It may adopt, modify, or remand the decisions for further review or the taking of additional evidence. Her phone number is (410). Rebecca Martinez, LPN - (LPN Member) Identify critical information that writers may have missed. Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing. Following some charges against her in Texas. Documentation errors or omissions account for another 9.7% and treatment and care failures for 9.3%. She received disciplinary action by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE), for failing to obtain a Texas license after she moved from South Carolina to Texas. If a PTP is revoked in one compact state, that will preclude the nurse from practicing in other compact states. Her experience includes teaching students and nurses about legal issues that impact nurses. Discipline | NCSBN Massachusetts Board of Registration In NURSING Disciplinary Actions . Another caution: Since September 2009, some states may have gone back and entered old actions they took against nurses. This guide to nursing disciplinary action explains what happens after a professional lapse. We also analyzed the gap in time between the board's public accusation and disciplinary decision. Position statement: Multi-state Nurse Compact Licensure [PDF file]. investigation is pending, Reprimand 1 Filing a Complaint Any person with knowledge of a violation of the state's nurse practice act, unethical behavior, or behavior that either endangers a patient or represents a potential danger to patients can file a complaint with the state board of nursing. A fine, if included, may range from $300 to $1000, or more, depending on the individual circumstances of the case. The probation requires her to pass random drug tests and see a therapist for chemical dependency. Probation 1 - year, Reinstated to Probation - 1 year Retrieved from https://www.bon.texas.gov/discipline_and_complaints_policies_and_guidelines.asp, Texas Board of Nursing. Massachusetts Board of Registration In NURSING Disciplinary Actions (2016). Therefore, all disciplinary actions are documented in one depository known as Nursys (NCSBN, 2016). Nearly 100 nurses also faced disciplinary action 2018. The licensure, certification, and regulation of healthcare professionals was to be examined, with the goal of recommending new approaches. License Number, Schuler-Blanchette, State Disciplines Nurses For Drug, Alcohol Abuse, Myriad Genetics Prequel Prenatal Screening Tests: Allegedly Incorrect Most Of The Time, The Pandemic Changed Their Lives And Brought Them Closer Together, One Way or Another, COVID Will Get You: Uninfected Yet Greatly Affected, Dancing Again: COVID-19 Battle Gives Survivor A New Appreciation For Life. (2012). According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), nursing disciplinary action "affects the nurse's licensure status and ability to practice nursing." Call our office today to speak with someone about your professional license. Must complete refresher and NCLEX, Suspended while It may also result in filing formal charges or assigning the nurse to an alternative-to-discipline program. The States of Illinois and California also brought charges against her based solely on the Texas action (Texas BNE, n.d.). You may ask how another board of nursing would find out about a discipline in another state. Joe Raedle / Getty Images The state Board of Examiners for Nursing last week suspended the. Lead Reporters: Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber. (2015a). Employers should also be aware that their employees are subject to the rules of other jurisdictions. Maine State Board of Nursing 161 Capitol St. 158 State House Station Augusta, Maine , 04333-0158 Get Directions Phone: (207) 287-1133 Fax: (207) 287-1149 The hours are 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. We are closed all state holidays and weekends. Select a jurisdiction from the drop-down list below to obtain a specific jurisdictions nurse practice act and rules. Our contributing writers leverage diverse educational and professional backgrounds to create content for NurseJournal. This public safety objective is not time-limited. The provisions of the eNLC highly reduce the likelihood that public safety will be compromised. You can see this at www.nursys.com, click on the HELP tab, then FAQs in the drop-down menu. While living in Tennessee, she contacted West Virginia residents by phone and wrote prescriptions for patients with whom she had no provider/patient relationship. Our Recipe: Investigate Your State's Oversight of Health Care Professionals, Editor's Note: Why We're Sharing Our Recipe, Chart: Serious Actions Reported Nationwide, When Caregivers Harm - Our complete coverage of flawed regulation of healthcare workers California and nationwide. Omobola Awosika Oyeleye, EdD, JD, MSN, MEd, BSN, BA, RN-BC, CNE, CHSE, CPHQEmail: Omobola.a.oyeleye@uth.tmc.edu. LPN #033506, Reprimand ct dph regulatory . The eNLC became effective on July 20, 2017, when North Carolina became the 26th member (NCSBN, 2018a). Young chose not to contest the allegations. Implications for NursesThis section includes some important reminders for nurses regarding license compacts. Records show he abused alcohol to excess from 2015 to 2017 and has not been compliant with treatment and monitoring in an alternative program run by the Health Assistance InterVention Network since December. Decisions, consent orders, correspondence, decrees, etc. RN #R40359 Most importantly, this is the opportunity for you to present your defense, with your