The New York Metropolitan area is by far the biggest in the country and a world-renowned hub for medical care. The area is home to over 150,000 registered nurses alone, not including certified nursing assistants, nurse practitioners, and other types of nurses. Whether you're a nurse commuting daily to New York City or working in the surrounding metro area, any misconduct allegation can risk your nursing licensure, career, and reputation. When you're working in such a substantial metro area as New York facing disciplinary action in one jurisdiction can lead to a whole host of additional issues.
When issues related to your nursing license arise, and you live in the New York Metro Area, it is important for you to understand the processes and protections available to you so you can preserve your ability to practice nursing. At the Lento Law Firm, our Professional License Defense Team will guide you from the first allegations against you through the best possible resolution in your case. You have worked too hard, sitting through countless hours of school, taking the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), and more, to have anything get in the way of you and your livelihood. The Lento Law Firm attorney will explain the disciplinary processes and how we will vigorously defend your rights and license. Let our Professional License Defense Team demonstrate the importance of having the team on your side; call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
Allegations That Can Threaten Your New York Metro Area Nursing License
Mistakes and misunderstandings happen. Unfortunately, our Professional License Defense Team sees New York Metro Area nurses facing steep consequences before their state licensing boards for this every day. The most common allegations our nurse clients face include:
- Accusations of negligence or failure to meet standards of care
- Medication errors
- Patient abuse or neglect
- Failure to maintain professional boundaries, including conducting inappropriate sexual relationships and improper communications
- Patient financial exploitation or fraud
- Practicing while impaired by alcohol, substance use, or mental health issues
- Failure to maintain proper records and documentation
- Professional conduct issues such as insubordination or failure to adhere to facility policies and procedures
- Breach of patient confidentiality
- Practicing outside the scope of their nursing license or training
If you have been accused of any of these types of misconduct or more, the Lento Law Firm can help. We know the value of your nursing license and practicing in the New York Metro Area. Our Professional License Defense Team will do everything possible to clear these charges and advocate for you before your New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania nursing board.
Disciplinary Action Process for Nursing Misconduct Allegations
There are many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to those in charge of addressing nurse misconduct allegations in the New York Metro Area. This is largely because the New York Metro Area is massive, comprising four states, each with its own regulatory boards. At the Lento Law Firm, our Professional License Defense Team frequently interacts on behalf of our clients with professional and nursing boards throughout the New York Metro Area.
Our Professional License Defense Team knows all the tricks and tactics of these boards, and we are well-equipped to fight back. The Lento Law Firm has worked with each and every one of these boards to get our clients the best possible outcomes, ensuring our client's futures and reputations are preserved as well as ensuring the boards that our clients remain valuable members of the New York Metro Area nursing community. Each professional board works slightly differently and has its own policies and procedures. The Lento Law Firm attorney will walk you through the disciplinary process with the relevant board in your case, but below is a brief overview of what you can anticipate in your jurisdiction.
Nursing Misconduct Reporting and Defense in New York
New York is one of the few states with most of its licensed professionals' alleged misconduct addressed by a single office – the New York Office of the Professions (OP). Anyone can submit complaints to OP. New York Metro Area nurses are often reported by their colleagues or patients in settings such as New York Presbyterian, Mount Sinai Health System, Norwell Health, or NYU Langone Health.
Regardless of who files a complaint, the OP takes every complaint seriously and will immediately review every complaint to see if there is a basis to open an investigation. If the OP believes an investigation is appropriate, it will refer your case to the NYS Education Department Board of Regents, who will open their own investigation. The Board of Regents will interview relevant parties, review patients and records, collect evidence, and contact you for your input. You should never interact with the OP or the Board of Regents alone; if you hear from another party, immediately contact the Lento Law Firm attorney to ensure you are placed in the best light during every interaction.
The Lento Law Firm attorney will work with the Board of Regents to find a solution that preserves your license and addresses their concerns. If negotiations are unsuccessful, your attorney will preserve your rights, and your practice right will be fought for at an administrative hearing. Whether you're in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, or the Bronx, or out in New Rochelle, Yonkers, Long Island, or Syosset, you must protect your ability to work as a nurse anywhere in the New York Metro Area.
Nursing Misconduct Reporting and Defense in New Jersey
If you are a New York Metro Area nurse working in New Jersey, you may be working at some of the largest employers in the area. Whether in Bergen County, Essex County, or anywhere else in the region, the process will look similar throughout the New Jersey area when you're facing disciplinary action.
