New nurse constantly worried about losing license

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Hi nurse Beth,

I'm a new nurse who is constantly worried about making a mistake, being sued and/or losing license. When a nurse is sued does that necessarily mean loss of license? Or does that depend on the reason /outcome of the lawsuit?

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4 Answers

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Dear Worried,

Being sued does not mean you are going to lose your license. Anyone can sue in the hopes of compensation or justice, but the BON must believe you are a threat to public safety in order to remove your license.

Believe it or not, it's really not that easy to lose your license. By far the most common reason for discipline is drug diversion.

Some other reasons for losing your license are:

  • Unprofessional Conduct
  • Professional Misconduct
  • Incompetence
  • Gross Negligence
  • Dereliction of Duty or Ethical Violations

It's common to be anxious about making a mistake because when you leave the cocoon of school and enter the real world, you feel the heavy weight of responsibility that comes with your RN license.

There's a difference between being safely cautious and being overly worried. Being overly worried can cause you to doubt yourself and actually make you more susceptible to making an error. Always follow safety guidelines, don't vary from practice, and don't take shortcuts.

As far as being sued goes, hospitals and doctors have deeper pockets than RNs, but nurses can be named in suits brought against a hospital. Remember, courts want to see that you acted in a manner that a reasonable nurse would have acted.

If you don't already have insurance, get some for peace of mind. Many nurses use NSO insurance, and it's not expensive.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Specializes in oncology.

If you already have an insurance agent for your house or car, ask them for a quote. That way you have an agent to call for questions.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

for nurses is pretty reasonable so since you are concerned about the potential for future lawsuits go ahead and do a little research and sign up for a policy just for your peace of mind.

As far as reasons nurses lose their license, most state BON's have a newsletter where all disciplines are listed. My state issues one quarterly. Read that and you will find the vast majority of license disciplines including suspension/revocation are drug/alcohol related, either under the influence on the job or diversion.  Of course a nursing license can be under discipline for a lot of other reasons but I see relatively few that are actually practice related.

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I would echo the sentiment that it's hard to lose your license.  Nurses are always saying "I'm not risking my license!"

In 30 years I've never seen anyone lose their license outside of drug diversion.   And most of them not even then because they get treatment.  

The one and only nurse I knew that lost her license was turned in by an MD that had an order for "Ativan PRN while intubated" and she gave it not long after extubation.  It was suspended for two years and she is now back working.

Also in my 30 years, I've never seen an individual nurse be sued. It definitely happens though.  Like Beth says, most often hospitals are sued and nurses are drug into to testify, etc.  I almost had to go to court once when the hospital was being sued but they settled out of court within a week of the trial. 

Always be on your toes, never let your guard down, remember all you've learned, and do the right thing and relax.  Even at 30 years, I'm still anxious of making an error that could cause harm.  Know you're not alone.

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