"Losing my license!"

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Many nurses, new and experienced, say they prefer to work at hospitals because there's less risk to their licensure. They make the claim that other settings (long term care, psychiatric facilities, rehab centers, home health, etc.) pose more of a risk to their licenses due to increased nurse/patient ratios, under-staffing, lack of supplies, less support, short orientations, and virtually nonexistent opportunities for important classes such as ACLS.

I commonly hear the phrase, "I'm putting my license on the line by working in a nursing home!"

Well, at least in the state where I live, the vast majority of the nurses have their licenses revoked due to substance abuse issues. In the state where I live, the vast majority of nurses who have disciplinary action taken against their licenses for deviating from the standard of care are working mostly at hospitals. Once in a blue moon, you will see a nurse with disciplinary action for practice issues who is employed for a nursing home or home health agency.

If you get bored or have time, click on the links below where you can read about individuals who have had actions taken against their licenses by the Texas BON.

https://www.bon.state.tx.us/disciplinaryaction/discp-action-072011.html

https://www.bon.state.tx.us/disciplinaryaction/discp-action-042011.html

https://www.bon.state.tx.us/disciplinaryaction/discp-action-012011.html

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Well just **** Commuter, you made my heart sink reading your headline. I thought you were losing your license. Don't do that to me!

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Specializes in ICU, step down, dialysis.

I agree, Commuter. I hear this all this time (ie lose my license), but they're not usually talking about working in nursing homes, etc; could be for about anything it seems. Same here in my state...the vast majority are drug offenses, very very few for other reasons. However, there have been a few more instances of the other reasons past few years, but that's only because it's now mandatory that facilities report issues with nurses to them. Before that it was only at their discretion.

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Specializes in ER.

I just clicked on a few random ones; by no means did I go through them all. I only found one that seemed like a mistake (failed to transcribe some stuff to MAR). The rest I checked were drug offenses, stealing meds (narcotics) from patients, and so on. The only thing I was kind of suprised at was that the nurses' full addresses were still listed. I expected at least the street address to be blocked before being posted for the internet.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Well just **** Commuter, you made my heart sink reading your headline. I thought you were losing your license. Don't do that to me!
Dang! My heart would sink and flutter if I discovered I was losing my license!
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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.
Well just **** Commuter, you made my heart sink reading your headline. I thought you were losing your license. Don't do that to me!

Me, too! I'm like WTH!!

Back to your OP: My state is the same. Most of the disliplinary actions were impared nurses or something r/t drugs.

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Specializes in LTC currently.

I agree with the commuter, I hear lots of nurses saying they going to lose their license in long term care, rehab and skilled nursing, but I have never seen a nurse lose it working in that setting. I think some use it as a justification for wanting to work in the hospital. Seems like schools only pump students up to think that critical care and hospital nursing is the only way to go. Gives some a sense of feeling more important than other nurses who don't work in acute care

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Good grief, Commuter! I thought the same thing, don't give me palpitations like that, k?

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Specializes in Psych.

I've working in long term care forever and the only people who "lost" their license was because of something they did, mostly diverting. And they only lost their license because they didn't do the things the BON told them they had to do. Often they didn't show up for their hearings, or do the counseling they were supposed to do. If it's not for diverting more often then not their license gets reprimanded, and they may have to take a documentation course, or a medication course.

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I think the title of this thread is misleading.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I think the title of this thread is misleading.
Although the title may or may not be slightly misleading, I selected it expressly to capture people's attention.
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Specializes in wound care.

its a little misleading but , still true

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