My 2 Cents

This is one of the reasons why nurses don't stay in nursing

A nurse has been accused on inappropriate conduct in the workplace.

The nurse wanted to know what are his rights. When the nurse asked the employer, what are my rights, the employer (in a meeting with his nurse manager and human resources rep) replied "you don't have any rights and you cannot do anything to defend yourself in this investigation."

The nurse wanted to know if he has a right to know what he is being accused of and who the accuser is in this situation.

What do you think? What are your rights in the workplace? What are your rights, if any, in an internal investigation by a private employer (non-governmental)?

Will I remain a member of the ANA and the Ohio Nurses Association?

I had someone email me yesterday asking this question. The ANA House of Delegates ended Friday. I was not able to the attend the ANA HOD (gosh darn!).

Therefore I need to review what was adopted, adopted as amended, and rejected before I make a decision.

Several Ohio Nurses Association members (who I respect and adore) commented to me that any decision made now will be in the heat of moment and I should give it at least one year.  

I need to "get the skinny" on what happened at the ANA House of Delegates. Its trickling in slowly.  

Will I remain a member of ANA and ONA? I will for a period of time. I am a delegate for the Center for American Nurses from the Ohio Nurses Association and I would lose this status if I terminated my membership with ANA/ONA.

Will I remain a member of the ANA Congress on Nursing Practice & Economics? No.

Will I remain a member of the Center for American Nurses? Yes

Michigan Nurses Association withdrawing from the American Nurses Association

I missed the ANA House of Delegates this week. I attended the Center for American Nurses Membership Council meeting but had to leave immediately after because of business. (Hey, I have to make a living too!). This were starting to heat up when I departed on Monday however alot of the delegates and state nurses association presidents and executive directors had not arrived for the House of Delegates (Wed-Friday).

The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) has 10,000 members and has decided to w/d from the American Nurses Association.

See the Press Release. http://www.minurses.org/news/press/2008/062708ana.shtml.

My Cousin Vinny is an Attorney and He said that I should.....

I should have posted on this subject a while ago.

I am frequently contacted by a nurse who has a family member who is an attorney. Whether its a spouse, brother, sister, cousin, uncle, mother, etc.

The nurse will then proceed to tell me that this is how their family member suggested that a licensure defense action should be handled or this is their attorney family member's opinion on the issues in the licensure matter.

I have a large immediate family and an even larger extended family here in Cincinnati. When a family member asks me to comment on something their attorney said, I state I can't comment. You retained your attorney and your questions and comments should be directed towards your attorney. I also remark that I am a licensure defense attorney (this is a very narrow specialty) so why would I have an opinion on your personal injury case or your worker's compensation matter.

But that's me.  

I declined to represent another nurse a few years ago who was in the process of retaining me but after each of our discussions who would contact her sister (who was an attorney in another state and worked in a med mal plaintiff's firm) and ask her sister what she thought about my advice and counseling. I think not.

But that's me.

What's Up with STNAs Stealing from Nursing Home Residents?

Here is the cut and paste of an article that appeared on the Cinti Enquirer website on Wednesday, June 18, 2008:http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS0107/306180058.

Woman charged in credit card misuse

Michael Dowlar looked through his father’s credit card bill and saw something that alarmed him: Forty-four unauthorized transactions totaling $1,042.57.

One of them was a payment to a T-Mobile account in the name of Sarah Alexander.

Sarah Alexander is an aide at the Blue Ash Nursing home where Dowlar’s father, also named Michael Dowlar, is a patient.

The younger Dowlar called police.

Alexander, 26, of East Westwood, was in court this morning, facing a charge of misuse of a credit card and some harsh words from a judge.

“This is despicable,” Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Ted Berry said about the allegations, “preying on the elderly.”

He set her bond at $2,500 and ordered Alexander to stay away from the nursing home, where she said she no longer works.

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I was relieved after reading the accused in this case isn't a nurse. I wonder if she is a nursing student.  

Why in your opinion are we seeing more cases like this where STNAs are misusing and misappropriating client property and funds?

Is it the ecomony, foreclosure crisis, low STNA wages, working conditions for STNAs in nursing homes, or just "good old fashion" greed?

Guess What? Nurses Are Sued by Former Nursing Employers

I was contacted by another nurse who is being sued for breach of contract by a former nursing employer.

