One of the hardest professions in the medical field is nursing. Not only are you responsible for the care and safety of patients, but you are also required to take specific direction from physicians and the facility you work for. All of these responsibilities can cause a great amount of stress, but there are thousands of nurses in Illinois who are passionate and committed to the profession.
Unfortunately, there is also the threat of having the state take action against your nursing license due to false allegations or actual circumstances you may find yourself facing. The following are the most common reasons that a nurse’s license to practice can be revoked.
Neglecting a Patient
There are many facilities and situations that create situations where patients are neglected. In many cases, this neglect is unintentional, often due to short staffing, leading to nurses who are exhausted and forced to work long hours. An unintentional mistake on a nurse’s part can result in patient neglect accusations, putting his or her license in jeopardy.
Falsifying Patient Records
Another issue with short staffing and overworked nurses is that there are times when they forget to make an entry in a patient’s medical record, such as recording the administration of medications. If this is something they remember later on but when they enter the information they try to cover that they forget to enter the information as required, the state considers this falsifying medical records and the nurse could lose their nursing license.
Patient Confidentiality
There are strict laws regarding patient confidentiality, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), that protect the release of confidential patient information to anyone without the patient’s authorization. Violating this law, no matter the reason, can result in a nurse facing serious legal issues, including loss of their nursing license and lawsuits.
Diversion of Drugs
Unfortunately, the nursing profession – just like many professions – has been affected by the prescription drug epidemic that many people struggle with. Due to the access that nurses have to many of these medications, there are many nurses who struggle with addiction that feed their habits by diverting patient drugs for their own use. Others sell these diverted drugs illegally.
Nurses who divert drugs face loss of license if they are caught as well as criminal charges and potential prison time if they are found guilty.
Contact a Cook County Professional License Defense Lawyer
If you are a nurse who has been notified your license is under investigation, do not delay in contacting Williams & Nickl, LLC today. Call 312-335-9470 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our skilled Chicago nursing license defense attorneys and find out how we can help.
Source:
https://digitalhealthbuzz.com/5-reasons-you-could-lose-your-nursing-license/
