Reasons to lose nursing license?

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Just curious what are some reasons why a nurse would lose her license or go to jail? Just curious if anyone has any stories?

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

I hear the "I don't want to lose my license" line whenever someone doesn't want to do something and bully other people into doing things she doesn't want to do. We have a nurse who was hired to cover weekends who has managed to stretch her orientation going on six months because she's afraid of losing her license. And it's over the dumbest things! Naturally.

My my other favorite is "its policy" when really there is no policy.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

There is a case in the media currently in Australia, woman who had a c section for here first birth due to complications of delivery wanted a home birth for her second. Employed the services of a midwife. Turns out midwife had surrendered her registration 2 years prior due to complaints and incidents. ?....

Woman delivers at home, massive PPH. Midwife ignored issue and gave a herbal remedy. Mother and father requested an ambulance be called, midwife refused ( this is where it gets weird for me.....why didn't hubby just call?) Woman becomes more unwell, ambulance finally called, dies at hospital.

The nursing and midwifery board are unable to do anything because she surrendered her registration previously.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
OMG that line is so old and so used.

Amen.

And I have yet to know a Nurse who has lost their license.

This thread is a good thing. At least now I know losing one's license truly does exist.

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Specializes in Hospice.

This won't get your license revoked, but the BON can decline to renew it if you default on school loans or skip out on child support payments.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I heard a story from an instructor that when she worked for another school, a student faked having cancer, school started a scholarship in her name, and she started working on a bone marrow transplant floor. She ended up overdosing and her friend took her to the ER and stated that she had cancer. When the ER doctor started examining her, he found that there was nothing under her bandages. Her license was suspended pending a psych evaluation. Our class happened to attend the BON hearing that involved her case. They permanently revoked her license.

Ind. nursing student faked terminal illness

Poor caregiver must've gotten quite the shock when that woman leapt out of wheelchair with her bum arm to quote, attack her with a toilet lid. Too funny.

I take my kicks where I can get them.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
This won't get your license revoked, but the BON can decline to renew it if you default on school loans

Interestingly, I defaulted on a school loan from the Hospital I worked at while going from LPN to RN.

I had a contract to work for the Hospital for 2 years after they paid for my tuition. I quit a few months after getting my RN because the environment became, in an adjudicator's words, "an unfair workplace".

Sometime later, the Hospital's Lawyers sent me a letter stating that I owed the Hospital for breach of contract. I wrote a letter back giving the rationale for the breach and never heard from them again.

Sic semper tyrannis.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Only know one rn who lost their license. Failure to follow up with mandatory testing after suspension of license for diversion.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

So what about the big "patient abandonment" issue that some employers like to toss around to force their staff to work overtime, threatening that if they leave they will be charged with abandonment and lose their license? I know this is probably a bunch of hooey used to scare nurses, but it does make you wonder.

One reason why I just left the position that I was still in orientation for was because they were known to do this: if they were really short staffed on a particular shift because of staff call offs, they would refuse to take the keys to the med cart from the nurse who had been there for eight hours and tell her that unless she had another nurse to physically hand the keys off to, she would be charged with abandonment and her license would be in jeopardy. This didn't happen a lot, they usually just made the other nurses work short, but it did happen and even though I seriously doubt if leaving after the shift that you agreed to work, with or without a replacement, would make the BON pull your license, I wasn't up for these kinds of silly mind games and manipulations.

Does anyone know what constitutes abandonment and if you truly can lose your license? I realize each state may be different.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
So what about the big "patient abandonment" issue that some employers like to toss around to force their staff to work overtime, threatening that if they leave they will be charged with abandonment and lose their license? I know this is probably a bunch of hooey used to scare nurses, but it does make you wonder.

