Nursing Law & Order

Ohio Litigation Involving a Student Nurse and a Nursing School

See http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/rod/docs/pdf/2/2008/2008-ohio-993.pdf.

The case is Potter v. RETS Tech Center Co., Inc., 2008-Ohio-993.

Nursing Student and Nursing Faculty Relations

I received a phone inquiry this week from a nursing student. The Nursing School/College is taking steps to expel the student from the program. This isn't the first of such calls I have received from nursing students who are being expelled from a nursing program for whatever reason.

Do you think nurse educators and nursing faculty are too tough on nursing students? Are programs designed to fail students? Are the policies and procedures used by nursing schools and colleges to grieve issues (attendance, exams, grades, practice issues, etc.) that occur with nursing students fair?

We have all heard about nursing eating its young. Does this ugly behavior start in nursing schools and colleges (faculty and educators to nursing students) and then continue into the practice environment (nurse to new nurse/former nursing student)?

State Boards of Nursing should devote more time to investigating nursing student complaints involving nursing schools/colleges and nursing faculty. This should be included in determining whether or not the school/college maintains its status with the State Board of Nursing.

Patients in the healthcare environment can turn to nursing administration to hold nurses accountable and also the State Board of Nursing. Nurse educators and faculty are practicing nurses also. Who can and should nursing students look to for holding nurse educators and faculty accountable? The nursing school or college.

The Ohio Board of Nursing allows nursing students and other interested parties to file complaints against a nursing school/college via a Nursing Education Dissatisfaction Form. See http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/PDFS/Forms/NrsgEdReportform.pdf. 

This particular student is over $50,000 in debt from her undergraduate nursing education and less than 10 weeks from completing the program. I didn't accumulate that kind of debt with nursing and law school combined.

I can't discuss the specifics but in my opinion this student is not being treated fairly. But again, fairness is in the eye of the beholder and in this case the Dean of the College.

We have all heard about the nursing faculty shortage and nursing shortage. Have you ever heard of a lawyer shortage? Okay, I made myself laugh with that one.

Is the environment in the nursing workplace (both for staff nurses and nursing faculty) the reason why there is a nursing shortage? A shortage in a field is indicative of something in my opinion. The shortage of nurse educators and nurses is indicative of "what" in your opinion?

 

M.S. in Nursing Anyone?

The Greater Cincinnati Health Council is sponsoring an informational session on Becoming a Nurse Educator, Your Second Career. It takes place on February 12, 2008 at the Scarlet Oaks Training Facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. See the attached brochure for additional information and to rsvp. Download Nurseeducatorcvg.pdf

Yours truly is planning to attend. Why? I always wanted to teach a course on nursing regulation and legal issues in nursing at a nursing college or school. I have also planned for sometime to pursue a M.S. in Nursing. Now wanting and planning and actually taking steps to matriculate are distinct matters.

To my knowledge, I am not planning to enroll in graduate school; its just an informational session. If I can earn a M.S. in Nursing without accumulating an additional student loan debt; I would consider it! Wouldn't You?

Legal CE for Nurses

I was going through my old files this week and discovered legal CE programs that I offered in 2002 and 2003 for nurses. I am applying for reapproval this month on at least 12 out of 15 of the CE programs.

What type of legal content would interest you? Let me know.

Legal Issues in Nursing Education

I am attending the Michigan League for Nursing conference in Detroit on Tuesday. Linda Christensen, R.N., M.S.N., J.D., who is the dean of Nursing for Clarkson College in Omaho, Nebraska and an attorney is speaking for a full day on legal issues in nursing education.

There are lots of legal issues in nursing education ranging from state board of nursing criteria for nursing education to providing student nurses with due process prior to expulsion from a program. I am looking forward the full day event.

Speaking of legal issues in nursing education, do you receive enough education in nursing school on the law, legalities, and legal issues associated with nursing practice?

LPN Student Nurses

I represented a poster at the Licensed Practical Nurse Association of Ohio (LPNAO) Student Convention this week. There were over 500 attendees at the convention. The students were excited about graduation and eager to start their nursing careers.

What is your opinion of practical nursing and LPN or LVN education?

Too Much Content

I attended the Ohio League for Nursing Spring Conference in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 24, 2006. The keynote speaker was Dr. M. Elaine Tagliarini, President-Elect of the National League for Nursing. Her keynote was intriguing and thought provoking. She stated the transformation of nursing practice requires a reconceptualization of nursing education and the current system of educating RNs is too content focused.

She asked "What is NOT being taught in nursing educational programs because there is TOO much content?" Educating nurses on the law, legalities, and legal process associated with clinical practice if you ask me.

I presented a poster at the conference entitled Dodging Legal Minefields in the Transition from Student Nurse to Clinical Nurse that in my opinion fit in rather nicely with the keynote. In my law practice I am seeing more graduates from "accelerated nursing programs" being reported to the Board of Nursing for unsafe practice. Are nurse educators so focused on graduating students, NCLEX scores, and the "nursing shortage" that schools and colleges are smashing content into semesters/quarters and not providing students with the opportunity to develop clinical judgment, critical thinking, and decision making skills?

In general nurses are not familiar with the legal foundations of clinical nursing practice and the different types of potential law and liability facing nurses. Why?

I ask this question in my CE presentations and I will ask it here. Whose role is it to educated nurses on the law, legalities, and legal process associated with clinical nursing practice?

Does it belong to nursing schools and colleges, nursing employers, nursing unions, nursing professional associations, and/or individual nurses who are of course accountability for his or her own individual nursing practice and any acts or lack of action therein?