LPN license suspended: What do I do now?

[ProudOhioLPN]

In 2013, I was working for a home care company and providing nursing/wound care for my husband. He developed some abdominal abscesses which I reported to his doctor, and was given verbal orders for warm compresses, and to increase his prophylactic Bactrim, which he was taking for chronic UTI's to BID for several days, then to go back to once daily. I was on speakerphone so my husband could hear. I never wrote the order down, as I didn't even have order sheets and my RN supervisor was coming to do a recert later that week. I did let her know at that time. My husband ended up in the hospital 2 weeks later d/t kidney stones. I told the nurses that he didn't need the wound care nurse, whom he had interaction with before and didn't like, to even come in. She waited until I left to grab something to eat, then came in and looked at my husband's abdominal and leg wounds even though he wanted nothing to do with this woman.

Basically, what came down was this hospital wound care nurse reported me to the BON, the doctor claimed he never gave the order to increase the Bactrim, and the RN supervisor for the home care company claimed I wasn't doing measurements or BS, even though she had my paperwork, which we both turned into the board.

Long story short, I got popped for violation of the nurse practice act, and my license has been suspended in Ohio. I have to pay a $500 fine, obey the law, take an educational course, which looks like it's going to cost me close to $1000, and do a boatload of CEU's before I can apply for reinstatement. They also gave me permanent practice restrictions, and I am on monitoring for 4 years after I get my license back.

My question is this: will they ever remove the practice restrictions? Right now I will only be able to work in facilities. Also, what can I do to stay in the medical field while I am jumping through the hoops to get my license back? Can I work as a MA or a STNA? After I do get my license back, how hard will it be for me to find a job?

Thanks in advance for any comments/insights!

[caliotter3]

Sounds as if they did a good job of railroading you. I am sorry that this happened. Wasn't your attorney making an effort? At any rate, you know that you will have a hard time of it unless you can find a DON willing to listen to your side of the story and work with you. Good luck.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Only your BON can address your concerns about practice restrictions. No one can answer how hard it will be to get another job.

Do you have malpractice insurance? Perhaps they can answer your questions about what kind of work you can do while your license is suspended.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Have you signed a contract? It should state exactly the terms of your monitoring program.

[ProudOhioLPN]

I thought I wouldn't need an attorney. I thought it was obvious that I would never intentionally harm my own husband. In a nutshell, I was naive and honestly believed the board would stand behind its nurses. Boy, was I wrong. Hard lesson learned.

[VANurse2010]

I thought I wouldn't need an attorney. I thought it was obvious that I would never intentionally harm my own husband. In a nutshell, I was naive and honestly believed the board would stand behind its nurses. Boy, was I wrong. Hard lesson learned.

BON are commissioned to protect the public. They are never the friends or allies of nurses; That's not their role.

[ProudOhioLPN]

@ caliotter: I thought I wouldn't need an attorney. I thought it was obvious that I would never intentionally harm my own husband. In a nutshell, I was naive and honestly believed the board would stand behind its nurses. Boy, was I wrong. Hard lesson learned. @OCNRN63: I let my malpractice insurance lapse when I no longer worked as an independent LPN for our state waiver program. Another lesson learned by me the hard way.

@dirtyhippiegirl: I haven't signed anything yet. The BON is assigning a compliance monitor to my case this week.

[Farawyn]

Were you treating him as a spouse or a nurse, and how does that play out, legally? I tell my husband and kids to take/do things all the time that I would never tell anyone else. AND I've had docs tell me to up or down meds over the phone for my kids/husband.

Wow.

[caliotter3]

I have seen it more than once said on this site: You never​ approach the Board without an attorney by your side.

[Toastedpeanut]

This is why a lot of people are leaving Nursing altogether: because of people like this wound care nurse. In my experience, as long as you comply with the BON's assignment for you, and go through a few years of what feels like slavery, you may be able to make an appeal to them even before the probatory period ends. And I don't think it will be impossible for you to find another nursing job either, after all this. More complicated sure, but not impossible... especially if you live near a big city. I'm sending you a big hug because this is a very stressful situation!

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I don't understand how the doctor gave you orders for your husband's care? In what capacity were you officially providing care for your husband?

As to your question, of course only your BON can answer those. However I would bet the farm that "permanent practice restrictions" means PERMANENT practice restrictions.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

What a mess. This is why you should never care for a loved one in a professional setting. Things get messy, even if you have the best intentions. Good luck with this. You should be able to find a job, but it might not be the job you want for awhile. I would contact the BON about if you might be able to get the restriction removed.