' job & told her that was no excuse, & if she wanted to practice nursing & use the title then get the requirements to back it up. Same goes for practicing medicine or any other profession (law)....what a gal! :rolleyes:

pieWACKet · Dec 12, 2003

Well, Rosie.

Your post, initiating this thread, mentioned that you felt terrible, and that you are scared of losing your license. I think your original post asked if anyone knew what you could expect from the process on Jan 4th.

It seems there is a rain of You're gonna get what you Deserve here, just at the moment.

On Jan 4th, others in a position to fully evaluate your situation,possessing all the facts and documentation, knowing the reputation of your school, and being able to meet and so assess you yourself, will pay careful attention to the details of the situation, your response to the awareness of a wrong you clearly recognize, and your own reasons for how that came to be.

Chin up.

flashpoint · Dec 12, 2003

Well...I have a friend who is on the state EMS board (the EMS version of the BON)...he said there are several things you can expect.

#1...Expect to tell your story more than once.

#2...Expect a lot of questions...expect the questions to be repeated and rephrased.

#3...Expect to know the law regarding regarding licensure when you walk in the door.

#4...Expect a lot of skeptism from the board.

#5...DON'T expect sympathy...you'll get none and if you come across as a victim or someone to be pitied or felt sorry for the board will not go any easier on you. They may actually be harder on you if you play the role of the victim.

#6...Expect to get a very stern lecture at the very least...walk in expecting the very worst.

#7...Make sure that the BON knows you are aware of your mistake and that you regret your mistake, but DO NOT grovel...they hate that.

#8...Expect a certain amount of hostility. Certainly they should not abuse you, but they shouldn't show you any sympathy or empathy either. Right now, they are NOT on your side.

#9...Know what grades you made in any legal / strategies / ethics type classes. Know if you were absent during any of these type of classes and if you made an effort to make up the work, get notes from classmates, etc.

#10...Sit down and think of any and all questions you might be asked and have a good sincere answer for them.

#11...No matter how hard they grill you, no matter how nasty they seem, not matter how much the world seems against you that day, DO NOT GET ANGRY.

#12...Don't blame anyone else. You are the one that messed up, not anyone on the board, not anyone in your nursing school, not your employer. Admit that you made the mistake and that it is yours and yours alone...

#13...Get references from others regarding your character, integrity, qualities as a nurse.

#14...Above all be very honest...don't lie, fudge, be evasive, etc.

Thank the board for their time regardless of the outcome...if they suspend you, be sure to find out who to contact when it's time to get your license back. Make sure you find out who to contact in regard to any action taken against you.

This is a situation where the board is not your friend...you have to defend your self to them and they hold your fate in their hands.

If the board asks you what you think should be done or what you would do in their shoes have an answer...suggest retaking your legal / strategies / ethics class...come up with some sort of fair discipline!

So...this is what he says he would advise someone going before the EMS board for misrepresentation to expect...I would guess the BON is pretty similar.

I hope things work out for the best for you.

moonchild20002000 · Dec 12, 2003

I think your attorney is the only person you should discuss the situation with.

I'm not sure its a good idea to bring this to a public board.

I suggest that you get in touch with your attorney.

Good luck.

TinyNurse, RN · Dec 12, 2003

really depends on what state you are from and which BON you work under....... Ohio says you cannot write RN after your name untill you pass the boards..........( i remember my passing letter completely)

best of luck on this.

xo Jen

healingtouchRN · Dec 12, 2003

to cotjockey, great advise!! right on!

tgibson3770 · Dec 12, 2003

Originally posted by rosieposie
hello....I am looking for some light at the end of my tunnel. I am going infront of the BON in Jan 04". what had happened was before i had my licsence, while i was working in a MD's office , I wrote RN on some of the charts after my entries of contacting pt's with the results of labs and so forth after the MD would review them. I honestly did not know. I just thought you weren't liscensed and certainlly could not perform as a Nurse. Not to mention I did nothing that a nurse would do. I have hired an RN atty (which is so costly) and she really hasnt said much (nervewracking). I'm just so worried and confused. This all happened when I had no lic. now they want to take my lic away for 2 years!!!! please someone give me advice or try to calm me & im going out of my mind. Also, if anyone could tell me wha t this is going to be like at the hearing that would be great too....Thanks for anyones help...I will be soooo grateful....

Hopefully the board will have mercy on you. Highly unlikely though. Your facility can be caught liable for fraud if they support your claims. Alos an investigation will be likely to ensure that others are in compliance with statutory codes/mandates. You've just created a complex web for your company. Better to walk away from this one. Don't waste your funds fighting. They will win. On the lighter side, you can always continue education for two years and come away with BSN.

