Effect of Public Reprimand on Current Job?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi everyone,

I have recently dealt with the board of nursing over an issue with how an order was given (and how I interpereted it) and a charting violation. I recieved a public reprand which consists of taking classes and having the reprimand displayed publicly on the BON website. I am curious how this will affect my current employment as I will be telling my supervisor before it is found out by human resources. Has anyone else dealt with a public reprimand? How long did it affect your career?

Thanks in advance

Hey guys,

I just wanted to follow up since there is so little information regarding a situation like this on the internet.

I consulted my lawyer regarding the disclosure to my current employer and she said that she could not advise me on that decision. I decided not to disclose immediately and just ride it out until I was admitted to CRNA school in a few months... However, while doing some research for one of my pre-requisite classes on the BON website I decided to check the status of my license. It had not been updated at the time, but at the top of the page was a notice regarding a new policy. As of November 2011 the BON will be updating all current employers of any changes to license status REALTIME! I still had a few days until the new policy went into effect, so I immediately informed my manager. It had only been a few days since the decision was made by the board, and my license still showed no reprimand.. She was very pleased that I told her before she found out on her own. She told me that it would not likely affect my current job because it happened after I was hired. (I worked at two hospitals for a short while). She got back to me a few days later and informed me that my job was secure and she felt like I had gone through enough. That was the biggest sigh of relief I have ever breathed!!! If you receive a reprimand, I highly recommend you tell your current employers immediately to avoid the appearance of deceit. This really only applies to someone working at two hospitals because it would already be known to the hospital in which the incident occurs. This is also a VERY good reason to have multiple employers, because if i hadn't had a second job, it would be next to impossible to get hired with a reprimand on my license.

I had a similar situation occur 14 years ago. If have worked in other areas such as research and education. Every position I applied for over the years I got no response, no interview or a email message that said thank you for your interest, but the position is filled. Unfortunately, the position(s) are still listed weeks later. I did have an interview and was then called back for a 2nd interview. The manager for this facility pulled out my letter of reprimand and read statements that I needed to respond too. I wish I could have reviewed the content prior to the second interview, but what really got me is I have never worked for this facility and the facility was bought out by a larger healthcare network. As I was trying to explain the situation, the year it drug out and all the money it cost me. My attorney said I had to agree to something, pay a fine and take a course on documentation. There is not enough time to share how this really rolled out and my actions were no different than any of the other nurses. What absolutely has me in a tailspin is the fact that they have a chart on me that is written DO NOT HIRE. The chart is 10-12 years old. I am stressed and heart broken and do know if I have anyway of rectifying this. It's as thou I have a target on my back. I may not be able to get my hours in by the end of the year and will have to let my license go inactive. Does anybody have any suggesstions, are there attorneys that excel in this area. I don't want to be malicious, I just want a chance. But with the public record, and an old chart circulating around my chances are hopeless. I have cried, tried to think logically,etc. Any thoughts or resources I could go to?

Specializes in Dialysis.
Hey guys,

I decided not to disclose immediately and just ride it out until I was admitted to CRNA school in a few months...

I don't know about CRNA schools, but this whole thing may be a big negative, you may not be able to sit for certification even if you do get admitted to the school. Please check into that with the BON before you possibly spend big $$ (or accumulate big loans) and a lot of time attending this intense program.

Well, I am going through something similar now. Don't have the reprimand yet, but the attorney I hired said it's a 50/50 chance. My error was alleged to be falsifying information. And I did falsify something, although at the time it did not seem like a huge matter to me, and I was trying to satisfy the demands of a patient at the time. I made a stupid mistake. I meant no harm, but it was definitely stupid and careless of me. So, in all of this, I have done two things:

1. I have taken full responsibility for my action, have taken CME's and done everything possible to fully understand the why's and how's of my violation.

2. I have admitted it to the board, and to the the new employer I have recently been hired by.

In doing all of this, as unbelievably hard and mortifying as it was, I learned fully from the error, and I operated out of full disclosure and honesty going forward. Believe me, THIS is the best policy for all involved. Once I explained what happened at an interview, the doctor basically understood and felt I would do better working for him, as his office would provide better admin support. From there on, the problem has just gotten smaller and smaller.

Yes, it may be on my license for anyone to view, but I will be glad to tell my story in the future.

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE makes mistakes. I had no ill intent when I made my error, but I had to understand that what I did WAS wrong and unacceptable to practice. Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way. If, however, you are the type of person who did or does have an extremely ill intent when making an error, perhaps you don't need to be in practice ....I mean, we do have an ethical standard to follow and you have to want the best for your patients and for your employer.

So, you learn, you move on, you don't let it entirely define you, and you get whatever job you can. then you work hard in that job and recover your practice as much as possible.