This is the 2nd or 3rd time this year I have been contacted this year by a nurse being sued by a former employer for breach of contract related to an employment agreement.

Just a few thoughts:

1. Each of the nurses who contacted me DID NOT have professional liability insurance. Guess what, you are responsible for the costs and fees related to your legal defense and its costs money to retain an attorney. Are you seriously going to try to represent, counsel, and advise yourself in a civil matter where a preliminary injunction has been filed, the case will be arbitrated pursuant to the employment agreement by the American Arbitration Association, etc?

2. You should not sign an employment agreement without having it reviewed by your own attorney first. Let me rephrase this, Why would you sign an employment agreement without having it reviewed by an attorney first?

Guess what, it costs money to have an attorney review a contract. Some attorney will charge you a flat fee to review an employment contract and meet with you to discuss your options and the terms and conditions in the contract. Don't just go off "willy nilly" and sign an employment agreement thinking that the chances of your employer or former employer suing you are miniscule. No sir re Bob!

3. If you receive correspondence from a former employer's attorney, don't blow it off. Schedule a consultation with an attorney to discuss your options. Guess what, it costs money to have an attorney consult with you. Some attorneys charge a flat fee consultations.

4. You really place yourself at a disadvantage when you don't have your own professional liability insurance and you are named as defendant or a complaint is filed against your license unless you can afford to retain an attorney "out of pocket." 

Liberty or Licensure & Livelihood: Ene Mini Miney Mo, Criminal Defense Attorney or Licensure Defense Attorney

If you are charged with a crime as a licensed nurse (RN, LPN, APRN) you may have to retain a criminal defense attorney and a licensure defense attorney.

1. If you are charged with any crime (outside of traffic tickets) retain a criminal defense attorney.

2. If you are contacted by the State Nursing Board about the pending criminal matter, you can retain your criminal defense attorney to represent you in the licensure matter or you may have to retain a licensure defense attorney.

How will the Board of Nursing know about a pending criminal matter and charges? Law enforcement, your current or former nursing employer, another state regulatory agency, etc. may have contacted about the Board especially in the alleged criminal conduct occurred in a facility.

Its not uncommon for nurses to have a criminal defense attorney and a licensure defense attorney. There are criminal defense attorneys that also handle licensure matters however this may be a seperate retainer and fee.

Why am I mentioning this? I have terminated the attorney-client relationship with three nurses for non-payment of legal invoices in the last 30 days. All three of these nurses had to retain a criminal defense attorney and then retained me as their licensure defense attorney. Clients can terminate attorneys and attorneys can terminate clients.

When a nurse is charged with a crime, retaining a criminal defense attorney or securing the services of a public defender (if you meet certain income guidelines and depending on the criminal charges) is a priority. Its your liberty. However your nursing license is your livelihood and should be a priority also.

3. Consider purchasing your own professional liability insurance policy. It will not cover criminal defense fees but it will cover licensure defense before the Board of Nursing. The three nurses I represented and subsequently terminated did not professional liability insurance.

4. I know alot of us are living paycheck to paycheck in these tough economic times. However you are licensed professional. Save a dime or two here and there for a pinch. I don't think anyone goes to work as a nurse and says "I am going to do something that gets me charged with a crime and reported to the Nursing Board" but if this happens you may be a pinch. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pinch.

I have had at least 4 nurses contact me in the last 45 days saying they don't have money to retain a licensure defense attorney because they had to retain a criminal defense attorney. What do I say? I feel for these nurses however attorneys like nurses expect compensation for practicing.

Which is most important in your opinion when a nurse is charged with a crime and is also being investigated by the Nursing Board: retaining and paying a criminal defense attorney or retaining and paying a licensure defense attorney?

How Much Is Your Nursing License Worth To You? My Nursing and Law Licenses are Priceless

I represent nurses in licensure and professional practice matters. So I receive a number of phone inquiries each week for nurses seeking representation in Board of Nursing disciplinary investigations.

After the initial phone consultation, I forward a packet of information to nurses for review and consideration. It always includes a Legal Services Agreement if the nurse wants to establish an attorney-client relationship.

Some nurses retain me, some don't.

Most nurses do not have professional liability insurance therefore in order to retain an attorney the nurse must pay "out of pocket" for legal representation. For nurses who don't have professional liability insurance, I charge a flat fee for legal representation. At least half of the flat fee must be paid initially.

