As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) working in Connecticut, you are among the healthcare field's most skilled, diversified, and sought-after professionals. With an advanced education under your belt, numerous certifications, years of clinical training and experience, and your Connecticut state Nurse Anesthetist license, you have built a career that brings with it high earning potential, prestige, challenge, and stability in an often unstable economy.
You've proved your mettle as a nursing student, from your competitive grade point average as an undergraduate working toward your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and an impressive score on your Graduate Record Examination (GRE) to your rigorous critical-care training in and out of Intensive Care Units (ICU) and other clinical rotations as you worked toward your advanced degree and licensure.
All of this hard work, while absolutely worth it, hasn't been without a great investment of countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars, at minimum, in your undergraduate, graduate, and perhaps postgraduate education in nursing.
At times, some CRNAs find themselves on the receiving end of an allegation that threatens their license and livelihood. The Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team is passionate about protecting CRNAs nationwide and working with licensing agencies to secure the most favorable results possible. If your license is in jeopardy, call us today at 888-535-3686 or submit your details online, and we will reach out.
We Serve CRNAs From Many Connecticut Schools and Medical Centers
Like many CRNAs in Connecticut, you may have studied at Central Connecticut State University and learned from the best at some of New England's top medical centers, such as Hartford Hospital (HH) and Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford, Connecticut Children's Surgery Center at Farmington, St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Midstate Medical Center in Meriden, The Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, or the Center for Education and Simulation Innovation (CESI).
Regardless of the clinical setting or location, the expertise you have honed in pursuit of your CRNA license and the professional reputation you have built is priceless and worth protecting in the event your livelihood is ever threatened by a complaint to the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing.
So Many Reasons to Safeguard Your Good Standing
It happens to many of us who have practiced in a profession for years – as time goes by, it's easy to forget just how incredibly hard we've worked to get here and how much we've sacrificed and grown in the process. Once you earned your CRNA license in Connecticut, as an advanced practice nurse, you likely built up an enviable breadth of experience in intensive care settings, including surgical, neuro, cardiovascular, burn/trauma, and neonatal or pediatric intensive care. As a CRNA, you practice with a high degree of independence and command the respect of your colleagues, providing anesthetics to patients in every practice setting and for all types of surgeries and procedures.
Through it all, you've stayed current on certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
In so many ways, there's a lot riding on the line. If you're feeling overwhelmed by an allegation filed against you and at the thought of losing your CRNA license, remember the work you put into getting where you are. This is no time to give up or feel resigned or complacent. You have legal options, and we can work through them with you.
CRNA Licensing and Certification in Connecticut
Every CRNA knows that the keys to this lucrative and rewarding career are your licenses and certifications – some required, and some optional, gained simply because of your passion for your profession and your continued development. After completing your Master's Degree, you passed the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) National Certification Exam and obtained state licensure through the Connecticut State Department of Public Health Board of Examiners for Nursing. You may also be certified by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and belong to the Connecticut Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (CTANA).
No, you don't just have to sit back and have consequences happen to you, even though you might feel like the cards are stacked against you at the moment. We understand the complicated feelings being in such a position can bring, and we bring compassion and clarity to an otherwise unpredictable and intimidating situation.
Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing
Like all nurses in Connecticut, your CRNA practice falls under the Nurse Practice Act, the Administrative Rules of Practice, and the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act, rules that are all overseen by the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing (the “Board”).
The Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing is part of Connecticut's Department of Public Health. It oversees matters related to education, licensing, and disciplinary action. When someone files a complaint against a CRNA in Connecticut, it goes to the Board to adjudicate the complaint and issue sanctions as needed, such as license suspension or revocation.
Examples of CRNA Misconduct That May Result in Discipline
If you are the subject of a complaint filed with the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, the allegation against you may be related to one or more of the examples below. According to the Nurse Practice Act, examples of misconduct that may result in allegations of wrongdoing include:
- Fraudulently obtaining a CRNA license
- Illegal, incompetent, or negligent nursing practice
- Inability to demonstrate motor skill
- Emotional or mental illness
- Abuse of alcohol or other drugs
- Falsifying patient records
- Criminal conviction
How to File a Complaint Against a CRNA in Connecticut
Individual healthcare practitioners are regulated by the Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section of Connecticut's Department of Public Health. To file a complaint against a CRNA, one needs to complete the form found here and submit it to the Health Practitioner Investigations Unit.
The complainant will be asked to describe the “who, what, when, where, why” of the alleged incident and supply supporting documentation, such as witness statements, correspondence, photos, records, and so on.
Administrative Rules of Practice
The Rules of Practice outline how someone makes a complaint against a CRNA or another nurse, how a hearing is conducted, and how you can appeal a decision. Some highlights are listed here:
- Anyone can file a petition, or complaint, if they believe the nurse violated state, federal, or hospital regulations or laws (Title 2, Section 19a-9-9).