Your New Jersey nurse licensure issue will start with a complaint filed with the New Jersey Board of Nursing (NJBON). When NJBON receives a complaint, it will be assigned to an investigator in the Preliminary Evaluation Committee (PEC), who will decide if a full investigation is warranted. You will be notified of the complaint and given an opportunity to respond. The investigator will collect documentation and meet with you, witnesses, supervisors, and other relevant parties throughout this time.
Whether you're employed with Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJ Barnabas Health, Atlantic Health System, or any other public or private system, you need your legal representation through the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team. The Lento Law Firm attorney will work to get you the best possible outcome; this may start by negotiating a consent order with NJBON to minimize or eliminate any charges against you. If necessary, our Professional License Defense Team will defend you in an Administrative Law Hearing on your case, advocating that NJBON preserve your license.
Nursing Misconduct Reporting and Defense in Connecticut
If you have been reported for nursing misconduct on the Connecticut side of the New York Metro Area, there is a good chance you are working in the New Haven or Fairfield County area. The healthcare institutions here, including Yale New Haven Health, Hartford HealthCare, and Stamford Health, serve large populations and take allegations of nursing misconduct incredibly seriously. If nurses in these healthcare systems are suspected of anything unethical, parties rarely hesitate to file a report with the Connecticut Department of Health and the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing.
When these regulatory bodies receive a complaint against you, they will jointly open an investigation into your case. This can include assessing patient records, reports from your employers, and meeting with you and witnesses in the case. The Lento Law Firm attorney will do everything in their power to reduce or eliminate the charges against you, but they may need to defend you in an administrative hearing. At a hearing, the Lento Law Firm attorney will present your side of the story and defend your right to continue practicing nursing in the New York Metro Area.
Consequences of Disciplinary Action
The Lento Law Firm attorney will do everything in their power to eliminate your charges, but unfortunately, sometimes there will be consequences. New York Metro Area nursing boards can generally take the following disciplinary actions against your nursing license if you are found guilty of misconduct:
- Reprimand
- License probation
- Fines and penalties
- Sanctions, remedial actions, or mandatory education
- Mandatory participation in alcohol or substance use treatment
- License suspension
- License revocation
Whether you think you are facing a reprimand or revocation, the Lento Law Firm can help. Fighting the allegations against you right out of the gate gives you the best chance for a good outcome.
Appealing Disciplinary Action Against Your New York Metro Area Nursing License
The disciplinary action process is overwhelming, and many of the Lento Law Firm New York Metro Area nurse clients believed they could fight this battle alone. When you're so used to caring for others and putting their needs first, letting someone else take the reins can be hard. If an attorney hasn't represented you since you have been accused of misconduct, you may be unhappy with how things are progressing or with your nursing board's decision. Fortunately, not all home is lost. Our Professional License Defense Team is no stranger to joining cases on appeal. Let us take over your case; we can often obtain better outcomes for our clients on appeal. The Lento Law Firm attorney has worked with these boards before and knows how to best present your case and take back control. Call the Lento Law Firm today to ensure your appeal is filed in time, and we can get your nursing career back on track.
New York Metro Area Nursing License Issues and the Nurse Licensure Compact
In addition to having disciplinary action solely impact your license in a single jurisdiction, facing disciplinary action as a nurse in the New York Metro Area can impact your multi-state licensure. For example, if you're working in Connecticut under the Nurse Licensure Compact with your New Jersey nursing license, you can have problems in both states, as well as any other New York Metro Area state you intend to practice in. When you face disciplinary action, all states where you are practicing under the Nurse Licensure Compact will be impacted. While not all states in the New York Metro Area are members (for example, New York still has not joined), states are always joining, and having issues with multi-state licensure can impact your career down the line. When you are at risk of losing your right to practice nursing in the entire New York Metro Area, having the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team as your first line of defense is crucial.
Retain the Lento Law Firm Today
Nursing misconduct allegations can ruin your life, especially when you are working in the well-connected New York Metro Area. Whether you're in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, there is no escaping allegations of misconduct, and if you face disciplinary action, it will follow you from place to place. At the Lento Law Firm, our skilled Professional License Defense Team will help you navigate your jurisdiction's complex disciplinary action process, discuss how it can impact your ability to practice in other jurisdictions, and implement a plan to preserve your nursing license, livelihood, and reputation. Let us fight for you; call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