A nurse contacted me this week who has been reported to the BON for falsification of medical records. Actually I have received two phone inquiries this week from different nurses related to allegations of falsification of medical records. Go figure.

I mailed the nurse a packet of information. The nurse left me a voicemail yesterday thanking me for the information and stating she can't afford to pay half of the flat fee.

I understand completely. The nurse is getting married soon so I can imagine that paying for a licensure defense attorney (an unplanned expense) is peanuts when you are paying for a wedding and handling the details of your wedding.

I also pointed out to the nurse in our initial discussion that she had did a few things that were "not in her best interest" after the Board of Nursing complaint was filed and that she was essentially "flying blind" in the licensure matter. Flying blind meaning being reactive and not looking at the big picture.

But in my experience this is common when nurses represent themselves in Nursing Board matters.

Just a few observations:

1. Board of Nursing disciplinary investigations are adverserial in nature. Just like criminal matters where you have the defense and the prosecution and in civil matters where you have the plaintiff and the defendant, you are on one side of the table and the Board of Nursing is on the other side table.

2. Most nurses proceed without attorney representation in Board of Nursing disciplinary investigations. Whether you realize it or not, you are proceeding "pro se", i.e. you are representing, counseling, and advising yourself.

3. If I have $2.50 for every time I have said this, I could purchase a vacation home in Las Vegas and retire. Consider purchasing your own professional liability insurance policy with a licensure defense protection benefit.

4. It costs money to retain an attorney. Any attorney whether its a flat fee agreement or hourly agreement will want an initial payment for legal fees.

Contact several different attorneys and compare fees. Flat fee vs. Hourly Fee.

Depending on the issues involved (employment, civil, criminal, licensure, and/or regulatory), it may cost one, two, three or 12 months of your salary. There was a case several years ago that involved nursing malpractice, a Board of Nursing investigation, labor arbitration, and criminal charges against a union nurse. This nurse did not have professional liability insurance and spent $25,000 to retain a criminal defense attorney, personal counsel in the malpractice case, personal counsel in the labor arbitration, and attorney representation in the Board of Nursing investigation.  

5. Money is always a consideration especially in these tight economic times. However you must ask yourself the following:

A. Should you represent yourself? Of course, you CAN represent yourself, but should you?

B. Are you willing to do the necessary research and investigation (law, rules, Board cases, state case law, Board opinions, process and procedure for investigations and adjudications, Board documents, etc.) to represent, counsel, and advise yourself before the Nursing Board?

C. Is it in your best interest to represent yourself?

D. Can you remain objective throughout this process?

E.  How will you know if what's being proposed to resolve the complaint is reasonable?

F. Who will inform you of your options? For example, if the Board proposes action against your license, what does this mean? How does it impact your employment? What your nursing career? Should you continue your nursing education?

G. What is your license worth to you?

Nursing College, several thousand dollars in student loans;

Law School, tens of thousands of dollars in student loans;

Maintaining an active and unrestricted law license (Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana) and nursing license (Ohio),  Priceless.

Permanent Practice Restrictions on a Nursing License are Indeed Permanent

I was contacted by a nurse via email this week. The nurse was convicted of aggravated assault several years ago. A Board of Nursing proposed to take action against her license based on the conviction. The nurse was offered a "contract" to resolve the complaint (the felony aggravated assault conviction and subsequent Nursing Board investigation). The nurse signed the contract. The contract suspended her license and provided terms for reinstatement of her license.

The nurse inquired whether she could retain an attorney to remove the permanent practice restrictions in the Board of Nursing contract.

The time to ask questions, voice concerns, and make comments about a Board of Nursing contract is prior to signing the contract. If you are provided with a Board of Nursing contract (Consent Agreement, Agreed Order, Public Reprimand, Consent to Discipline, etc.) consider consulting with an administrative law or licensure defense attorney.

Pay the consultation fee (normally $1500-$500) to have the proposed contract reviewed with you. You want to know how the proposed contract will impact your nursing career and the practical implications of nursing discipline and Board of Nursing monitoring. Contact The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA) for an attorney referal www.taana.org, contact your state nurses association for a referral, or research nursing licensure defense or administrative law attorneys on the internet. Start with a google search of "nurse" "license" "defense" and your City or State.

