Nurses are held to high standards that are established by the Board of Registered Nursing in California. One of a nurse’s duties is to make sure that their license is renewed as required and to complete continuing education courses.
Another duty that nurses have is reporting certain actions taken against them. These self-reporting requirements must be complied with, or the nurse may jeopardize their ability to continue on with their chosen profession.
What do nurses have to report in California?
In California, nurses have to self-report all criminal convictions and disciplinary action taken by other licensing boards, even if those are in other states. Certain convictions, such as those for drunk driving, must be self-reported even if the conviction is expunged. This disclosure must typically be made within 30 days of the event occurring.
Besides those events, nurses must report anything that could impair their ability to practice nursing safely. This includes substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions and treatments.
What happens if nurses don’t self-report as required?
Nurses who don’t self-report as required can face a separate violation for the failure to report. This is true even if the issue that needed to be self-reported wouldn’t have warranted any form of disciplinary action on its own. Failing to disclose anything, including actions in the past, can be seen as a breach of professional trust.
Timely and truthful disclosure of incidents can often lead to a more measured outcome than ones that are hidden. In some cases, this can come with a license suspension or a full revocation. Because of those possibilities, nurses who need to self-report and those who neglected to self-report incidents as required should work with someone who can assist them with this process.
