Nursing is one of the most demanding professions, and in high-pressure environments throughout the Greater Philadelphia area—including parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey—overwork and stressful conditions can make it challenging to avoid mistakes. If someone makes a complaint about your behavior or informs the nursing board of unsafe practices, your nursing license can very easily be on the chopping block.
When possible, you should do everything in your power to protect your license from disciplinary sanctions. Looking at a short list of major healthcare facilities in the Greater Philadelphia area will exemplify just how many career opportunities you have at your fingertips. Penn Medicine, Jefferson Health, Virtua Voorhees, Cooper University, ChristianaCare—with the demand for nurses at an elevated level, each one offers a fantastic workplace to build a career and future. However, this is only possible if you maintain and protect your license when it comes under threat. State nursing boards have immense power and can forever impact a nurse's future. If you are facing disciplinary investigation, you must work with experienced attorneys to have the best chance at avoiding license sanctions and restrictions.
The LLF Law Firm has worked with nurses throughout the Delaware Valley, from bustling Philadelphia to serene towns along the Susquehanna. Nursing boards don't care where you work or how many patients you care for. If they have any reason to believe you did something wrong, they will investigate and potentially take disciplinary action. Our job is to prevent accusations from leading to real-world consequences for your nursing license and ability to work.
Call our Professional License Defense Team today at 888.535.3686 or contact us online to start defending your nursing license.
Common License Issues Nurses Face in Greater Philadelphia
Even though healthcare facilities cannot function without the hard work of local Delaware Valley nurses, professional expectations and policies still limit what nurses can and cannot do on the job. Nurses often find themselves under immense pressure due to high patient volumes and demanding work environments, which can manifest as on-the-job mistakes and policy violations. Employers, as well as state nursing boards, can't ignore these potential nursing violations that place patients in harm's way. Each state nursing board with partial jurisdiction over Delaware Valley nurses has similar responsibilities to oversee local nurses, with the most common disciplinary problems that nurses face include:
- Substandard Medical Care: The primary goal of nurses is to provide high levels of care; if they can't—for whatever reason—they may face disciplinary punishment and investigations from their Board. Substandard care could mean anything from accidental medication errors to negligent misdiagnosis as long as the Board has concerns over the safety of patients.
- Documentation Errors: Nurses are at risk of disciplinary action if documentation errors, such as incomplete or inaccurate patient records, occur under their watch. Proper documentation protects everyone, both healthcare workers and patients, and maintains high levels of confidence in the nursing industry.
- Scope of Practice Violations: Nurses must operate strictly within their scope of practice as defined by their state's nursing board. Typically, nurses cannot provide medical assistance or services to a patient unless following physician directives. However, this clear guidance becomes complicated in emergency situations where nurses must make decisions quickly to protect patient health. Nurses who go beyond their legally defined boundaries, even for good reason, should anticipate a close look from their Board.
- Criminal Convictions: Nurses must report criminal convictions or arrests to their nursing board, especially if the alleged criminal acts directly involve the nursing profession. The nursing boards in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland all require nurses to self-report criminal convictions, and failure to do so may lead to severe penalties and restrictions on a nurse's license.
- Substance Abuse: Nurses are prohibited from abusing or using substances, regardless of their legality, if it results in substandard care or patient harm. Continuing to practice while using substances will lead to license sanctions, but nurses often have the ability to enroll in substance abuse rehabilitation programs to avoid discipline.
- Unprofessional Conduct: Unprofessional behavior is a very broad category, with violations most commonly including inappropriate relationships with patients, insubordination, and breaches of confidentiality. Remember, nursing boards generally have the power to discipline nurses if they believe their behavior harms the nursing profession as a whole.
Nurses across the Greater Philadelphia area face similar disciplinary risks regardless of their state, and no one should assume they are immune from disciplinary punishment. Whether you follow the Blue Route north to a small local hospital or work in the heart of the metro area at a large facility like Penn Medicine, policy violations are policy violations. If your state nursing board receives a complaint about your nursing practice or behavior, you must vigorously defend your license to remain a nurse and continue your career.
The LLF Law Firm represents nurses throughout the Delaware Valley and can protect your nursing license when threatened. Call our Professional License Defense Team at the first sign of nursing board investigations, and let our team begin building a robust defense to the accusations you face.