I thanked the nurse for contacting me and responded that permanent practice restrictions on a license are in deed permanent.

Life Isn't Fair: But Shouldn't the Doctor be Reported to the Board like the Nurse

Life isn't fair.

You are what you eat.

Death, Taxes, and Litigation.

Nurses and Doctors are not treated the same when an incident arises in a Hospital.

A hospital investigated an incident involving several hospital employees and behavior that could be considered criminal if you like Law & Order. I love Law & Order. I like the original and Special Victims Unit (SVU); I don't like to watch Law & Order Criminal Intent.

Guess what? Nursing administration and Human Resources decide after its investigation to report the nurse to the State Board of Nursing. The physician is reported internally not externally and the case will be reviewed pursuant the Medical Staff Bylaws.

What the frak? I am a Sci-Fi buff (remember my dogs are named Luke, Leia, Anniken, and Amidala) and I also love the new BattleStar Galatica! http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/

Why would you report the nurse to the Board of Nursing and not report the physician to the Medical Board?

Why are Hospitals so eager to report a nurse to the Nursing Board but the same organization think twice, contacts risk management, outside legal counsel, in-house legal counsel, and does the "death by committee dance" before externally reporting a physician to the Medical Board?

Why don't all Hospitals have Nursing Staff Bylaws and afford nurses the rights and due process afforded to physicians?

Do you think nurses should be afforded the same procedural due process rights afforded to physicians in Hospitals during investigations and when incidents occur?

Amicus Brief in California Board of Registered Nursing Case

See this Amicus Brief filed in Board of Nursing licensure cases in California:

http://www.taana.org/content/documents/amicus_brief06-2008.pdf

Do you agree or disagree with the brief?

Is Nursing for Everyone who wants to be a nurse?

I spoke on Monday at the Southwestern Ohio Nurses Association (SONA) annual meeting. I presented on Ohio Nursing law and rules; it was a one hour CE program offered by my consulting firm.

I had a ball! I had a chance to see old friends and colleagues at the Meeting.

This was a very interactive audience with excellent comments and questions about nursing licensure, criminal convictions, and student nurses.

I posed the question of whether we as a profession as socializing new nurses in the professional nursing practice. Comments varied.

There were lots of questions and comments about nursing students and criminal convictions and why are we seeing so many nursing students with criminal convictions.

I even had someone approach me after this meeting who works as a RN with incarcerated women. She mentioned that alot of these women (who are currently incarcerated in a women's penitentiary) were former nursing students or worked in the healthcare field and want to pursue a nursing education upon release. She wanted to know if these women (not individual cases but the women as a whole) had a chance for nursing licensure because of their criminal convictions and prison terms.

I was at a professional association meeting a few months ago and someone mentioned that a good percentage of the nursing students of today were the Taco Bell and McDonald workers ten and fifteen years ago and this is the reason why there has been a shift i the "mind set" of nursing students and more nursing students with criminal convictions.

A comment was made at this meeting that nursing schools shouldn't take a nursing students money if the school knows this individual will not be able to obtain a nursing license or will obtain a license with restrictions that will impact employability and career satisfaction. Wow!!

Don't flame me, this is just my two cents and a few observations:

1. Nursing is a female dominated profession and this attracts women of course.

2. Nursing has multiple entry levels to practice and this is very appealing especially in these tight economic times.

3. Nursing is seen as end to a means or a means to an end depending on who you are and where you are because of the multiple entries (LPN (one year), RN (two year), RN (four year), RN accelerated if you have a Bachelor's degree in another field, etc.)

4. Criminal convictions and criminal issue happen; there are lots of folks with criminal convictions. 

5. Individuals with criminal convictions like everyone else seek professional training and employment and healthcare and especially nursing is seen as a very viable option.

6. Nursing is considered one of the most trusted professions.

7. A career in nursing is not a right or entitlement. Nursing is not for everyone. Individuals with criminal convictions need to do some research and speak with a licensure defense attorney before applying to a nursing school to make informed decisions. A licensure defense attorney won't embellish your "chances of licensure" unlike some others.

8. State Nursing Boards, Nursing Schools/College, and Nursing Clinical Sites will continue to look into criminal convictions unless parameters and boundaries are imposed by the state or federal legislatures.