One reason why I just left the position that I was still in orientation for was because they were known to do this: if they were really short staffed on a particular shift because of staff call offs, they would refuse to take the keys to the med cart from the nurse who had been there for eight hours and tell her that unless she had another nurse to physically hand the keys off to, she would be charged with abandonment and her license would be in jeopardy. This didn't happen a lot, they usually just made the other nurses work short, but it did happen and even though I seriously doubt if leaving after the shift that you agreed to work, with or without a replacement, would make the BON pull your license, I wasn't up for these kinds of silly mind games and manipulations.

Does anyone know what constitutes abandonment and if you truly can lose your license? I realize each state may be different.

The one case I read the nurse accepted the keys took report then told the charge nurse she wasn't taking the load, said she hadn't deleted the recorded AM report& handed off keys(did not count narcotics) and left. Charge nurse did not accept the patient load (couldn't the nurse walked out) and called DoN.

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i practice in texas, and every three months they send a newsletter that lists the name, license number and type and whether their license was suspended, revoked or surrendered. you can look online to see the actual documentation of the case. its enlightening, scary and crazy what some people do.

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I had a husband and wife team of coworkers arrested on the floor by DEA for drug diversion.

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Specializes in Step-down, ICU, med-surg, oncology.
So what about the big "patient abandonment" issue that some employers like to toss around to force their staff to work overtime, threatening that if they leave they will be charged with abandonment and lose their license? I know this is probably a bunch of hooey used to scare nurses, but it does make you wonder.

One reason why I just left the position that I was still in orientation for was because they were known to do this: if they were really short staffed on a particular shift because of staff call offs, they would refuse to take the keys to the med cart from the nurse who had been there for eight hours and tell her that unless she had another nurse to physically hand the keys off to, she would be charged with abandonment and her license would be in jeopardy. This didn't happen a lot, they usually just made the other nurses work short, but it did happen and even though I seriously doubt if leaving after the shift that you agreed to work, with or without a replacement, would make the BON pull your license, I wasn't up for these kinds of silly mind games and manipulations.

Does anyone know what constitutes abandonment and if you truly can lose your license? I realize each state may be different.

Abandonment is real, and yes I have seen nurses have their licences suspended. Each BON defines abandonment and you really need to know what defines abandonment in your own state. The cases that I have been a witness to included sleeping on the job, leaving the floor without reporting off to another nurse, and leaving after a shift without reporting off to the next nurse. These were not one time offenses. Each person continuously made the same offense after being reprimanded multiple times. Upon being fired, they were reported to the BON. This is how Louisiana defines abandonment.

Two criteria must be met for patient abandonment to have occurred:1. The nurse accepted a patient assignment and established a nurse-patient relationship.

2. The nurse severed the relationship without giving notice to another care taker, thus creating a new nurse-patient relationship and continuation of care.

Patient abandonment complaints that are investigated and found to have met the aforementioned criteria may result in disciplinary action according to LAC 46:XLVII.3405 under the following:

- Leaving a nursing assignment without properly notifying appropriate personnel

- Failure to utilize appropriate judgment

- Failure to practice nursing in accordance with the legal standards of nursing practice

The following are examples of patient abandonment:

- Nurse accepts a patient assignment and then leaves the facility without reporting off on his/her patients and fails to notify staff and or supervisors about leaving.

- Nurse sleeping on duty without supervisory approval and is unavailable for the patients assigned to his/hercare.

- Nurse does not report for an assignment and does not notify the supervisor and the nurse is the sole provider of care, such as home health, private duty or hospice.

There is a difference between patient abandonment and employment abandonment. Louisiana State Board of Nursing

(LSBN) does not have authority over employment issues; therefore the licensee would not be subject to disciplinary action by LSBN. The following are examples of employment issues:

- Nurse completes his/her shift, reports off on assigned patients and abruptly quits.

- Nurse severs employment without a two weeks' notice.

- Nurse is a no-call no-show (unless he/she is the sole provider as previously noted).

- Nurse declines to work beyond his/her regularly scheduled shift and does not inform the employer that he/she is unable to do so.

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