attorney. Where prelicensure nursing programs offer courses to students outside of their jurisdiction, nursing faculty may need to obtain a license in every state in which the students are enrolled for didactic or clinical courses. Civil Penalty - $700.00, Reprimand Sexual misconduct (such as engaging in sexual relationships with patients), Boundary violations (such as soliciting or accepting monetary or valuable gifts), Abuse of patients (either physically or verbally), Professional conduct (32.5% of all primary allegations), Documentation errors or omissions account (9.7%), Probation (The nurse may continue to practice, but any further validated complaints will result in more serious nursing disciplinary action. Civil Penalty - $560.00, Probation 1 year if Jason Blando - (Public Member) The 2011 Uniform Licensure Requirements [PDF file]. In. of Nursing, Voluntary Agreement Not to This act requires systematic oversight of regulations. The Nursing Licensure Compact and Its Disciplinary Provisions: What All applicants must also have passed the applicable licensing examination and be eligible to hold an unencumbered license (NCSBN, n.d.j). However, only three of these articles relate to disciplinary actions: Articles III, V, and VI (NCSBN, n.d.d). In addition to suspending or revoking a nursing license, state boards of nursing may issue fines or warnings and possibly require a nurse to complete professional education as part of their nursing disciplinary action. Read our recipe for investigating nursing boards' oversight . She received disciplinary action by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE), for failing to obtain a Texas license after she moved from South Carolina to Texas. According to the NCSBN, this represents less than 1% of all nursing licenses. APRN #001483, Sandra J. Blanchette State Medical Boards in Connecticut and Other States Nursing Disciplinary Action Explained | NurseJournal.org These penalties included license suspensions, summary suspensions, probation periods, fines, voluntary surrender of license, and even license revocation. Copyright 2023 The License Lawyers - Attorney Jay Ruane is reponsible for the content of this advertising. VACATED 07/17/2019, Agreement not to Limitations on Nursing Practice Due to Disciplinary ActionThe singular fact that an investigation is initiated could immediately limit a nurses opportunity to practice.The singular fact that an investigation is initiated could immediately limit a nurses opportunity to practice. each one of the states took a disciplinary stance, their stipulations and sanctions differed.An important point in this case is that while each one of the states took a disciplinary stance, their stipulations and sanctions differed. References, The Regulatory Dilemma Surrounding Interstate Practice, Nursing Regulation for the New Millennium: The Mutual Recognition Model, The Utah Experience: Adopting the Nursing Regulation Interstate Compact. Nurse disciplinary actions include fines, reprimands, or remedial action (such as completing mandatory education). NOTE: The following information is not intended for licensure verification purposes. Article III also grants compact states the authority to take disciplinary action against a nurses privilege to practice (PTP) status when the nurse violates the state laws and the state nurse practice act. Below, I will discuss the implications of the NLC for nurses, employers, and educators. Safe, competent nursing practice is grounded in the law as written in the state nurse practice act (NPA) and the state rules/regulations. There may be requests that you are unable to produce or do not have the authority to produce to the board. At a hearing, there will usually be a panel of board members who will hear the evidence against you that was produced in the investigation. for Commercial Driver's Licenses (pdf), Management of Analgesia by Catheter (pdf), Insertion and Removal of Specialized Intravenous Catheters (pdf), Guidelines for use of Medical Protocols (pdf), Monthly Disciplinary Actions Against Licensees. Check with each state before using these figures in a story. What are the types of disciplinary actions? The order also said that several times between 2014 and 2019, Rowe abused alcohol to excess. Complaints fall into the following categories: According to the CNA and NSO Nurse Professional Liability Exposure Claim Report, published in 2020, the most common allegations are the following: Drug diversion or substance misuse made up 42.3% of all professional conduct alleged violations, and failure to maintain standards accounted for 58.9% of all scope of practice violations allegations. Hansen admitted no wrongdoing but chose not to contest the allegations against her. One allegation brought against her was failing to apply for licensure in Texas within 30 days of establishing residence in Texas. While nurses may have the privilege to practice in many compact states, they can have only one nursing license. (NCSBN, 2017). Case #7, a Texas registered nurse with a PTP in Arizona, illustrates this. (https://c-hit.org/2019/05/15/state-disciplines-10-nurses-revokes-3-licenses/). License It demonstrates the concept that under the NLC, nurses are disciplined regardless of which compact state was the location of the infraction. Disciplinary action included a reprimand, a fine, license suspension for 12 months, and a 58-month probationary status of license due to the drug-related misconduct to which he stipulated. Key provisions of this compact are reviewed with examples of