As I always provide at the start of each year, here are the TOP TEN BLOGS of the previous year. For 2020, we start with number 10 and go up the scale to the top blog of the year.
In at number 10, Can You Train a Nurse in 2 Days to Work in ICU? The Governor of California said he could train a nurse in 2 days to work in an ICU. This is completely unrealistic. I challenge all of you to invite your state representation to work with you. They have no clue how difficult your job is.
Coming in at number 9, Yikes! My Nursing License is on Probation. This blog discusses what to do if your license is placed on probation. It is not the end of the world, but prevention of a problem is the best defense.
In at number 8, Scam BON Actions. This article discusses how some nurses have been defrauded with a fake letter from their board of nursing asking them to pay money up front like a bond for an investigation. It is scary that these letters look so official and nurses are falling for it. They are scared that their license will be suspended and so they go ahead and pay the money. The article discusses how to detect the red flags in these letters should you receive one. But I recommend calling the Board itself and NOT the number on the letter to confirm. No board asks for money up front.
Now down to number 7, Indiana Joins the Nurse Licensure Compact. This one was a surprise to me. This blog discusses what a compact license is and the benefits of what is called an eNLC.
Number 6, No Security in Nursing discusses given the pandemic and the closures of outpatient clinics, surgery and procedures, many nurses were furloughed. This is the first time in history where nurses have been furloughed and with a nursing shortage, it was surprising.
In at number 5, California BRN Finds Fraud in Investigations. It turns out that in 2016 the State Auditor said there was a backlog of cases with complaints based on unprofessional conduct, drug use and negligence. It took the Board more than a year-and-a-half to assign the complaints to an investigator who didn’t adequately investigate and led to falsified reports. Some nurses were disciplined on falsified reports.
Number 4 is an issue that raises lots of questions, Nurses as Independent Contractors. This blog talked about the problems with nurses who are misclassified as independent contractors and the tax consequences and penalties that can be assessed.
Down to number 3, Nurses Terminated For Speaking Their Minds. This article discusses about nurses in long term care facilities who spoke up about poor care and were terminated. Nurses should be able to speak their minds about bad care because this is the only way we can improve bad care.
I don’t know why this is number 2. Maybe due to the popularity of Tik Tok, Tik-Tok Nurse Implodes her Job. Interestingly, this article discussed how a nurse talks about how she didn’t wear a mask in the community and lets her children go on play dates. She lost her job. Her employer felt that this was improper to share due to all the hard work that nurses are doing to treat COVID patients and prevent others from getting ill. She, as a nurse in the community, admitted that she had not been following the mandates.
Finally, in at number 1, drum roll please! The top blog was one of the first ones of 2020 about how Malpractice Claims are on the Rise with Electronic Health Records. This blog discusses the problems with electronic health records, specifically editing with copying and pasting, autopopulation, selecting items from the dropdown menu and failing to review prior documentation. Be sure if you are taking your documentation home that your memory of the visit is accurate. And, if you have a scribe, make sure the scribe’s documentation is accurate as it is your signature
I am always surprised at this top 10 list. Most of the Covid articles did not seem to be a hit maybe because nurses are in the trenches with it. I really want to provide useful content to you so please let me know what you would like to learn about in the comments below.
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