Before you go any further–if you do not have professional license defense/malpractice insurance right now, get it. Most nurses do not realize the need for nursing malpractice insurance and they either think their employer will cover them or they will never have the need for insurance. The main need these days is Nursing License Defense [...]
The Legislature during the last session strengthened the whistle-blower protections for nurses in response to the Winkler County Nurses’ experiences. As a result of that legislation, the Texas BON has proposed amendments to the Board rules. What happened to the two nurses as result of standing up for patients is horrible. There have been repercussions [...]
The Texas Nursing Board has sent out the October newsletter. Be sure to read the newsletter to get up to date on the new legislation passed this Legislative session regarding nurses. Remember that if a particular law affects your practice you need to read the actual law and not only the summary in the newsletter. [...]
At the Eligibility and Disciplinary Committee meeting for tomorrow, August 9, 2011, there are approximately 97 Default Revocation Orders to be presented to the committee, which means 97 nurses face losing their licenses. Defaults occur when an investigation before the Texas Board of Nursing progresses resulting in a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge and [...]
Whenever the Texas Legislature goes into session, one has to pay attention to what bills are proposed and then watch for which bills are signed into law. For this most recent session, the 82nd Regular, the following bills were passed that impact nursing (this is only a short list of what I think are most [...]
The Winkler County Sheriff who took action against two nurses, Ann Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle, that reported a physician, Dr. Rolando Arailes, Jr., to the Texas Medical Board has been found guilty. According to Mywesttexas.com Sheriff Robert L. Roberts was sentenced to four years of probation with a waiver of appeal, 100 days of [...]
It is time to renew and when you review the questions asked by the Board on the renewal paperwork, you see the question about a potential criminal history and have no clue what you should do and what you should not do. The best answer is to call an experienced administrative lawyer. There is no [...]
On Sunday, April 10, 2011, the Austin American-Statesman printed an article by Eric Dexheimer, Licensing handcuffs ex-cons. The article focuses on a problem our firm attorneys face frequently with clients — licensees or potential licensees are disciplined for criminal incidents which may have nothing to do with their licensed occupation or the discipline is too [...]
The Texas BON just posted the remaining rule changes for the continuing education rules. The complete revised rules are intended to stop nurses from taking “fluff” education courses that do nothing to enrich their nursing practice or nursing knowledge. The other changes were done last year and these are the remaining rules that [...]
If a nurse is currently under investigation by the Texas BON and is renewing his/her license, what does the nurse answer to the question: “Are you currently the target or subject of a grand jury or governmental agency investigation?” According to the Board, the answer is “yes” even though the BON knows about the [...]