Members are discussing the importance of renewing nursing licenses on time and sharing personal experiences with license renewal processes. Some members highlight the consequences of not renewing on time, while others share tips on organizing renewal documents. There is also a conversation about the potential disciplinary actions for working with an expired license and the importance of taking responsibility for license renewal.
I messed up. My RN license expired 5 weeks ago, and I just realized it yesterday. I've been working on an expired license for 5 weeks!
I know that it is my responsibility, and I dropped the ball. But here are my excuses: I currently work in occupational health as a contractor. In the past, my manager would alert the staff as to when their RN license was about to expire. No such entity exists at my current job. Also: I moved recently. I didn't recieve the renewal notice for the BON. (I also didn't alert the BON as to my change of address, so there you go.) Again, I understand that these aren't valid excuses, and I feel really REALLY stupid.
I'm up to date on all of my CEUs. I'm going back for my BSN, so I have tons of credits. There have been zero issues with my license in the past, and for what it's worth, my current job can be considered "Nursing Lite". I do not give out meds or treat patients. I essentially take vital signs and give hearing and vision tests. I do sign 'RN" after my name, and I know that it is necessary for an RN to do my job, however.
My question: What kind of penalties can I expect? Is there anything I can do or say to the board that might help? I have the ultimate goal of becoming an NP, and I don't want a mark on my license to keep me from getting accepted into an NP program. I love my job, and I don't want to get my employer into trouble or make any waves.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
I once worked with a lapsed CPR card. I could have SWORN I'd renewed the previous year, but no, on checking dates 2 years had flown by. Just had to take the slightly more expensive full-meal-deal class instead of the cheaper renewal class.
I'm sending good thoughts that the BON in your state isn't trigger-happy and lets you renew on the spot with a stern warning. Your track record should stand you in good stead. Good luck.
*giving you side eye*, please next time, put a reminder on your phone or something..your license expiration date is something you are suppose to remember like its your date of birth. yes, like you said it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your license is valid... but good luck with the renewal, Best wishes.
No side eye here ? but I do agree that you should memorize your expiration date. You should also have your license number memorized if you don't as well. I know tons of people who don't - that just seems strange to me. But maybe I'm the weirdo? I also have my DL number memorized, and people find that strange.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
HouTx said:
In my state, licenses expire on the last day of your birth month.... matched to either even or odd years. So, if you are born on March 15, 1970- your next license renewal date would be March 31, 2016...... easy peasy.
That would be nice. As OP is in PA, it's not quite so easy to remember- licenses expire at either the end of October or the end of April, in an odd or even year based on the year? month? you were born. Some people (like yours truly) were issued an initial license that didn't last much more than a year, even though the license period is supposed to be 2 years. Guess it makes it easier for the BON- only issuing renewals twice a year, but not so easy for those holding the license.
Make sure you inform your supervisor, human resources, and your state BON today. You may have to take a leave of absence until it is renewed. It was an honest mistake..and the worst thing to do is keep your employer in the dark. Then it would be a dishonest mistake.
I bet this will be a mistake that you only make once. Best of luck!
This happened to a nurse I work with, a few years ago. Her license had expired about four weeks before she discovered she hadn't renewed it. I seem to remember that it took about two weeks to reinstate, and she didn't receive a fine or reprimand from the BON.
She came back to work after the two weeks, and that was that ! Best wishes .
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I'm certain your positive reputation, preparation and professional attitude were in your favor; you figured out what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. Accepting personal and professional responsibility is always appreciated.
If someone walked in with a rude, disruptive demeanor blaming everyone but themselves I doubt they would have had such a quick, positive resolution.
Thanks for the reply. I am off work until Monday, and I'm driving down to the BON on Friday to hand deliver my paperwork. Any idea of the chances of my getting my license reinstated that day?
Thank you for the advice and the good will. I do accept responsibility, which I felt I made clear in the original post. But I am human, and I made a mistake. My address info is updated. My BON does have walk in hours. I am going to call and make sure that I have all the paperwork ready before I make the 3 hour drive to the office. My state has a 30 day grace period, which expired last week.
I have been a nurse for 8 years and I have never had any issues with the board. I don't expect to get off scott free, but I think that suspending my license, or jeopardizing my current job and future career is excessive. I understand that practicing with an expired license is serious, but I hardly think that forgetting to renew my license for a handful of weeks makes me history's greatest monster.
I did a little research into disciplinary actions, and it looks like the people who were fined and reprimanded were working under an expired license for a very long time. 14 months in one case ($1000 fine and a mark on the record) and over 3 years in another ($1500 fine and a mark on the record). These were from 2008 and 2011 respectively. I couldn't find anything from 2011 until present.
I put a call into the Board, and I'm waiting on a call back. I will keep you updated.
*giving you side eye*, please next time, put a reminder on your phone or something..your license expiration date is something you are suppose to remember like its your date of birth. yes, like you said it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your license is valid... but good luck with the renewal, Best wishes.
Oh my it's another nurse who isn't 100% perfect! I was beginning to think I was the only one!
Thank you so much for sending me the good thoughts. It sincerely means a lot to me. I haven't slept in 2 days because of this, and your reply genuinely made me feel better.
I spoke to my employer, and they are totally fine with me doing non-nurse duties (i.e. tons of paperwork.) until I get this resolved. They were very understanding "Hey, it happens. Just do us a favor and don't do it again." was the extent of it.
Today I also spoke to the department head at the school I'm currently attending. This is the school I intend to go to for my NP. I wasn't taking classes while me license was expired, so that's fine. She told me that in her experience, a permanent disciplinary action on my license for something like this would be completely unprecedented, and she would be shocked if the board took it that far.
I'll know more by Friday. Thank you again for the good vibes.
TriciaJ, RN
4,328 Posts
I once worked with a lapsed CPR card. I could have SWORN I'd renewed the previous year, but no, on checking dates 2 years had flown by. Just had to take the slightly more expensive full-meal-deal class instead of the cheaper renewal class.
I'm sending good thoughts that the BON in your state isn't trigger-happy and lets you renew on the spot with a stern warning.
Your track record should stand you in good stead. Good luck.