Nurses are paramount to the functioning of the healthcare system. As soon as nurses graduate, they are expected to uphold professional principles, guidelines, and standards from the American Nurses Association (ANA). It is extremely important for nurses to abide by these for their own safety and for those they care for. Otherwise, they could face loss of licensure.
Why Do You Need to Protect Your Nursing License?
You must have worked extremely hard to obtain your nursing license. If you’re from a minority community, there are several additional hoops you must have had to pass to get into nursing school in the first place. Even then, it’s not a smooth ride, and definitely not inexpensive. Student loans and working part-time through school, followed by specialized wound care certifications to upskill yourself and be the best in your field, it’s a constant investment. But, now that you are here building your career, it is up to you to protect it.
How to Reduce the Likelihood of a License Complaint?
With the added difficulty of working through a pandemic that exposed the flaws of the healthcare system, you will find yourself at your most vulnerable. Even a small mistake at work, but a lapse in judgment or a less-than-professional event, could mitigate a license suspension. In such cases, how do you reduce the likelihood of a license complaint?
- Practice within the regulations of your state’s Nurse Practice Act.
- Make sure to adhere to your employer’s policies and procedures.
- Practice within the standard of care.
- Do consider getting additional nursing certifications or similar other specialization that can not only enhance patient outcomes but also demonstrate your commitment to your practice.
- Maintain files that can vouch for your nursing like experience letters, letters of recommendations, patient care notes, performance evaluations, or volunteer work badges.
- Maintain documentation like patient care assessments, observations, communication with other staff, etc.
While these recommendations are great to not only avoid the possibility of losing your license, they also make up for great defense strategies in case of liability actions.
However, you may not always be able to avoid the risk of losing your license. Therefore, here are a few steps for nurse protection that you can take to protect your nursing license.
6 Steps to Protect Your Nursing License
Step 1: Focus on Communication
Always communicate the information you have clearly. Lack of communication between medical facilitators can not only cause communication gaps, but they can also lead to gross medical errors and substandard patient outcomes. Communicating effectively can be supported by maintaining appropriate documentation of your observations.
Step 2: Always Follow Facility Protocol
Conveying medical information in the best way can be done by following your employer’s policies and procedures. This will also allow for uniformity in the protocol. Avoid shortcuts, no matter how convenient they might make things for you. However, if you need improvements in any policies or protocols, do communicate your opinions on the same.
Step 3: Understand Your State’s NPA
A state’s NPA defines the scope of practice for that state, or jurisdictional area, and the nurses that reside there. It exists to protect the public from the health practitioners of that state. Therefore, do go through it thoroughly and understand your rights as a nurse and those of the citizens of your state as recipients of your care.
Step 4: Use Social Media with Caution
While social media can help you track health-related milestones or connect with other healthcare practitioners, you avoid posting any identifiable patient information. It is advised to refrain from posting any work-related information that can be traced to you.
Step 5: Get Nursing Malpractice or Liability Insurance
Nursing Malpractice Insurance or Nursing License Protection License is surprisingly inexpensive. It will help you pay off all the expenses of an attorney, lost wages, and the time you spend responding to the licensing board’s actions.
Step 6: Don’t Appear Before a Complaint Board Alone
If faced with a licensing board complaint, do not appear in front of them alone. Always be accompanied by an attorney who can negotiate on your behalf with the board or your employer.
The following case studies illustrate how nurses protected their licenses.
A traveling nurse with 19 years of experience was reported by her employer to the licensing board at the end of her contract for allegedly failing to supervise a Certified Nursing Assistant. The CNA, who supposedly possessed advanced training, forgot to check a telemetry monitor for batteries before connecting to a patient complaining of chest pains. Several staff members reported that the monitor did not convey any signals, and hence, the device was checked, and batteries were inserted. The patient was discharged without any complications.
When the board called the nurse, she reached out to an attorney, who could get the case reconsidered. The attorney also highlighted how the nurse, being informed about the advanced training of the CNA, reasonably assumed that the CNA did not need direct supervision. Hence, the traveling nurse was able to protect her license.
A nurse practicing for 13 years was reported to the board for unprofessional conduct by her employer after administering the wrong medication to an infant suffering from an acute ear infection.
The prescribed medicines were Rocephin 500 mg IV and a Zithromax suspension for home use. However, the nurse accidentally administered Zithromax 500 mg, which caused cardiac arrest in the patient. The patient was revived and transferred to another hospital.
The nurse hired a nurse attorney who was able to achieve a settlement with the board because they neither accepted nor denied the allegations, and the nurse was only reprimanded. She managed to protect her license.
Conclusion
If your patient perceives that they are being neglected, they can sue you. It does not necessarily mean you have been neglectful. You will come across many such instances in your career. But, it is important how you handle it. You might think sitting down and explaining will be enough, but that is rarely true. With a nurse attorney, you will be able to protect your license and your reputation much more efficiently.
FAQs
- How to protect your nursing license as a new grad?
Follow your employer’s guidelines explicitly. Abide by your state’s NPA, and ensure the standard of care that it requires from you for your patients. Ask a lot of questions to your supervisor and note down everything you do or observe.
- How are nurses protected legally?
Nurses are protected legally by the ANA’s Bill of Rights that outlines their “seven premises concerning workplace expectations and environments that nurses from across the United States recognize are necessary for sound professional nursing practice.” This bill serves as the outline to identify your nights as a nurse.
- How do you protect your hard-earned license to practice nursing?
Maintain good nursing practices and follow your employer’s policies and protocols. Abide by your state’s NPA and keep collecting documentation that vouches for your character and practices.
- How do you keep your nursing practice current?
Join an organization that caters to your professional goals and allows you to grow organically in your career. Continue taking up volunteering work, and do sign up for nursing conferences that help you stay updated and current practices in your specialty.
- How do nurses get their license revoked?
Nurses can get their licenses revoked due to a variety of claims, such as:
- Medical errors,
- Patient neglect,
- Giving out false information,
- Falsifying patient records
- Drug diversion
- Being dishonest about previous legal histories, etc.
Author Bio:
Dr. Angela Thompson
Dr. Thompson is a Physician at Vohra Wound Physicians. She joined Vohra as a Wound Specialist, where she was responsible for patient rounds and treatment. Soon, she emerged as a leader and became capable of administering Skilled Nursing Facilities’ entire processes. Her innovations and strategies have helped Vohra to bring better outcomes and increased profitability for our clients.
References:
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