9. Proprietary nursing schools.

LPN involved with Execution of Inmates Has Criminal Issues: Is this Relevant?

I found this story today on the internet. The LPN is referred to as an "offender." Should a nurse on criminal probation be allowed to participate in the execution of an inmate? Is criminal probation relevant to the issue since the professional competence of the LPN was and has never been questioned?

Should a nurse be labeled by a criminal conviction and criminal probation for the remainder of one's career? Should criminal convictions impair a licensed healthcare professional's licensure and employability?

I am not a criminal defense attorney but I tell you I am getting more and more involved in the criminal law and procedure because I represent nurses who have been charged or convicted of crimes.

See http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/17F8745E3625E0B7862573CE001D1CE9?OpenDocument

This is part of the article:

Before a Missouri executioner could go to Indiana in 2001 to help federal authorities put mass killer Timothy McVeigh to death, he had to take care of one detail:

He needed permission from his probation officer to leave the state.

The request, by a licensed practical nurse from Farmington, set off alarms within the Missouri Division of Probation and Parole. At least one supervisor spoke out to an agency administrator.

"As I stated to you previously, it seems bizarre to me that we would knowingly allow an offender, on active supervision, to participate in the execution process at any level," she wrote.

But that memo and others obtained by the Post-Dispatch show that high-level federal and state corrections officials did let the nurse make the trip — and continue to work on Missouri's lethal-injection team.

Practicing Medicine without a License is a Crime

You are innocent until proven guility in the American criminal justice system but see this article that appears in today's Cincinnati Enquirer about a "physician" practicing medicine here in Cincinnati without an Ohio medical license.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/NEWS0107/306120043

Readnour, who offered a wide range of medical services at his North Bend Road clinic such as immunizations for children, mammograms and colonoscopies, was arrested and charged with practicing medicine without certification and possession of criminal tools (i.e. the medical equipment).

Practicing medicine without a license is a crime and so is practicing nursing without a icense here in Ohio.

I had a case a few years ago where an LPN was "holding herself" out as a RN, practicing as a RN, and falsely reporting that she completed her RN training and passed the NCLEX-RN exam. This nurse was not charged with a crime however she had her LPN license revoked and was permanently denied the ability to apply for a RN license in Ohio.  

The Economic Recession Doesn't Stop Board of Nursing Complaints and Legal Issues in Nursing

I am going to summarize my phone inquiries in the last 10 days:

1. Nurse reported to BON for a medical error that may or not not contributed to the death of a patient.

2. Nurse reported to BON for several medication errors; no patient injuries.

3. Nurse reported to state regulatory agency for allegations of resident abuse.

4. Nurse reported to BON for allegedly making inappropriate comments to patient.

5. Nurse reported to law enforcement agency and BON related to missing narcotics

6. Nurse reported to BON (Board of Nursing) for allegations of fraudulent documentation in medical records

7. Nurse reported to BON for failing to document the waste of controlled substances

8. Nurse license suspended for failure to comply with a Board of Nursing document

9. Nurse licensed suspended for failure to comply with a Board of Nursing document

10. Nurse seeking attorney representation at a video-taped deposition as a fact witness in a medical malpractice case; her former employer was not named as a defendant in the suit and refuses to provide attorney representation to the nurse. The nurse does not have her own professional liability insurance. She is not named a defendant in the case.

11. Nurse term'd and inquiring about suing his former employer.

12. Nursing student inquiring about suing a proprietary nursing school for discrimination.

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What does this say to you as nurse?

1. Consider purchasing your own professional liability insurance policy with a licensure defense protection benefit and that provides representation if you are subpoenaed for a deposition.

2. Document your administration, handling, and wasting of controlled substances. No exceptions.

3. If you signed a Consent Agreement, Agreed Order, or any other document where you consented to discipline against your license in lieu of a formal hearing, you must comply strictly with the agreement. No exceptions. Consult with a licensure defense attorney or an administrative law attorney regarding the document if you don't understand it.

Baptist, Democrat, and Thirty-Six

A neighbor asked me my age. Before I could reply his wife told him you don't ask folks their age, religion, or political affiliation.

Do you agree?

I replied I was born July 2, 1971, I am a Baptist, and I am a Democrat.

Go OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Happens if You are Served with a Subpoena for a Deposition

I was contacted by a nurse who was served with a subpoena for a deposition in a medical malpractice case. The nurse provided care to the patient.

