suspended license

Nurses General Nursing

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Any feedback would be greatly appreciated here! I have been an RN for 15 years in every realm of nursing,but my license has been recently suspended indefinitely due to an honest narcotics mistake in a long term health care facility last January(2004).In the meantime,I have been unable to obtain a nursing position and know that I have done enough time in inpatient settings,so chose to take another route and pursue forensic nursing.Because my license is suspended and the state holds that the MSO4 count was off when I was in charge(the only RN in a 62 bed facility,supervising LNA's,suctioning,etc with no backup),what are my perspectives for future employment as a forensic nurse? I am currently enrolled on the Kaplan college certification course and am wondering if it's a waste of time-I'm 2/3 done! Anybody with any similar circumstances,insight,advice,orexperience,please reply. JMB62

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With all due respect: The title is Nurse; and most people don't hear what comes before or after that.

I believe this is one of the few places where such silliness ought to be tolerated; and I see things here which might be humorous were they not horrifying.

I see toleration of a low standard of literacy among nurses (yourself excepted, of course). I guarantee this problem threatens patients' lives.

I see nurses who can't utter the word member, as if "thing," "member," and "you know what," are preferable to the language of health science.

Tolerant are you of such things? Tolerant should you be?

I think we should see none of it, especially on a nursing board.

I'm sorry (or maybe I'm not sorry) but I agree with the poster who called you on your terminology. No one is allowed to call themselves a nurse if they are not an LVN or RN. To portray yourself as a nurse, even UNregistered (and I have never heard of an unregistered nurse) is misleading to your clients and to the public, and a slap in the face to those of us who sat the NCLEX and passed it.

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Please lighten up. I had hoped I might find myself among friends here as I always do among real nurses.

With all due respect: The title is Nurse; and most people don't hear what comes before or after that.

I believe this is one of the few places where such silliness ought to be tolerated; and I see things here which might be humorous were they not horrifying.

I see toleration of a low standard of literacy among nurses (yourself excepted, of course). I guarantee this problem threatens patients' lives.

I see nurses who can't utter the word member, as if "thing," "member," and "you know what," are preferable to the language of health science.

Tolerant are you of such things? Tolerant should you be?

I think we should see none of it, especially on a nursing board.

First, Suzanne is one of the most fair and tolerant "real" nurses that I have encountered in cyberspace. It does you no credit to insult her, or anyone of her caliber.

Second, "real" nurses are licensed nurses, and anyone that uses the term "unregistered nurse"to describe themselves is likely to do so at legal peril (as you are experiencing) as well, as will probably offend the majority of the posters here. A friend to "real nurses" does not recognize the title "unregistered nurse".

Describing this as "silliness" also degrades the professionals here. There is no need to be tolerant of things that degrade and harm our profession. And Nursing is a Profession, requiring licensure. Accepting anything less harms the profession and the patients under your care.

Under what BON do you function as an "unregistered nurse"?

I agree with the poster who called you on your terminology. No one is allowed to call themselves a nurse if they are not an LVN or RN.

"the poster" to whom you refer is an administrator here. Why am I not impressed that you support her?

As for calling oneself "nurse," have you forgotten LPN, CNA, FNP, and ANP? Have I missed anyone? What about the first nurse of all time? Was he/she "registered"?

Your attitude is too defensive. You should know that NP's are now recognized as "physicians" where medical insurance is concerned, and the MD's of my favorite practice call their NP's "doctor."

You guys are way too uptight.:uhoh3:

"the poster" to whom you refer is an administrator here. Why am I not impressed that you support her?

As for calling oneself "nurse," have you forgotten LPN, CNA, FNP, and ANP? Have I missed anyone? What about the first nurse of all time? Was he/she "registered"?

Your attitude is too defensive. You should know that NP's are now recognized as "physicians" where medical insurance is concerned, and the MD's of my favorite practice call their NP's "doctor."

You guys are way too uptight.:uhoh3:

LPNs and LVNs are the same thing just different title in different states FNPs and ANPs are RNs with advanced degrees CNAs are NOT nurses nor are they allowed by law to adresss themselves as such. They are still a valuable part of the health care team but they are not nurses, nor are NPs doctors and to call themselves such is a CRIMINAL act in most if not all states.

... Describing this as "silliness" also degrades the professionals here. ...

What "silliness" do you suppose I was describing?

Nursing is a Profession, requiring licensure.

No kidding.

There is no need to be tolerant of things that degrade and harm our profession.

How does my joke degrade you.

How does it harm the nursing profession?

How does it harm your patients?

LPNs and LVNs are the same thing just different title in different states FNPs and ANPs are RNs with advanced degrees CNAs are NOT nurses nor are they allowed by law to adresss themselves as such. They are still a valuable part of the health care team but they are not nurses, nor are NPs doctors and to call themselves such is a CRIMINAL act in most if not all states.

Like I said: You guys are way too uptight.

How about you respond to my criticism of the level of literacy reflected here; or the juvenile (and unprofessional) expressions being used here in reference to the member? Such things indicate the grade of persons exhibiting them. If an increasing number of nurses exhibit a low level of professionalism, then the profession may be said to be degraded. The behaviour of outsiders does not degrade your profession. It is the insiders who do that.