how it has impacted individual nurses. Gina Reiners, PhD, APRN, PMHNP, PMHCNS - (RN Member), Declaratory Ruling - Delegation to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (pdf), Declaratory Ruling - Registered Nurse as a First Assistant Implications for nurses include the concept that a compact does not affect nurses who only hold one license, and also that idea that greater privileges for nurses bring greater risk as well. The board fined RN Luisa Young of Trumbull $2,500, reprimanded her license and placed it on probation for a year. If you are thinking. Case #1). That action did not stop the Commonwealth of Virginia from placing her license on probation. However, even when nurses practice in a remote location from the patient, they are subject to disciplinary measures both by the state where the patient is located, and by their home state (NCSBN, 2017). In Case #3, a registered nurse from the Commonwealth of Virginia, with a PTP in Texas, the timeline requirement for endorsing a PTP to a license was in issue in 2013. The state board of nursing must report the results of any nursing disciplinary action to Nursys, the national database of nursing licenses and license status, and to the NPDB. Resources and articles written by professionals and other nurses like you. Exemplifying telehealth discipline is Case #5, an RN with a Tennessee license and also an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) license from many states, including Texas and West Virginia. National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Disciplinary action included license suspension. (n.d.b). Nurse Disciplinary Actions However, in the absence of a specific statute to the contrary, statutes of limitation are inapplicable to administrative board of nursing license revocation and disciplinary proceedings. COVID-19 Community Levels Update, April 14, 2023: The CDC has listed all eight Connecticut counties in the Low/Green category as part of its weekly Community Levels update. However, by 2015, the trend had stopped. all disciplinary actions are documented in one depository known as Nursys.Mandatory Reporting Process Regarding Disciplinary ActionsArticle VI of the eNLC requires prompt reporting of any information that results from an investigation of a complaint against a nurse. The board also placed the licenses of the following nurses on probation for four years and ordered them to pass random drug and alcohol tests: LPN Tammy Piccirillo of Seymour who, according to a consent order she signed, abused opiates from 2017 to 2018. State officials said Hansen is now living in California and does not have an active LPN license in Connecticut. Your email address will not be published. Please note that effective dates of all actions are included. This data should not be used to compare one state against another, because it may not be accurate and it is not adjusted for the number of nurses in each state. LPN Sandra Rowe of Yantic section of Norwich, who drank alcohol in 2014 while working as a private duty nurse in a patients home, a consent order she signed said. Furthermore, a compact state may issue a single-state license to a nurse who resides in its jurisdiction but does not qualify for a multistate license, such as a nurse whose permanent address is in a foreign country (Ridenour, 2011; NLC Administrators, 2012). Connecticut Board of Nursing: Licensing Renewal Requirements for CT The disciplinary action may or may not include a fine. 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular Nurses can face disciplinary action for medical malpractice, substance abuse, and various forms of misconduct. Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing Dept. At the time of this writing, fifty-five jurisdictions, comprising states and territories, were participating in eNotify. This does not yet determine if the complaint is valid, just whether the board of nursing has jurisdiction. Connecticut State Library | 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 | 860-757-6500 * Toll-free 866-886-4478Disclaimers & Permissions | Privacy Policy | State of Connecticut Home Page. First, it is important to remember that the multistate NLC does not change anything for a nurse who obtains one license and does not seek to move to or to practice in another state (NCSBN, n.d.d). Jennifer C. Long, APRN, MSN, NNP-BC- (APRN Member) 2023 American Nurses Association. Most of the frequently asked for services are listed in the left margin of this page. This article examines the provisions of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC). This means that an event in another state could have an impact on the practice and availability of their nursing employees (NCSBN, n.d.d). APRN 006157, 01/16/2019 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular This case clearly invalidates the notion that the NLC allows nurses to fly under the radar when they practice on a compact license. In 1995, the Commission released its full report: Reforming Health Care Workforce Regulation: Policy Considerations for the 21st Century. font size, Disciplinary actions may alsobe viewed the Department of Public Health's, Probation 1 year if For example, Case #4 was a registered nurse with a license from Kentucky and a PTP in Texas, who was convicted of DUI and possession of marijuana, both of which were misdemeanor offenses. The board revoked the licensed practical nurse license of Laurie Davidson of Bolton after finding that she failed to properly document medical records while working in 2015 as a