But honestly is the best policy -- full disclose everything to everyone who has the right to know (not to anyone else, however -- it's your business only), and go from there.

I feel after my experience that folks are far more forgiving than you'd expect, especially if you are honest with them. While I'm still going through everything now, I feel I will likely be a stronger provider in the long run.

Oh, and don't set foot in any practice without your own personal malpractice policy. Remember, it also pays your legal fees if you happen to be reported for something, and/or have a claim against you. Hiring any lawyer to start runs at least $2500 and up.

what is OIG?

I will soon be going through the same thing. I had a Doctor that supposedly "States" he wrote a order to have a IJ removed on a certain date. Nothing was ever in the computer charting by him. My hospital couldn't even show me a order. 1 day nurse who "supposedly "took the order to removed the IJ dialysis catheter" didn't remove it.. The night nurse also didn't. The charge nursenights never did anything nor mentioned it to the day charge nurse... or floor nurse. .. the day nurse said nothing to me who had the patient. And at 5 pm I'm floated to this unit. The patient is getting dialysis in that IJ and going home.So he was discharged...Flash forward a year. I'm in a investigators office being told "I did not follow through on a physician order prior to discharge!! I had that patient 2 hours. The investigator showed me a "phony progress note" that the 2 guilty nurses forged. They both even signed their names on it. It said "remove catheter" period .. No Doctors name... no read back... no time and dated the day before I worked there... Flash forward another 6 months later. I get a "formal accusation" on my license and pulled off a travel contract. I know I would have lost at a hearing because doctors lying is allowed by the board and false documentation like a fake order is too.... My word is mud in their eyes. I will get a public reprimand that shows all the story ( not in my favor) the lies included...Also we had a new boss about 3 months prior to this incident. His words "I need young fresh moldable new grads nurses. Older nurses are so stuck in their ways. They have no good ideas. I went to HR with this and they did nothing. My boss also stated in a letter to the board that I am a ICU nurse.. I never have worked in ICU!! ( he was brought on to clean house for older nurses) He did !! several all over 50 replaced with new grads. So back on the subject of the accusation. I agreed to a public reprimand and a $5,000 fine. I will have this on my record for 3 years and the clock doesn't start ticking till I pay the 5,000 total. No I already know once this is on my license my nursing days are over. And the Board knows that too. The Board and the Deputy Attorney General for the board they give you false hope with this. They want their money. And they want to smear you..Its one way of getting rid of nurses that have been doing this 30 years and get the younger ones in. Id tell anyone that is getting a "stipulation settlement and disciplinary order for public reproval " you may as well start looking for a new career. It doesnt get any better and you will not be able to find a nursing job with this on your license ... anywhere..at all

what if you did nothing wrong and are falsely accused? most people don't even want to hear your side.

Specializes in Med/surg/ortho.

Office of Inspector General (OIG) is in charge of enforcing exclusions against individuals or entities. The OIG mandates that healthcare organizations do not hire or do business with "excluded or sanctioned" individuals or entities.

The individual excluded would be prohibited from working anywhere that accepts Medicare and Medicaid which is 98% of institutions.

I was falsely accused of drug diversion. I was on a travel contract this past Spring and the whole assignment and staff was like being in an awful, awful nightmare. I was accused of drug diversion and fired by both the hospital and my travel company. I just got a letter today from the BON Assistant Attorney General, offering me a settlement of REPRIMAND for pleading guilty OR being formally charged by the Board and going to trial which my lawyers says, acts as the jury. So basically they ARE Judge, Jury and Executioner. My husband wants me to go back to school and get OUT of nursing but I am 52 yrs old!!!! I should be preparing for retirement not taking on more school debt. This is INSANE!!!!! I had letters from former colleagues, managers and my doctor basically saying this was insane and all that I have read on these boards is that once your name is sent to the BON, you will be found guilty of something and reprimand is the least of them all and look at this, you or I or anyone else won't be able to get a job. Where I was working KNEW I was not guilty of this, they KNEW their computer charting system was glitchy and unreliable. They KNEW that it dropped orders and lost charting, everyone there complained about it. The ENTIRE place was a hostile work environment. Like one of my colleagues told me, they want to give you a public reprimand but they NEVER put on your license all the good that you have done over the years. They never say how much $#!+ you put up with patients and other bullying staff and doctors and administration. This is NOT supposed to be how it works but this is government for you!!!!! This was done to me by a system that owns half of the hospitals in Tennessee and in half the states in the whole country. It would be nearly impossible to get a license in another state now and the ones that I do have in other states, will do the same. It won't matter anyone, no one will hire me. It has been heartbreaking and exhausting. I don't even want to be a nurse anymore. I don't want to care for anyone or about anyone, because no job has ever care about me.

+ Add a Comment