- If you have been dismissed, you have a right to appeal the decisions against you (Title 2, Section 19a-6-16).
- You must receive fair notice in writing that you are the subject of a disciplinary hearing so you have time to prepare (Title 2, Section 19a-9-18).
These are just a sampling of the rules and technicalities you may see in the course of your experience, and we can help you navigate them to prepare the strongest defense possible.
What Happens After a Complaint is Filed Against a CRNA?
If the allegations fall within the Health Practitioner Investigations Unit's jurisdiction, they will open an investigation to determine if disciplinary action, such as a reprimand, remedial education, or restriction of practice, should take place. Discipline taken would be administrative in nature only.
You can read comprehensive Rules of Practice Receipt and Investigation of Petitions and Adjudication of Complaints here. The Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team can walk you through these details.
When the Board Investigates
After you are notified of the complaint against you, the Board will consider the allegations. The Commissioner of Public Health may require that you submit to a physical or mental exam if it applies to the complaint. At this stage, the Board may also contact any witnesses offered by the complainant.
License and Disciplinary Hearings
If you are lucky, the Board could determine that the complaint has no merit and throw out the allegations, at least informally. Similarly, they could decide that it is minor enough to attempt to settle the matter prior to a hearing.
If you aren't so lucky, a hearing will be the next step. It is here that you need to offer your best defense and evidence proving your conduct did not violate accepted nursing standards.
Possible Outcomes of a Connecticut Nursing Board Hearing
If the outcome of your hearing is unfavorable, the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing will impose sanctions following a disciplinary hearing. These might include:
- Remedial Education: If there are perceived gaps in knowledge or skills, you may need to attend additional courses.
- Financial Penalties: For example, a nurse who falsely represents themselves could be fined up to $500 (Nurse Practice Act, Section 20-102).
- Probation: In this case, you may be able to continue working as a CRNA, but with the provision that any additional complaints may result in more serious sanctions.
- Reprimand: Here, a written warning will go on your permanent nursing record.
- License Suspension: You will not be allowed to practice nursing until your license is reinstated. You can request to have your license reinstated once your suspension period is over.
- License Revocation: This is the consequence you most want to avoid – losing your CRNA license. The Board may allow you to reapply for a license in the future, but it is not a given that it will be reinstated.
Any disciplinary findings may also be recorded on your permanent nursing record.
Appealing a CRNA License Suspension or Revocation
This process can move briskly, and you typically have just 10 days from the date of the decision to submit an appeal to the Board. Given the pace and the complexity of the appeals process, if you haven't retained professional legal defense up until now, you may wish to reconsider at this point.
Your first step will be to exhaust the Board's appeal processes. If you aren't successful, your next step will be to petition Connecticut's civil court system, which might involve petitioning the Superior Court directly with a challenge to the board's decision.
Be cautious. The stakes are high here – after you've appealed, the decision is permanent. Working with an experienced Professional License Defense Team can change the entire trajectory of your career.
Interstate Impacts of Connecticut CRNA Discipline
Your Connecticut license proceeding may have significantly higher stakes than you initially appreciate. Your discipline in Connecticut may well affect your ability to practice nursing in other states across the nation. Connecticut recently joined the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's Nurse Licensure Compact. Connecticut's participation in the national Nurse Licensure Compact means that you may obtain a nursing license in another state more easily by reciprocity and endorsement. You've already completed the necessary education, examination, and experience requirements for a CRNA license. The Compact saves you fromo having to repeat that work, endure the delay, and incur the cost.
But the same advantages that the Nurse Licensure Compact provide when obtaining a new CRNA license become disadvantages when you suffer license discipline in Connecticut or another state where you hold a license. Disciplinary officials will enter your discipline in the NCSBN's Nursys database, for licensing officials in other states to search and discover your discipline. You can run, but you can't hide. Your far better course is to retain us to defend your Connecticut misconduct charges. Save your Connecticut CRNA license, and you will have saved your licenses or ability to license in other states.
We Defend CRNAs Throughout Connecticut
We serve Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist statewide, including:
- Bridgeport
- Bristol
- Danbury
- Greenwich
- Hartford
- New Haven
- Stamford
- West Haven
This includes CRNAs working at Yale New Haven Hospital, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Bridgeport Hospital, Albert J. Solnit Psychiatric Center, Bristol Hospital, and others.
Call the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team Today to Discuss How We Will Protect Your Connecticut CRNA License
We are resolute in our belief in our clients' due process rights, and we are ready to stand by you as a strong advocate and negotiator. We routinely work with state Nursing Boards and licensing agencies nationwide when professional licenses are at stake, and we want to be a part of your team.
Call the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or contact us online with your situation, and we will reply as soon as possible so we can get to work.