nurse at Walnut Hill Care Center in New Britain. As has been shown above, there can be a domino effect of disciplinary actions against nurses licenses. Retrieved from https://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Interim_Agendas_Minutes_Exhibits/Exhibits/Lasers/E011008E.pdf, Ridenour, J. Retrieved from https://www.bon.texas.gov/faq_licensure.asp, Texas Board of Nursing. Nursing Licensure - ct Board action is required to discipline your nursing license, because only the Board has . The only non-participants were Alabama and Michigan. West Virginia barred her for five years, Oregon for three, and Minnesota and Texas for one year (NCSBN, n.d.h). This retained jurisdictional authority, allowed by administrative law principles and case law, seeks to prevent the nurse from evading disciplinary action merely by fleeing the state. (n.d.j). Some nurses and nursing organizations, such as the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA), were reluctant and were vocal with their concerns. Number, Name connecticut board of nursing disciplinary actions. With increased privilege to practice comes increased exposure to disciplinary action.Greater Privileges Equal Greater Risk and Financial Burden. Kelman B, et al. In the sections above, I have discussed the provisions and provided some examples of disciplinary actions of the multistate nursing licensure compact. Connecticut Board of Nursing West Virginia suspended her license immediately and scheduled a hearing. As of this writing, the deadline has been changed from 30 days to 90 days in Texas and in most compact states. She never conducted any face-to-face evaluations of any of these patients. Other healthcare professionals are mandatory reporters, meaning they must report violations. All Integrity Network members are paid members of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network. These states, in alphabetical order, are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (NCSBN, n.d.e). (n.d.a). If, at any time, nurses decide to permanently reside in the PTP state, they must surrender the previous home state license and exchange their PTP for a license in the new state of residence. When I moved back to Texas permanently a few years later, the reverse was the case. Hawaii recently signed an agreement to participate (NCSBN, n.d.c). Discipline. It recommended, among other things, that States should standardize entry-to-practice requirements and limit them to competence assessments for health professions to facilitate the physical and professional mobility of the health professions, (Pew, 1995, p. ix). NURSYS clearly takes the position on its website that since all of the information comes from state boards of nursing, it is the nurse's responsibility to contact the board to update information on its website. Though already licensed, and though neither of the offenses occurred during the conduct of her nursing practice, she received disciplinary sanctions from the Texas BNE. Established in 1989, the Commission mission was to assist healthcare professionals, workforce policy makers, and educational institutions manage the challenges of an increasingly changing healthcare system. You may verify a license on-line atwww.elicense.ct.gov or by calling 860-509-7603. Probation - 18 months, Reprimand Although terminology may differ, board disciplinary action affects the nurse's licensure status and ability to practice nursing in the jurisdiction. If you or a loved one is faced with allegations that threaten your professional license, it is important to speak with an attorney to help prepare you for what is to come and give you the best chance of keeping your license. States that have not subscribed to the NLC continue to issue single-state licenses; and a nurse may hold as many of those single state licenses as desired, in addition to holding a compact license (Ridenour, 2011). When nurses are disciplined in a compact state, the action directly impacts their practice in all the compact states (NLC Administrators, 2012; Texas BNE, n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/11945.htm, Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators. This page has information and updates on nursing boards and regulation specific to Colorado. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); On a bustling Friday morning, the aroma of rice and beans wafts through a cloud of hairspray in Romys Beauty Salon in Meriden. The board fined RN Nikita Gena Culton of Katy, Texas $500 and reprimanded her RN license because, a consent order said, she failed to acknowledge that she had been disciplined in Texas when she applied for her Connecticut nursing license in 2018. The complete DPH COVID-19 toolbox is located at ct.gov/coronavirus. ), Limited or restricted practice (The nurse may continue to practice but under restrictions, such as not being able to access controlled substances. The Connecticut board can impose discipline on a nurse licensed in Connecticut if the nurse has been disciplined in other states. The American Academy of Nursing accepts scholarship applications for the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity, Claire M. Fagin Fellowship Program. Nurses can get legal counsel at any stage of nursing disciplinary action, from the initial complaint through the board's actions. In addition, State Boards of Nursing (BON) lacked authority to act against a nurses license if a patient in the state was harmed by a nurse practicing remotely from another state (Texas BON, 2013b). While nursing mistakes