I have a question.

[sluyterfamily]

hello:

my mother in law had her nc nursing license suspended for failing a drug test and stealing narcotics from her employer. to get the license back it was a lengthy process which she never completed. she is currently a drug addict and living a very scary life. she recently moved to ny state and with in 60 days got an active nurses license. i know that before her nc license was suspended she worked in ny but that license had expired. my husband and i are shocked that she was able to get an active licenses considering her current addiction and suspended nc license. do they check previous states when you apply to reactivate an expired license? how is it possible for ny to give her an active license after she committed such a serious offense in nc? should we call the ny board of nursing and alert them to the suspended nc license or would we be wasting our time. we are both very scared that innocent people's lives could be endangered. any suggestions?

[blondeoverboard]

given that you have first hand knowledge of her drug use, it's my belief that notifying the NY board would be the best course of action. They may tell you that there's nothing that can be done at this time, however, at the very least, you made others aware of the potential for harm. reports to the board can be made anonymously.

[mommiof2kids]

I, too, would notify the NY BNE. She may have managed to slip through the cracks but it is important that they are aware of her situation. Thank you, for being so conscientous and caring about the public.

[leslie :-D]

i too, would give the bon, a heads up.

definitely.

leslie

[caliotter3]

If you want to notify the Board that is at your discretion, but don't be surprised if you are told that the state can not act on your information. That might be the case.

[sluyterfamily]

I am going to call the NY Board of Nursing on monday and will let you know what happens. I would be very suprised if they said they cannot act on what i tell them since her license being suspened is public record. Anyone can look it up on the nc board of nursing website. It says that her license is suspended and exactly why they suspended it. It even out lines the steps she would need to take to get it back.

[caliotter3]

I was checking out the discipline stuff on my state's website for doctors and saw many times that they revoked a doctor's license to practice in my state based upon action that occurred in another state. In some cases, that was the only reason given, no charges made in this state. But have also seen that the Board will not act against a nurse's license until there has been a criminal conviction. Imagine they would look at all jurisdictions, just like the medical board does.

[lamazeteacher]

Please go to an alanon meeting, that's a 12 step program for families of addicts of any substance. It's very important that you model the steps for your mother-in-law. That could give her (a) recognition that you care very much about yourselves in relation to what she's doing and (b) that it might be a good thing for her to do.

Interventions have been done with some success. It's important to have a professional help you with that.

[oslogirl]

If she neglegted to tell NY of her suspension in NC, then NY may have issued her a license. If this is the case, and NY finds out about this, they may revoke her license. Meanwhile, contact the NY Office of the Professions about this. If what you say is true, she should definately not be caring for vulnerable pts. I am so sorry to hear about your mom in law. I hope she gets help and gets clean.

[mommyonamission]

In addition to notifying the state BON, I would also notify her current employer. Protecting the patient is numero uno and perhaps not being able to work in NY either could be one more realization to your mother-in-law that she needs to get her life in order. Good luck