Nurses are the heart of the American healthcare system and have a significant beneficial influence on the health and well-being of patients. As a result, nurses must complete considerable schooling and on-the-job training to perform their duties successfully. North Carolina nurses must also follow the North Carolina Board of Nursing’s different rules and regulations.
If a nurse is suspected of breaking board policies, they may face substantial professional consequences. Your job and reputation are at stake in the case of such an accusation.
Your next best move may be to seek the assistance of an experienced North Carolina nursing license defense attorney.
Common Reasons Nurses Have Their License Suspended in North Carolina
North Carolina nurses can have their licenses suspended for various reasons. These violations can be on or off-job infringements, including:
Felony convictions
Failure to record or expunge a prior felony or misdemeanor may result in your license being suspended by the Licensing Board. Similarly, if you commit a felony while performing your profession and are charged with a felony, you will lose your license to practice if you do not report it.
A DUI conviction and any conviction regarding the use or drug possession is a breach of the Nursing Practice Act.
Patient confidentiality breaches
In healthcare, confidentiality is of paramount importance. You must learn and follow patient privacy regulations. It is your job to keep up with changes in rules and regulations.
Exposing your patient’s medical information might result in the suspension of your nursing license. Protecting your patients’ sensitive information helps to protect your license while also obeying privacy rules.
Drug diversion
Slipping drugs to yourself or others is a severe violation punishable by license suspension or jail time. Diverting medications with the intent to sell prescription drugs can land you in prison for years.
Patient records falsification
Perhaps you’d been working for long hours and were too weary to finish that patient record or gave your patient extra morphine to help them sleep, but you didn’t document it.
In any event, misrepresenting patient data is cause for a license suspension. In the best-case scenario, your forged record lands you in jail, or your patient suffers a setback in the worst-case scenario.
Patient neglect and abuse
Patient abuse and neglect can occur when a nurse purposefully causes a patient pain or when an exhausted nurse with many patients makes a simple mistake. Neglect and abuse of patients harm more than simply the patient. The patient’s friends and relatives suffer alongside them, exacerbating the gravity of the transgression.
A nurse may not intentionally ignore a patient, yet carelessness might inflict more harm than thought and lead to the revocation of a license.
Unprofessional conduct
Practitioner misconduct occurs when a registered nursing professional fails to satisfy the required practice standards. Professional misconduct can range from failing to acquire patient permission or retain records to pilfering patient or hospital property and abusing patients physically, emotionally, or verbally. This might result in the suspension of your license, fines, or having the offense recorded.
Impersonating other licensed practitioners
Impersonations are a kind of identity theft. If you are detected impersonating another registered nurse, your North Carolina’s Nursing board may instantly suspend your license.
Sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct can vary from relationships between patients and nurses to between nurses and other medical personnel. Nurse-patient relationships are a serious breach that warrants disciplinary action, such as license revocation.
Disciplinary Actions That North Carolina’s Nursing Board Can Take
The Board of Nursing in North Carolina is responsible for enforcing the Nursing Practice Act and establishing basic standards for nursing practice.
It will open an investigation and decide on accusations filed against nurses. If a nurse is determined to have committed some misconduct, the Board has several alternatives, including:
- Issuing a public rebuke
- Issuing a complaint letter to the nurse’s employer
- Imposing a civil penalty
- issuing a financial penalty
The Nursing Board may impose the following punishments in more serious cases:
- A temporary renewal awaiting the result of a criminal prosecution
- Suspension for a limited time
- License suspension for an indeterminate period
- A probationary term with or without limits on practice
- A conditional suspension is dependent on a nurse’s willingness to participate in therapy or treatment
- License revocation for life
Regardless of the Board’s decision, your attorney can assist you in attempting to get your license restored if it has been suspended.
During this time, you may not be paid, and it is beneficial to have the assistance of an experienced attorney fighting to protect your license to practice.
Consult With a North Carolina Attorney to Defend Your Nursing License
It can also be incredibly distressing to face the North Carolina Nursing Board over misconduct. Your job and reputation are at stake if your nursing license is suspended due to claims brought against you in an accusation.
Therefore, it is critical to handle your case with a legal firm that has expertise defending professional licenses and can assist you in defending your nursing license and career.
Our nursing license defense attorneys at Remington & Dixon PLLC understand the complex situation you may be in. If you want further information or assistance defending your North Carolina nursing license, contact Remington & Dixon PLLC today for a free, private consultation.
Nursing License FAQs
When should I hire an attorney to represent me in front of the North Carolina Nursing Board?
As soon as possible. The more time the attorney has to research the accusations, the more equipped they will be to defend and maintain your nursing license.
How can a North Carolina nursing license defense attorney help?
We can streamline your defense and protect your reputation. We stand with you, so you don’t have to face penalties with or without charges.
Can nurses practice with a suspended license?
You cannot legally practice nursing if your nursing license is suspended, but opportunities are available that leverage your nursing skills but don’t necessitate a license.