or misconduct may lead to other consequences, such as employer reprimands, terminations, civil suits, or criminal charges, nurse disciplinary action directly affects a nurse's license. (One of the reasons many nurses protested the ReDonda Vaught trial and verdict is that they feared it would have an effect on self-reporting or reporting colleagues.). Several Connecticut nurses have been disciplined for abusing opioids, including buprenorphine. Most of the frequently asked for services are listed in the left margin . For decades, the licensing of nurses followed a single-state-licensing format in which a nurse was required to obtain a license in every state in which the nurse desires to practice. The language used to describe the types of disciplinary actions available to BONs varies according to state law. most nurses render care in a competent manner and that only a very small minority are charged with violations. dissatisfaction regarding the lack of easy mobility for healthcare professionals emerged from many sources.After a while, dissatisfaction regarding the lack of easy mobility for healthcare professionals emerged from many sources. Find the right nursing program for you. Each member state may issue a single state license to such an applicant, upon consideration of each individual case. As part of the measures to protect the public, the uniform license requirements also state that when an applicant seeks initial licensure or licensure by endorsement, the states must obtain the applicants criminal history record through fingerprints or biometric data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the state (NCSBN, n.d.j). (n.d.f). Uniform licensure requirements for a multistate license [PDF file]. Another timely development in 1996 was the enactment of the Telecommunications Act by the U.S. Congress. Board actions may include: Fine or civil penalty. Not every nurse or nursing organization greeted the news with excitement. Furthermore, because the multistate compact is a fairly new concept, nursing educators should begin to include in program courses information about multistate practice and its potential impact on licensure and practice. of Public Health 410 Capitol Avenue, MS# 13PHO P.O. Pro Publica Inc. The issue of making any and all board disciplinary actions public information, easily found on the internet with a . Services provided by Nursys include automated license status updates, and regular updates to institutions regarding any changes to their nurses licenses. (2012). The board placed the registered nurse (RN) license of Sara J. Smith of Shelton on probation for four years after it found she altered a 2018 prescription for codeine after testing positive for codeine on April 3, 2019, according to a consent order signed by Smith. (n.d.e). Civil Penalty - $200.00, Ellen Sollazzo Reprimand, Reprimand To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers. 24, No. Nurses with multistate licenses, however, are subject to the laws and nurse practice acts of both their home state, and all the compact states in which they hold a PTP (Ridenour, 2011). Nurses are trained to always be mindful of safety and professional ethics. The following year, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Delegate Assembly made a move toward licensure uniformity by unanimously endorsing a mutual recognition model of nursing regulation (NCSBN, n.d.b). Unless otherwise noted, you can republish our stories for free if you follow these rules. Read our recipe for investigating nursing boards' oversight . The board suspended the RN license of Christopher Kay of Enfield, who works for the state Department of Correction, saying his abuse of alcohol affects his ability to practice as a nurse. Retrieved from https://ncsbn.org/compacts.htm, National Council of State Boards of Nursing. each nurse must do due diligence to confirm a specific state's regulations.These cases illustrate that a nurse in a compact state can only hold one license and that must change if her residence changes. Upon moving to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and not being aware of the nursing compact rules, I tried to renew the Texas license. It is important to remember to be cooperative and not appear resistant to the board. People who are at a high risk for severe illness should consider additional measures to minimize their exposure to COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses. Explore our full list of Integrity Network members. These, Do you have a Connecticut healthcare practitioner license, such as a nurses license or a, Professional licenses help people work in many different careers in Connecticut. Nurse profesionial liability exposure claim report. This, they believed, would dilute the power of the collective voices of Ohio nurses and nurses associations (Ohio Nurses Association, 2017). . Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/Key_Provisions_of_New_APRN_Compact.pdf, National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The states duty to protect those who receive nursing care is the basis for a nursing license. (NCSBN, n.d.d). 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular Applicants for the eNLC license must not have pled guilty to or have been convicted of a felony.Not only will a felony conviction prevent an applicant from obtaining an initial multistate nursing license, it will most certainly lead to disciplinary sanctions for a nurse who is already licensed (NCSBN, n.d.d). 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