Nurses make up a large portion of the nation’s workforce. They’re also responsible for the care of thousands of people who have medical conditions and the elderly.
A nursing license can take years of training and experience to get. But, the license can be taken away in seconds because of a small mistake. Here’s how that can happen:
1. Criminal convictions
A criminal conviction, such as a DUI, could lead to a nurse losing their license. The criminal conviction may make it seem as if the nurse is unfit for their job to care for others. However, a nurse may be able to have a conviction expunged by appealing the board’s decision if they are able to show proof of rehabilitation.
2. Drug or alcohol use
Drugs and alcohol impair nurses’ ability to perform on the job by impacting their focus and judgment. As a result, they may jeopardize patient safety and care. Any indication of addiction or use of drugs or alcohol on the job could lead to license problems.
3. Negligence
Nurses are the primary workers who care for patient needs. While this can be a daunting and tiresome task, it’s also very important for patient health. However, nurses may neglect their duties, which can harm patients. This could happen, for example, because a nurse failed to do routine care on a patient or because they didn’t act fast enough when a patient needs emergency care.
4. Abuse
Some nurses take advantage of their position and abuse patients. Nurses may get frustrated with difficult patients and punish them, for instance. Or, they may emotionally abuse patients, such as telling them that they will remove care or tell a doctor to stop their medication.
5. Breach of patient confidentiality
Patients have the right to have their medical records private. Patient documents, typically, detail who can and can’t view their medical records. But, a nurse may reveal this information without the patient’s permission, which is a breach of patient confidentiality agreements.
If you’re being accused of one of the above mistakes, then you may need to act fast and learn about your legal options to protect yourself and your nursing license.
