Nurses are More Likely to Reported to the Board of Nursing, Than Named as A Defendant in a Med Mal Case

Wynne Simpkins,a dear nursing colleague of mine, and I are presenting a seminar sponsored her company, RWS Education, LLC. Wynne is a former Ohio Board of Nursing employee and the former Executive Director of the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio (LPNAO). See www.lpnao.org.

Ohio Board of Nursing Disciplinary Investigations: Can It Happen to You?

The seminar is scheduled for April 23, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Registration is limited to the 75 attendees. See the attached brochure for additional information. Download RWSeducationbrochure.pdf

I won't jump up on my soapbox (I am very clumsy and I may just fall again), but all nurses should be familiar with the legal and professional regulation of nursing practice and use those foundations to establish personal guidelines for self-regulation.

Does it surprise you that you as a nurse are more likely to be reported to the state board of nursing at some point in your career than you are to be sued and named as a defendant in a medical malpractice or nursing negligence case?

Why then, is there so much fuss about nursing malpractice and nursing negligence? Why is there an emphasis on negligence and malpractice as opposed to board of nursing disciplinary investigations and licensure matters?

Who can we as nurses blame for our misplaced focus on the potential civil liability, when we are much more likely to be facing administrative liability before a state board of nursing or someother healthcare licensing board than being named and sued for negligence or malpractice?