scary scary thought.

justme1972 · Apr 16, 2007

I read the same thing on my state's website.

There were really scary accusations such as "refusal to revive", and more substance abuse and DUI cases than I care to count....together they were the #1 cause of license dismissal. Alot of them were neglect from LTC facilities, etc.

If you are a law-abiding citizen, it would be hard to pull your license...Yes mistakes are made, but a DUI isn't a mistake, it's stupid.

shippoRN · Apr 16, 2007

I read the same thing on my state's website.
There were really scary accusations such as "refusal to revive", and more substance abuse and DUI cases than I care to count....together they were the #1 cause of license dismissal. Alot of them were neglect from LTC facilities, etc.
If you are a law-abiding citizen, it would be hard to pull your license...Yes mistakes are made, but a DUI isn't a mistake, it's stupid.

This is true, plus I don't have a car, and I am not a fan of liquor truth be told. I'll have it once in a blue moon but i would not be so stupid as to drink and drive. I just didn't know you could have your nursing license revoked for DUI's. Well my logic is that the DUI would happen ( I assume) on personal time so I wouldn't have thought it would have any repercussions on your nursing license. Unless of course a fatality was involved. I guess its something I really don't understand.

I wonder if the same thing happens to MD's or any other Allied Health Profession.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2007

mystiqx. . .this is just one of the public services that your state board of nursing performs. someone has to do it or, believe me, there would be quacks and charlatans who would figure out how to practice nursing and very likely end up injuring helpless patients, one of whom could be you or one of your relatives. you don't want to go through the emotional upheaval of having to deal with that.

not too long ago, it was very common for an employer to make a xerox copy of a nurse's license when they applied for a job or were hired to verify they had a license. turned out that some "creative" people who got access to these xerox'd copies of people's licenses made their own copies and went out getting jobs representing themselves as those nurses. i remember when the ohio board of nursing made a big announcement to the nurses about not allowing anyone to photocopy their licenses because of this. there were still employers who were insisting on continuing this practice. i don't think it happens anymore today because human resource people are more informed of the law.

you have to understand that there are a lot of people in the world. there are always going to be people who are going to try to take short cuts around the system if they can, people who slipped through the cracks and got through nursing school who really shouldn't be in nursing because they are performing acts of malpractice, and people who are going to break the law that affects the safety of patient care. you don't want someone who was killing patients and served a prison sentence in one state to get out, move to another state and get another license so they can start with a clean slate to do the same monkey business. that, unfortunately, is how the world has become. someone has to monitor all this activity. and, we really are all much better off because of it.

it is interesting to read through these disciplinary actions though, isn't it? most of them are drug and alcohol related of a personal nature or narcotic diversion (stealing narcotics)--at least the ones i've seen. far fewer are the really intriguing ones that involve patient incidents or injuries. those are the ones i'd like to see more information about because those are the nurses that probably shouldn't have gotten their licenses in the first place!

a very sad observation i've made over the years (because i've worked the acute hospitals and ltc) is that nurses who can't "cut it" in the acute hospitals often end up working in ltc and that includes poor excuses for managers and supervisors. i can't tell you how many poor excuses for nurses i've seen working in ltc. to be fair, i've also seen some marvelously caring nurses and cnas in these facilities as well. however, the foul-ups will sometimes come up against a good manager or supervisor who won't ignore the malpractice they see (the neglect) and they start to clean house. some of these really bad nurses are really too dumb to realize that they might get into deep trouble by their actions, which in my book is justification enough to report them and get them out of the profession.

you will see questions on the forums from time to time about the struggle of reporting or not reporting wrongdoing that someone observes in another student or instructor. the thing that people struggle with is it fair to give someone a break. the problem is we don't know if the person erred before and how many other breaks they may have been given in the past. sometimes that is really crucial information to know in order to make a decision. some people who manipulate the system take advantage of the good nature of people and are smart enough to move on when they use up their second chance making them harder to catch. with organizations like the state boards, this is less likely to happen as long as the good nurses do their part and report these bad practice nurses.

anonymurse · Apr 16, 2007

This was like a wake up call to me, no matter how hard I work for this, I always have to be on my p's and q's because while it may take me years to get where I want to be, it will only take a second to take it all away. Just my 1 am thoughts...scary.

Yah, I had the same reservations but then I came up with a few things:

1. When you get through with nursing school you will have some ingrained habits that will come as naturally to you as not stealing, not lying, not cheating, not covering up, and all those things you already do. And those things you already do will protect you, because the things you can lose a license over the first time pretty much boil down only to those things. You will read some horror stories from "victims," but to balance that out, go watch the Board in action some time. I feel they are very understanding that we are all human and make mistakes. And if you read the disciplinary actions carefully, you'll realize you only need worry if you think it's possible for you to accidentally steal a patient's belongings and so forth.

2. There are a whole lot of things you see every day that are far scarier. You can't get through one day of driving without seeing people gambling their very lives and those of their kids and of course those of numerous strangers for no possible gain (unless shaving 30 seconds off a car ride is really worth anything). So where you may think that by entering nursing, you are putting yourself in a touchy situation, it is far safer, with far more gentle consequences, than putting yourself in commuter-hour or happy-hour traffic with everyday folks. And of course the potential gain is appreciable, both for yourself and society.

3. If you are still worried, try running a poll here and offer choices for RNs like (1) never in trouble with board, (2) reprimanded but no worse, (3) conditions imposed on license but no worse, (4) license suspended but no worse, (5) license revoked. I feel fairly confident you'd be much comforted by your findings.

jewelsg627 · Apr 16, 2007

grand larceny (which I have no idea what that one means)

Grand larceny = theft of property worth $200+

Damn. Wonder if my state has something like that site. Creepy. But, then again, useful, I suppose for those interested. (maybe if you don't trust your nurse, etc.????)

HikingNinja, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 16, 2007

Yes, anyone can lose all they've worked for in a heart beat. Here's a non-nursing example. I have a friend who worked in law enforcement for many years. Very nice guy, well respected and liked. One night he, his girlfriend and another passenger went out, had a few too many drinks and he flipped the car driving home drunk. Killed them, injured himself. His life is basically over. He's going to jail for manslaughter and he'll be an old man when he gets out. His life is completely ruined. Over one stupid mistake. It's sad, and an extreme case, but it really made me think and put my priorities in order. I'm not going to do anything that could harm someone else like that or ruin my life and my family's life. A couple of glasses of wine aren't worth my future.

Dee

justme1972 · Apr 16, 2007

This is true, plus I don't have a car, and I am not a fan of liquor truth be told. I'll have it once in a blue moon but i would not be so stupid as to drink and drive. I just didn't know you could have your nursing license revoked for DUI's. Well my logic is that the DUI would happen ( I assume) on personal time so I wouldn't have thought it would have any repercussions on your nursing license. Unless of course a fatality was involved. I guess its something I really don't understand.
I wonder if the same thing happens to MD's or any other Allied Health Profession.

It does, because it can suggest a substance abuse problem.

It also has to do with a licensing issue...most states, in regards to professional licenses, you are obligated to report to them if you are convicted of a crime other than a minor traffic violation.

If you can't get a license with a criminal record, why should you be able to KEEP one, especially if the charges are NEW?