"Loosing" my license

Nurses General Nursing

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i work in a very populous state on the east coast. yet when i look up actions taken against nursing licenses, i get a list of about 50 nurses who have had action taken, some of them going back as far as 2003! there are hospitals near here with over 1000 beds -- how many nurses do you think are employed in just one 1000 bed hospital? how many nurses do you think are employed in just one city like new york, dc, baltimore, philadelphia or boston?

when i lived in wisconsin, i'd get a newsletter quarterly with about 20-25 names of nurses with pending disciplinary action. only a few of those nurses had actually lost their licenses. so where is all this hysteria about "loosing" a nursing license coming from?

we have new grads quitting their jobs after mere months because they're afraid they might "loose" their license -- and by the way, the work is too hard, the hours suck and the other nurses are mean to them. now there's a thread about brutal doctors and calling them -- and someone brings up fear that they might lose their license. what's up with all of this? are nursing schools scaring people silly about the idea of losing your license? or is this just an excuse people are grasping to avoid things they'd rather avoid?

This thread piqued my interest, so I went to my BON website to see how many people lose their license in Alabama, a relatively small-populated state.

WOW!! I was surprised.

The BON meets every 2 months for this purpose, and so far this year (to summarize), an average of 30 nurses per 2 months have their licenses revoked. Another 15 or so have their licenses suspended. That's about 45 nurses every 2 months that essentially can't work.

Several of you have pointed out that sometimes a nurse is helpless if an angry doctor, or a malicious supervisor just decides to be an a$$.

I am about to retire after 40+ years as an RN. I personally have watched my current boss instigate the loss of license of 2 nurses over the last 10 years, and in both cases it was just because she didn't like the nurses. The charges were fabricated, but the nurses ended up having no recourse. For one of the nurses, I wrote a letter to the BON telling them the real story, but to no avail. It's a long story, but if I weren't retiring anyway, I would definitely be afraid!

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This thread piqued my interest, so I went to my BON website to see how many people lose their license in Alabama, a relatively small-populated state.

WOW!! I was surprised.

The BON meets every 2 months for this purpose, and so far this year (to summarize), an average of 30 nurses per 2 months have their licenses revoked. Another 15 or so have their licenses suspended. That's about 45 nurses every 2 months that essentially can't work.

Several of you have pointed out that sometimes a nurse is helpless if an angry doctor, or a malicious supervisor just decides to be an a$$.

I am about to retire after 40+ years as an RN. I personally have watched my current boss instigate the loss of license of 2 nurses over the last 10 years, and in both cases it was just because she didn't like the nurses. The charges were fabricated, but the nurses ended up having no recourse. For one of the nurses, I wrote a letter to the BON telling them the real story, but to no avail. It's a long story, but if I weren't retiring anyway, I would definitely be afraid!

Well put TiddlDwink. I think this speaks to the point that people are different, locations are different, supervisors are different, and boards are different. It simply doesn't make sense to speak with derision about people who are afraid of losing their licenses, and then back up this attitude with statements like "I've only seen ." Just because there is little reason to fear in your experience doesn't mean it's true for the entire country.

I do realize that most of the posts have been placed with the intent of easing the fears of those concerned about losing their licenses, and no derision was intended. Other posts seem to express derision implicitly.

Regards,

Mukfay

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I have to agree. I think most people have a very rational fear of being sued, fired, or losing their license. Some people just let the fear take over and the get into a full blown panic. I think some don't worry enough. There are always extremes on both sides. I have to say I think it is best to have some fear. It keeps you on your toes.

Healthy respect is appropriate. Fear is not.

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Every staff meeting we are scolded for not completing some sort of form or documentation to the satisfaction of TPTB. The closing statement by management is always "I don't want to see anyone lose their license". I regard this as a monthly threat intended to scare and dominate.

Frankly if the freaks in administration decide to act on their threat and I lose my license I plan to go tend bar. It would not be the worse day of my life if I lost my RN. I fear not, but agree the reality is, this is what nursing has become, big fish eats little fish.

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
probably some of these " thoughts " are from the fact that we are made to work under duress, or take unsafe assignments or lose our job.All it takes is one mistake. All it takes is a pt with lots of money and a lawyer.

Re: the doctors- well, they sometimes blow you off, and you are still responsible for the pt outcome. That's where the saying CYA comes from.I just had a recent incident of this where the doc didnt want to acknowledge the pt needing higher level of care. so now i have to document every conversation we have. luckily a new practitioner came on at shift change and agreed with me- pt ended up in ICU. Had i just ignored this, i very well could be blamed for failure to rescue. thats why people are afraid of losing their license. Some are more" paranoid " than others .

If an MD refuses a higher level of care, that's when calling a RR constitutes going up the chain of command.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

I've had some unpleasant working conditions in my time, including unsafe patient loads. I've never given a thought to actually losing my license because I've never done anything to risk it. Simply accepting a heavy load and doing ones best but failing to meet every demand, and every need and want, great and small, is not enough to make me worry about losing my license. I agree with Ruby, often it's just an excuse to get out of doing something someone doesn't really want to do in the first place.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
Oh yeah. I was surprised at how many (patient-care) related offenses it takes to just have your licensed placed on probation. Even in flagrant cases of addiction and drug diversion, probation is generally the first line.

I'll link you some of the funny ones I found one of these days.

Oh please do and I'll send you the one of that doozy I was talking about.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
I've had some unpleasant working conditions in my time, including unsafe patient loads. I've never given a thought to actually losing my license because I've never done anything to risk it. Simply accepting a heavy load and doing ones best but failing to meet every demand, and every need and want, great and small, is not enough to make me worry about losing my license. I agree with Ruby, often it's just an excuse to get out of doing something someone doesn't really want to do in the first place.

A goto defense mechanism for nurses.

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Specializes in PCCN.
If an MD refuses a higher level of care, that's when calling a RR constitutes going up the chain of command.

RR?

Actually, this is not new. We are constantly getting inappropriate patients. They always tell us that the ICU is full. Seriously, last week, we had a guy that we sent back and forth 3 TIMES!!! he currently is still in the ICU. I am contemplating going there- if i have take care of ICU level pts, i might as well go there and be trained properly,

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OP, I've noticed a trend in your threads...you seem to have a problem with new grads and new nurses in general, and particular, with those who stand up for themselves, call foul, when appropriate, try to protect themselves or their livelihoods, and demand more respect and better working conditions instead of just "putting up and shutting up". Just curious, why have you taken this on as a personal mission?

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I've never been afraid of loosing my license. Why would I set it free?

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Probably both. I know when I went to orientation (before I found out I would have to postpone) and even just the entrance exam the instructors did kind of give us a feeling of "any thing you do wrong will make you loose your license and pay a huge fine". Some work places do the same thing. Most people not in the nursing field also seem to believe it is very easy to lose a license.

I don't have a license yet but when I was working LTC, I knew I wanted to be a nurse, and I was terified of doing something or being implicated in something that would make me face legal reprocusions and keep me from ever getting into school or getting a license. I didn't quit for just one reason, there were a bunch of straws and I'm not really sure which one broke the camels back.

But it was the administration who had convinced everyone who worked there that they would face fines and legal action if they weren't perfect.

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