The urban legend of license loss

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For many years, I worked as a Psych NP in forensics, where we had a large population of inmates who would threaten suicide if they were discharged back to prison. This was usually after observing them closely for months, and finding them to be very stable. Often not even mentally ill at all.

An outside extreme liberal watchdog agency was breathing down our necks.

When the inmates were presented for discharge at a large committee meeting, I observed the assigned social workers threatened in a thinly veiled manner of license loss, should the inmate return to prison and commit suicide.

It was completely manipulative on the part of the supervisors. Totally untrue. Every year, a couple dozen inmates commit suicide in my state, and nobody loses their license unless they provide the rope.

Extremely manipulative, but effective. The administration had the social workers running scared. People were leaving meetings crying. Until I told a social worker to go home and google it.

The Internet is such an amazing thing. Who knew? Mental health professionals are so rarely losing their license after a suicide, you can say it's essentially non existent.

Psychiatric professional do get into legal trouble for other things. If you don't know what they are, you should research it.

If you are an NP working as an RN ( why?) you had better do substantial research.

But there are a ton of urban legends circulating.

You can be fired in the US, because someone just doesn't like you. Not the same as license loss.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

License loss comes usually in the form of multiple issues:

1. Multiple malpractice suits that are founded

2. Substance abuse

3. Deliberately assaulting a pt

4. Killing a pt

These are what I've seen....what else do you think would results in license loss?

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

License revocation is the most extreme form of sanction and it's not as common as we think. Acts that would lead to license revocation typically involve criminal acts such as drug diversion or substance abuse as traumaRUs mentioned. Obtaining a license through fraud is also ground for license revocation.

There is an old statistical data from NCSBN about these: https://www.ncsbn.org/09_AnalysisofNursysData_Vol39_WEB.pdf

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

Interesting topic. I recently read an article about a PMHNP (along with the hospital where she worked) being found liable for a patient's suicide. The NP was on suspended for 6 months but license wasn't revoked.

I'm wondering though, even though the license wasn't revoked, the disciplinary action is public and searchable by prospective employers. Wouldn't that make it nearly impossible for the NP to find another job?

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Specializes in Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care.
16 hours ago, umbdude said:

Interesting topic. I recently read an article about a PMHNP (along with the hospital where she worked) being found liable for a patient's suicide. The NP was on suspended for 6 months but license wasn't revoked.

I'm wondering though, even though the license wasn't revoked, the disciplinary action is public and searchable by prospective employers. Wouldn't that make it nearly impossible for the NP to find another job?

Likely. I'm not a fan of being able to read the detailed reports the Board writes. It's bad enough that something happened and I'd imagine it would be hard to get a job. It's similar to a criminal conviction in so far as the stigma attached to it. I put myself in the shoes of the people being discipline, because let's face it, it could happen to anybody. The real 'urban legend' is that everybody disciplined or heck even in the criminal world everybody sent to prison is guilty.

I think we should have more empathy towards these folks because, again, we all make mistakes in life and it could happen to any of us. When I had a close colleague disciplined, it really hit home. Yet I still hear people being judgy about it.

Anyway, I would suppose it to be very difficult to get a job after discipline.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.
19 hours ago, Neuro Guy NP said:

Likely. I'm not a fan of being able to read the detailed reports the Board writes. It's bad enough that something happened and I'd imagine it would be hard to get a job. It's similar to a criminal conviction in so far as the stigma attached to it. I put myself in the shoes of the people being discipline, because let's face it, it could happen to anybody. The real 'urban legend' is that everybody disciplined or heck even in the criminal world everybody sent to prison is guilty.

I think we should have more empathy towards these folks because, again, we all make mistakes in life and it could happen to any of us. When I had a close colleague disciplined, it really hit home. Yet I still hear people being judgy about it.

Anyway, I would suppose it to be very difficult to get a job after discipline.

THIS!!! Its really easy to sit back and read the BON reports. Empathy and compassion go a long ways

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.
On 3/25/2019 at 10:51 AM, Neuro Guy NP said:

I think we should have more empathy towards these folks because, again, we all make mistakes in life and it could happen to any of us. When I had a close colleague disciplined, it really hit home. Yet I still hear people being judgy about it.

Second this. The healthcare environment nowadays is so fragmented and rushed, yet patients are more complicated than ever. I think BONs should expunge disciplinary actions if the NP practices without any incidents after a certain amount of time.

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