By Although we’d like to believe that every nurse is a good person with good intentions, we can’t ignore the fact that every year, state nursing boards revoke dozens of licenses.
While some of these men and women lose them for non-nurse related activities, others suffer the consequences of patient endangerment or worse. The threat of having your license revoked is ever-present and it’s important to know just what activities can take it away. Here are some of the most common nursing license suspension reasons:
1. Addicted Nurse Not in Good Recovery Program
We’ve all heard the story – the nurse with the back pain who gets prescribed Vicodin. After her pain has subsided, she slips herself a painkiller on the side. And then a few more. And more still. Soon, she is addicted. While abusing narcotics is reason enough to lose your nursing license, many boards will suspend your license and require you to enter an addiction recovery group. There are even recovery groups just for nurses.
If you complete therapy and remain clean, you can retain your license. However, if you refuse to enter recovery or continue to abuse substances while in recovery, your state board can revoke your license. Because nurses are near so many prescriptions, employers know that some may be tempted to indulge. So think again if you’re toying with the idea of slipping a few pills under the table.
2. Impersonating Another Licensed Practitioner
Believe it or not, this happens. And employers sometimes don’t catch it for years. A wannabe nurse may have a felony conviction that will prevent him from getting a license, or she may have had her own license revoked in the past. Whatever the case, identity theft is plausible if these “nurses” can obtain the correct papers. If you’re caught impersonating another nurse, whatever license you may or may not have will be immediately revoked by your state board, and that will stay on your record.
3. Diversion of Drugs
Slipping yourself or someone else drugs on the side is a serious offense, punishable by revocation of your license and jail time. If your aging father has taken all of his pain meds, leave it to his doctors to prescribe more or up his dosage. It’s not worth risking your career to boost someone else’s addiction.
Getting your license revoked is the least of your worries in this case. Diverting drugs with the intention to sell, or actually selling prescription drugs, can get you thrown in jail for many years. Even if you are strapped for cash, don’t do it!
4. Providing a False Copy of License
Although rare, this does occur. Nurses who have a suspended license may provide an employer with a fake one, thinking that once the suspension is up, it won’t matter. It does matter, though–especially if your employer finds out. Your license will be revoked, or, if you don’t have one, you’ll never be allowed to apply for one.
5. Mail Fraud
Mail fraud encompasses many felonies. Broadly speaking, mail fraud involves using the postal service to unlawfully obtain money or valuables, impersonate someone other than yourself, or steal someone else’s mail. There are many kinds of mail fraud, including work-from-home scams, solicitation disguised as an invoice and online auction fraud. Mail fraud may not be directly related to nursing, but it can directly affect your career if you are convicted.
6. Falsifying Patient Records
Maybe you’d been working 12 hours and were too tired to complete that patient record. Maybe you gave your patient a little extra morphine to help him get through the night, but you didn’t record it. Whatever the case, falsifying patient records is grounds for a license being suspended. Best-case scenario, your falsified record gets you in trouble but doesn’t affect anyone else. Worst-case scenario? Something bad happens to your patient.
7. Unprofessional Conduct
This broad term allows state boards to be subjective in judging why a nurse might get his license revoked. “Unprofessional conduct” can range from using inappropriate language around colleagues and patients to having an affair with a superior. For example, many nurses ask if you can you lose your nursing license for sleeping on the job. Penalties for this kind of behavior usually vary based on the facility and supervisor. Falling asleep on the job may be a sign of burnout and low staffing, so you will need to do your best to explain the situation and prevent it from happening again. The chances of losing your nursing license are higher if a patient is injured or harmed as a result.
Although it seems obvious, many nurses fail to understand why their conduct may be called into question. Professionalism in nursing is of the utmost importance, and employers won’t take kindly to those few nurses who exhibit inappropriate behavior of any sort. First-time offenders may be reprimanded or temporarily suspended but keep it up and you may be out of a job before you know it.
8. Hosting a Pornographic Website
Believe it or not, it happens. In 2009, a nurse in Pennsylvania had her license revoked because she was hosting her own pornographic website. This most likely falls under “unprofessional conduct,” and it’s easy to chuckle at. But with today’s advancements in technology and the widespread range of the Internet, nurses who use their webcams to do a little work on the side may find themselves without a job. This also includes posting inappropriate photos to social media and other public domains. However, you shouldn’t lose your license if someone posts pornographic images of you online without your consent. It’s always better to err on the side of caution when sending and sharing explicit images, even if it’s for private use. Here you can find the clevescene.com’s article about best onlyfans accounts.
9. Patient Abuse and Neglect
Sadly, this happens more often than we’d like to admit. Patient neglect and abuse can happen because a nurse is intentionally causing pain and/or suffering, or because of a simple mistake made by an overworked nurse with too many patients. Patient neglect and abuse hurts more than just the patient. The patient’s friends and family also suffer alongside him/her, making this grave offense even worse. This often occurs in home health settings and nursing homes where patients have little to no awareness of their surroundings.
Unfortunately, this happens all too often. Many times, a nurse doesn’t neglect a patient on purpose, but forgetfulness can cause more damage than imagined and result in the loss of a license.
10. Violating Probation
If you have previous offenses filed with the nursing board, they may place you on probation – this can restrict your practice or your personal habits (such as using alcohol and/or drugs). If you violate the terms of your probation, your license may be revoked. Being placed under probation is a warning in the hopes that a nurse will change his behavior so he can continue working. However, if that behavior continues, or if a nurse willfully goes against the rules the state board has set, he or she can be punished to the furthest extent of the board.
Remember the decision is ultimately up to your state board. There are other reasons that could lead to license revocation, so be sure to regularly familiarize yourself with your state’s laws and procedures regarding professional licensing and unprofessional conduct. If you lose your license, you can always explore ways to have your nursing license reinstated. Avoid these mistakes to stay in good standing with your local board of nursing.
