Losing your license

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2012

In most states, nurses lose their licensure over diversion or other offenses related to controlled substances. I have never heard of a nurse losing his/her license over a medication error, even if it resulted in patient demise.

Music in My Heart · Mar 26, 2012

Just heard a classmate from nursing school is losing her license. Not sure of the details, but she was a very bright, compassionate person so needless to say i'm really shocked.
Is this a common occurrence or something you don't hear about too often in nursing?
What could she have possibly done? Right now the only thing i'm thinking is a med error of some kind.
I'm completely paranoid now. And I feel so awful for her.

To lose her license, I'd guess it's not likely to be a simple med error but rather an intentional act to cover up an error, gross incompetence, repeated substance abuse (you'd be surprised...), drunk driving, or something of the like.

Losing one's license is not typically the result of simple mistakes.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2012

Click on the link below to get to the disciplinary action page for nurses in the state where I live. Click on any one of the license numbers of the nurses who have had their licenses revoked. You can entertain yourself by reading about the events that led up to the loss of their licensure.

https://www.bon.state.tx.us/disciplinaryaction/recentaction.html

Sun0408, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2012

A "friend" I graduated with lost her licenses within months of getting hers. It was not nursing related. Her first mistake was lying on her application, then several DUI's with hit and runs. The board gave her several chances to get her license re-instated but she got another DUI while in the recovery program. Sometimes, its bad judgement outside of nursing that will cost you your license.

Go to your states' website and read through some of them. It will give you a better idea of why.

nycNurse2b · Mar 27, 2012

Thanks everyone for sharing.

TheCommuterRN - - thanks for the link! What an eye-opener!

DoGoodThenGo · Mar 27, 2012

Just heard a classmate from nursing school is losing her license. Not sure of the details, but she was a very bright, compassionate person so needless to say i'm really shocked.
Is this a common occurrence or something you don't hear about too often in nursing?
What could she have possibly done? Right now the only thing i'm thinking is a med error of some kind.
I'm completely paranoid now. And I feel so awful for her.

In NYS you can loose your license for behaviour/acts totally unrelated to nursing. A few years back a male RN was involved in a public "sex romp" on a LIRR train with a group that was caught and arrested. See: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2003/13/20030327-archive175.html

Not sure if the resulting misdemeanor conviction or it's nature caused the DOE to act, but never the less they did.

DoGoodThenGo · Mar 27, 2012

Right before spring break one of my first year nursing professors sat the "girls" down for a chat.

Her message was simple: from now on and for the rest of our career (assuming we graduated and passed the boards) we should take great care not only in our actions within the practice of nursing, but our public and private conduct as well.

State BON's often are governed by a rather wide statue regarding issuing and or removing licensure, especially where "moral clauses" are part of the picture.