A guest blog by Evan Brown Nursing boards take public health very seriously. In the interest of protecting public health, most boards take extra precautions to make sure that nurses licensed in their state have a proven track record of delivering excellent care. This includes a critical examination of nurses’ personal and professional histories. Although you may be thinking that whatever happened was outside of work, the boards take the position that you are a nurse 24/7. In most … [Read more...]
He Said, She Said … Who Do You Believe?
One of the hardest things about representing a nurse before the Board is that anyone can make an allegation against the nurse and report it. Many times, these can be a “he said … she said” situation. “The nurse gave me only 1 type of codone instead of 2!” “The nurse held my arms so tight; I got a bruise!” “The nurse took money from my wallet!” And the list goes on and on. It is so sad that these allegations are made and the ones in the previous paragraph are just from … [Read more...]
Know Your Professional Boundaries
When I was practicing years ago, there were no rules regarding professional boundaries. I took care of people in the community where I lived and everyone knew each other. When I would run into them at the grocery store or the mall, I would always say “hi!” Some of my colleagues even went to former patient’s houses for meals or holidays. Nowadays there are rules regarding professional boundaries. As much as we would like rebel against these rules, they really are designed to protect … [Read more...]
An Unusual Nursing Board Case
After getting an unfavorable Nursing Board decision, it is unusual for a nurse to appeal the matter to a court. It is even more unusual for such an appeal to make it all the way to the state Supreme Court. However, Appellants Christine Mulry Francis and Angela L. Caldwell DeBenedictis did just that. The facts of this case are very interesting. Nurses Francis and DeBenedictis were employed in supervisory roles in a Delaware correctional facility where a patient … [Read more...]
10 Mistakes That Will Get You Before the Board of Nursing
Lorie Brown, Nurse Attorney, lists 10 common mistakes that nurses make that will get them before the Board of Nursing. These mistakes you may not know are violations of the Nurse Practice Act. Are you practicing medicine without a license? Are you committing fraud and material misrepresentation? … [Read more...]