So lignten up will you? :trout:

Ok, I'm really confused. You said in your post that the state of Oregon pulled your 'number'. Does this mean you are a licensed medical professional of some kind? If you are not a nurse, what are you legally in the state of Oregon? Doesn't Oregon have laws that prevent one from practicing as a nurse or physician if one does not have the proper license? Is that what your hearing is about, that you handled narcotics and had no legal permission to do so? Whoa. Very confusing.

Ok, I'm really confused. You said in your post that the state of Oregon pulled your 'number'. Does this mean you are a licensed medical professional of some kind? If you are not a nurse, what are you legally in the state of Oregon? Doesn't Oregon have laws that prevent one from practicing as a nurse or physician if one does not have the proper license? Is that what your hearing is about, that you handled narcotics and had no legal permission to do so? Whoa. Very confusing.

Thank you, tencat, for your response. I just re-read my original post for a clue as to how I had suddenly engendered so much animosity here in a realm where I had hoped to find sympathy. Still puzzling that out.

To answer your question. We are not currently required to be licensed. We are "enrolled" and issued a "provider number." This allows us to be paid, by the state, for our services, even though the state has denied being our employer (too complicated to discuss in this post).

The legal status of Oregon Homecare Workers has evolved considerably over the dozen years I have been with the program (they used to call us: Client-Employed Providers). Over the years I have served concurrently with the state program, with a private agency, and as a freelance provider. Oregon recognizes that many aspects of home health care fall short of "skilled" nursing services. Even so, whatever skill I possess as a result of my background may be exploited by PT's, OT's, RN's, or MD's by way of "assignment" or "delegation." In that context I have performed various functions including but not limited to: medication management, and post-surgical wound care. You might imagine how much this arrangement saves the state in money and convenience.

I would like to see this occupation licensed but the majority of people serving the program are not trained in anything at all. I am an oddity in that respect.

Yes, Oregon has adequate laws to protect the public. But there is no law to prevent my patients from calling me "doctor." :lol2:

The bit about the narcotics is what inspired me to ask you all for sympathy. I will address that in my next post.

(The hearing is a complex matter. Can we discuss that privately?)

:balloons:

Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.
As for calling oneself "nurse," have you forgotten LPN, CNA, FNP, and ANP? Have I missed anyone? What about the first nurse of all time? Was he/she "registered"?

Curent law in most states says you may call yourself a nurse when you have completed an appropriate course of study and passed a qualifying exam for an RN or LPN (Advanced practice nurses are by definition nurses, having accomplished that first step prior to advancing their practice. My state requires APN's to maintain their RN licensure as well.) A nursing assistant or patient care technician is not a nurse. Similarly, APN's are not doctors, no matter what a doctor chooses to call them. We all have our roles and titles. You may post forever and will not likely ever convince a board full of registered and licensed nurses that calling yourself one without the education and license is OK.

The bit about the narcotics is what inspired me to ask you all for sympathy. I will address that in my next post.:balloons:

My employer's whiney daughter, assisted by her (devoted) husband (tax lawyer) brought an official complaint against me which included, among other things, a statement by the husband saying that I "forced" his wife to sign for her mother's "prescription medication." He asserts that I had no right to withhold the patient's medication from his wife.

What he does not say, and perhaps wishes his honor not to know, is that I required the patient's daughter to sign for the Percocet only. I did not require her to sign for any other medication; only for the narcotic. Seems to me it was the prudent thing to do. The woman had been trying for some time to get me fired from the case. Had I not documented the handoff, she would have had an excellent opportunity to make her wish come true. Failing that, she was forced to fabricate other charges, however weak and ludicrous they may seem to those who know the history.

Good thing I kept a record of that transaction. Yes?

Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

Probably not.

What regulations do you have to follow to maintain a provider number? Is there a scope of practice spelled out?

The daughter is the primary caregiver for the pt. She has the ultimate responsibility for the pt. Once she was out of the area, you no longer had any responsibility for her.

How did you document the narcotics? Is there some sort of policy that you followed, or did you just make this up for this particular situation? To whom would you have reported a discrepancy, if one had occured?

If that pt's daughter felt "forced" to sign in order to get the meds, she very well may have a case. If someone had treated me the same way, I wouldn't have appreciated it, either. You took an already antagonistic situation and made it even worse.

Had you been a licensed nurse, you would have been aware of the rules and regs. regarding narcotic administration. I'm not saying there isn't a place for home care workers, but they need to know their boundaries.

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Curent law in most states says you may call yourself a nurse when you have completed an appropriate course of study and passed a qualifying exam for an RN or LPN (Advanced practice nurses are by definition nurses, having accomplished that first step prior to advancing their practice. My state requires APN's to maintain their RN licensure as well.) A nursing assistant or patient care technician is not a nurse. Similarly, APN's are not doctors, no matter what a doctor chooses to call them. We all have our roles and titles. You may post forever and will not likely ever convince a board full of registered and licensed nurses that calling yourself one without the education and license is OK.

And, to add to this excellent post, here is the link to the Oregon State Board of Nursing:

http://egov.oregon.gov/OSBN/pdfs/npa/ORS.pdf#search='The%20title%20of%20nurse%20in%20the%20state%20of%20Oregon'

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