Top Blogs of 2016
You read and we listened! Here is a list of what you say were my top blogs of 2016. If you missed any of them, you have another opportunity to check them out by clicking on the article titles, which...
View ArticleEmployment Discrimination Against Nurses
Most States are “employment at will” which means that one can be terminated for any reason or even for no reason at all! However, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers are prohibited from...
View ArticleBeware Do No Harm
The Joint Commission, which provides accreditation of health care organizations, issued a mandate requiring surgical/procedure teams to have a time-out prior to beginning an operation to prevent wrong...
View ArticleNurses with Multiple Licenses
Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD of Brown Law Office, P.C. discusses what can happen if you have an action or discipline against your nursing license if you have licenses in different states – even if your...
View ArticleNSO Insurance for Nurses
Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD of YourNurseAttorney.com discusses NSO Insurance for Nurses and what the benefits are of having your own insurance.Does NSO insurance help if you have to appear before the Board...
View ArticleBad Apples In Nursing
I signed up for Google Alert so that any time there is an article published on the subject of nurse licenses or nursing boards, I get notified. Unfortunately, I have been very sickened by the articles...
View ArticleNurses’ Graceful Exits
I am known for saying, “You can always get another job but not another license!” If you smell the handwriting on the wall, resign. If you get terminated, on every future job application you will have...
View ArticleAnything You “Tweet” Can Be Used Against You
Okay, it’s not that drastic. But it’s important to always keep in mind the standards you are held to as a nurse, even on social media. As much as we’d like to keep our work lives and our private lives...
View ArticleI Don’t Know Is Not A Defense
Many a nurse found in violation of nursing regulations have come to me saying, “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that!” Other times I hear, “Well, that’s the way we did it in our unit” or “That’s how I was...
View ArticleMedical Boards VS. Licensing Boards
For the past 25 years, I have represented clients before both Medical Licensing Boards as well as Nursing Boards. What I have noticed during that time is that there are significant differences between...
View ArticleA New Role For Hospital Lawyers
Recently I read an article from Kaiser Health News about how hospitals are hiring lawyers to assist their patients with legal issues. I think this is so interesting that hospitals are becoming more...
View ArticleLicense Renewal: Honesty Is The Best Policy
It’s that time of year in Indiana, license renewal of the State’s nurses. If you’re not in Indiana, I am sure that you have a similar renewal process so check these out; I think these tips will be very...
View Article5 Fatal Mistakes When Nurses Go Alone Before The Board Of Nursing
Usually buried somewhere on the second page of a Hearing Notice (at least in Indiana and I presume in other states) is a notation that a nurse has the right to have an attorney represent them before...
View ArticleLorie Brown, RN, MN, JD interviews Marc Lopez, Esq., a Criminal Law Attorney
Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD interviews Marc Lopez, Esq., a criminal law attorney (www.MarcLopezLaw.com) on nurses and healthcare providers that are arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI / OWI),...
View ArticleAre Nursing Board Actions Permanent Public Record
I am often asked (1) if a Nursing Board matter is a permanent public record and if so, (2) is there any way to get that record expunged? Unfortunately, there are only a few states that allow...
View ArticleCan The Nursing Board Take Away My License?
One of the questions I am most frequently asked by nurses is whether the Board of Nursing can take away their nursing license. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is “Yes.” The license can be...
View ArticleDo You Know Your State’s Scope Of Practice?
A question I receive often is whether a certain task falls within the scope of practice. Unfortunately, there is no blanket answer. Scope of practice varies state-by-state and institution to...
View ArticleInterview with Carmen Kosicek
Lorie Brown, RN, MN, JD of www.YourNurseAttorney.com and www.EmpoweredNurses.org interviews Carmen Kosicek, MSN, APNP, MPHNP-BC of Alay Health Team, regarding problems Nurse Practitioners and Advance...
View ArticleDo You Have to Disclose a Criminal Conviction to the Nursing Board?
In 2015, a law was passed in Indiana requiring health care providers to disclose criminal convictions within 90 days. Indiana Code 25-1-1.1-1 provides that “… (b) An individual licensed or certified...
View ArticleLicense Renewal Confusion
Every 2 years in Indiana, R.N.’s renew their licenses. Even though the license renewal is due on October 31st of the odd-numbered years, nurses can to begin to renew as early as July of that year....
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