Big Bab's · Dec 12, 2003

You keep saying that she doesn't know "why" she signed as RN...my understanding is that she signed that way because she truly believed that she WAS an RN and had no doubts, so she didn't question it (I could be wrong here.)........For her to feel like she has to fabricate a different and/or better "why" is not good and most of all not HONEST......more comments below.

....

Originally posted by passing thru
Rosie. I have read your original post 3 times and read all the other posts.

Here is my opinion/advice.

First, the BON has NOOOOOOooooooo interest in any excuses that you had a baby,
"Maybe my head was in the clouds", or the previous employer is out to get you, "getting even", etc.

--------------Ignorance is no excuse BUT, at least this would explain WHY she was ignorant about this.

The BON has one objective: TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. ...
to protect the sick and vulnerable public from dishonest nurses.
And, to protect the public from stupid nurses.

----------this is all true.

So, start with telling yourself , " I wrote RN after my name because_________________________________________."

You must be able to finish that sentence prior to going before the board.

You do not need to tell us why.

If you say you thought you were an RN................then that will scare the heebie-jeebies out of the board members.

------------She already answered this with "I wrote RN after my name because I THOUGHT I WAS AN RN"......and yes this may scare them but, at the very least it is the HONEST answer.

It would make me think you were either .....
lying or incredibly stupid. (See the role of the BON above).

You cannot shift the blame onto the folks who gave you an RN pin and say, "Hey, I thought I was an RN when I got that pin."

Hear the buzzer????? Wrong answer

--------------You are right, ignorance is NO excuse BUT, at least the board might understand how this happened..it doesn't make it OK, but explains it.

From what you said, the paperwork was finished by the time you made your note and it was going into the files .... why bother to represent yourself as an RN on a meaningless note?
Who cared? The office secretary could have done what you were doing. It did not require a registered nurse to call and give a pt . their lab results.

If you had done it once, that would/could be "wishful thinking."
To continue doing it, you were misrepresenting yourself.

-------------This may or may not be true, if you take her statements at "face value" (and I do), she wasn't misrepresenting herself, or at least not knowingly.

The BON is very strict about that. They do not take imposters lightly.

-------------Oh how true!!....Ever heard the term "nurses eat their young"??........I hope they can be understanding and let her learn from this experience and use it to become a better nurse and move on.

I think the board members are not going to focus on what you actually did - - -
the problem is you know what you did was wrong,
but you do not know WHY you did it.
Nor do you know why you did it over time.
The board is going to focus on your inability to explain why you did it. They know you know. Or they will hope you know.
Because if you go in there and tell them you do not know why you did that...............................

-------------My guess is that more than anything they're gonna be asking "How in the heck could you NOT know that you weren't and RN until you passed the board exam??"

Self awareness - - - knowing what you are doing--is a big deal in nursing.
And accountability - - lord, was that ever preached to us !!

You must - - at every minute of the day, be able to explain (if asked) why you did what you did.

-------------SOOOO true!!...We must have gone to the same school! ......I heard this over and over and over, in nursing school too.

At this point, you cannot account for your actions.
That is the big red flag.

---------------I think she can account for her actions, but it may not be the explanation that they want to hear.

The board members will hear your situation, usually in a big and fancy office . They sit around a big table. You are at the head of the table. There's usually 6-8 men and women there. They all usually question you.
They've usually made their decision by the time you get there, by the correspondence they have had with you. ....their decision is 80 % made. That's why you need to have a persuasive story to tell.

----------------I can't even imagine the amount of intimidation this kind of setting would have......I'm just glad that it's not me!!

One question:
Why did you feel you needed to hire an attorney?
How did you make that decision?

----------------Oh boy, the attorney!!....With the BON's there is no telling the kind of reaction they will give to a nurse hiring an attorney, some will see that as wise and appropriate, and others will see it as a sign of guilt, its just hard to tell......I really hope this all turns out well!!!!

Isn't it amazing how much trouble can be stirred up from two little letters?!?

purplemania, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2003

I agree with all of the above posts. Let the Lawyers hack it out. But if I were your attorney I would be wondering why your employer did not require a copy of your license. Failure to document is the employer's fault----but won't make a difference to the BON as the Board is only interested in YOU.

rosieposie · Dec 13, 2003

the reason I hired an attorney is becuase this is a big deal ro me and my Nurse Manager at my job suggested I do....She is a Nurse Attorney and deals with the BON all the time and talks with these people everyday.

Agnus · Dec 13, 2003

No BON or court would consider the presence of a lawyer an admission of guilt. Lawyers are there to protect innocent people.

To suggest they would is insulting to the court or BON. It also accuses the board of being guilty of a crime. Basing a unfavorable verdict on the fact the person had the good sense to have an attorney is criminal.