The nurse doesn't have professional liability insurance. The deposition is scheduled for this month.

The nurse isn't a party to the lawsuit however of she is concerned about protecting her interests and not incriminating herself. She of course is nervous. She wants to hire legal counsel to prepare for the deposition and attend the deposition with her.  

Guess what? She will have to retain her own legal counsel. Why?

1. She doesn't have her own professional liability insurance. A policy like the one available with Nursing Service Organization (NSO) would provide reimbursement for attorney representation at the deposition. See www.nso.org. (I am not in any way or fashion affiliated with or employed by NSO).

2. Her former employed was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and has no obligation to provide her with legal representation or the services of its legal counsel for the deposition.

Consider purchasing your own individual professional liability insurance policy. Like other forms of insurance, you don't need it until you need it but when you do need it, its there.  

As a Nurse, You May Be Named as a Defendant in a Lawsuit

A Cincinnati couple is suing companies and health-care workers they insist were more concerned about making a profit from the organs and tissue of a dead teenager than respecting the wishes of grieving parents. A RN is a named defendant in the lawsuit.

The couple said they filed the suit because they don't want other families to suffer the trauma they did when their daughter's eyes were taken without permission.

http://news.enquirer.com/assets/AB11015366.PDF

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Unless these nurses have their own professional liability insurance policy, they will depend on the defense and legal representation provided by their employers. Having your own legal counsel provides you with a voice because your interests in the lawsuit may not be the same as the interests of your employer as the litigation and discovery process unfolds.

Its an uncomfortable position especially when you are named defendant and you don't have your own professional liability insurance. Also depending on the resolution of the lawsuit or maybe even before the resolution of the lawsuit, the nurses may be investigated by the Ohio Board of Nursing if the family files a complaint against the nurses.

What Do Physicians Really Want?

See this link and what's being proposed at the American Medical Association of House of Delegates.

AMA Resolutions Involving Other Health Professions

The American Medical Association's (AMA) resolutions for its upcoming House
of Delegates meeting (occurring June 14-18, 2008) have begun to be posted
online The following are links to two resolutions of particular interest
that will be considered at the meeting. Should you choose to submit
comments on these resolutions, the deadline and contact information are
posted at the end of this communication.


Resolution 303 Protection of the Titles "Doctor," "Resident" and
"Residency"


http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/471/303.doc


The "Resolved" clauses in Resolution 303 state that:


"RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association adopt that the title
“Doctor,” in a medical setting, apply only to physicians licensed to
practice medicine in all its branches, dentists and podiatrists (New HOD
Policy); and be it further


RESOLVED, That our AMA adopt policy that the title “Resident” apply only to
individuals enrolled in physician, dentist or podiatrist training programs
(New HOD Policy); and be it further


RESOLVED, That our AMA adopt policy that the title “Residency” apply only
to physician, dentist or podiatrist training programs (New HOD Policy); and
be it further


RESOLVED, That our AMA serve to protect, through legislation, the titles
“Doctor,” “Resident” and “Residency.” (Directive to Take Action)"


Resolution 214 Doctor of Nursing Practice


http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/471/214.doc


The "Resolved" clauses in Resolution 214 state that:


"RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association oppose the National Board
of Medical Examiners participating in any credentialing procedures for
Doctors of Nursing Practitioners (DrNP) and refrain from producing test
questions to certify these DrNP candidates (New HOD Policy); and be it
further


RESOLVED, That our AMA make it a legislative priority to urge Congress to
increase funding for residency slots, particularly primary care physicians
(Directive to Take Action); and be it further


RESOLVED, That our AMA adopt a policy that those nurses who are Doctors of
Nursing Practice must only be able to practice under the supervision of a
physician and as part of a medical team with the final authority and
responsibility for the patient under the supervision of a licensed
physician. (New HOD Policy)"


Comments on these resolutions for consideration by the AMA reference
committee must be submitted by June11, 2008 to roger.brown@ama-assn.org.

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What do you think?

Ohio Attorney General Newsletter-Spring 2008

Here is a Spring Newsletter received from the Ohio Attorney General's Office. There are cases related to licensure discipline of physicians that may be of interest to nurses in the Newsletter.

Download admin_law2008041.pdf