Safeguarding Your License

I spoke yesterday evening at the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio annual meeting. The topic was Safeguarding Your Nursing License.

I want to thank LPNAO for the invitation to speak. I love speaking to individual clinical nurses on the legal issues involved in providing nursing care. This was a wonderful group with lots of questions!

What steps are you taking to safeguard your nursing license? Do you have professional liability insurance with a licensure defense benefit? Do you periodically review your state nurse practice act and board of nursing regulations? Do you subscribe to and review nursing journals in your practice area? Have you reviewed your employer's nursing policies & procedures lately? What is your scope of practice? Do you seek a advice and consultation with your colleagues or an external source when questions, situations, and concerns arise in your nursing practice? Have you reviewed your Code of Ethics? What are the most common types of disciplinary investigations pending against nurses in your practice area? What the legal minefields for nursing negligence in your practice area? Do you know that criminal convictions can impact your nursing license? Do you review your Board of Nursing newsletter?

These are just a few things you can do to manage the risks associated with nursing practice.