Protecting Your Nursing License Across State Lines
Some nurses working in the Greater Philadelphia area stay close to home and within their state, helping patients at a nearby facility day in and day out. However, many nurses take a different path, traveling to healthcare facilities regardless of the state to meet nursing demands and receive a competitive wage. It's not uncommon for a nurse from Philly to travel south to Atlantic City or even far west to the Eastern Shore when opportunities present themselves. While this can bring significant benefits, namely increased employment options, and flexibility, it also means increased regulatory confusion and licensing issues.
Each state nursing board has different expectations and policies that, while similar, must be followed if a nurse wants to avoid disciplinary punishment. Obtaining work authorization isn't typically the difficult part; it's maintaining your license through disciplinary concerns.
Scenario 1: Nurses from an NLC State Working in Pennsylvania
Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey are all members of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), meaning nurses from these states can obtain a multistate license and the ability to practice in other compact states. However, a significant number of nurses and large healthcare providers in the Delaware Valley are within Pennsylvania, which has not yet implemented legislation to join the NLC.
At face value, this means that nurses from the three NLC states cannot easily work in Pennsylvania without obtaining a Pennsylvania-specific nursing license. However, with recent changes, Pennsylvania has implemented partial participation in the NLC. Even though PA nurses cannot travel to compact states worry-free, nurses with a multistate license can practice in Pennsylvania without licensing concerns. Despite this freedom, nurses must still ensure compliance with Pennsylvania nursing regulations as if they were working in any other NLC state.
Scenario 2: Nurses Licensed in Pennsylvania Working in an NLC State
Now consider nurses who hold a Pennsylvania license and are offered an opportunity to work in Maryland, Delaware, or New Jersey. Unlike nurses from NLC states moving into Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania-licensed nurse cannot automatically qualify to work in these states under an NLC license since Pennsylvania has not yet fully implemented NLC legislation. If you live in Pennsylvania and have been waiting for your legislature to fully implement the NLC, you already understand how frustrating and confusing the current system is and how easily it can lead to mistakes.
To work in NLC states, Pennsylvania nurses must apply for a license by endorsement, which is much more involved than simply using a multistate license. While obtaining a license by endorsement in an NLC state can be more easily accomplished when working with experienced attorneys to smooth over issues, it still requires careful attention to detail. If you are a nurse in Pennsylvania looking to work in another state in the Delaware Valley, the LLF Law Firm can review all nursing board communications and applications to help you obtain the nursing license you need.
Disciplinary Violations Are Not State-Specific
It's important to remember that disciplinary actions in one state can affect your standing in all other states where you are licensed due to shared information on Nursys, a system available to nursing boards and employers alike. Information sharing through the Nursys system means that even minor disciplinary actions recorded in one state can impact your ability to secure or renew a license in other states. Once again, Pennsylvania is the odd one out, as their nursing board does not participate in Nursys. But if you aim to maintain or obtain a multistate license or secure a license by endorsement, you cannot afford to have any disciplinary actions in your background.
The LLF Law Firm Professional License Defense Team can help address any disciplinary matters affecting your ability to work across the Greater Philadelphia area. Defend against all disciplinary accusations, even minor Board concerns, before they irrevocably impact your future career prospects.
The Disciplinary Process for Nurses in the Greater Philadelphia Area
Your state nursing board's specific disciplinary process will be unique from the state next to it, but overall, they all take similar forms. The Board learns of potential misconduct, looks closer at the situation, and potentially hands down earthshattering sanctions that forever impact your nursing career. As soon as you learn of a complaint against you, contact the LLF Law Firm to provide our Professional License Defense Team ample time to defend against the accusations.
Despite state differences in disciplinary processes, the LLF Law Firm is experienced in all aspects of nursing license defense, and we can represent nurses living in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. Typically, you can expect the disciplinary process to include the following steps:
- Complaint Intake: Patients, employers, colleagues, or concerned members of the public send in confidential or anonymous complaints to your state nursing board, which then checks to see if the matter falls under their jurisdiction.
- Initial Review: The board reviews the complaint to determine whether the allegations, if accurate, warrant further investigation due to violations of existing state nursing policies.
- Investigation: If valid, the Board assigns investigators to collect evidence, interview witnesses, and review your practice history. Depending on the state and specific allegations, this investigation can last for months, and the investigator may want to speak to you to hear your side of the story.
- Temporary Restrictions: In some cases, you may face temporary restrictions or suspensions that prevent you from working until the end of the case.
- Case Disposition: Based on what the investigation uncovers, your state nursing board can dismiss the case, take informal disciplinary action with minimal punishment, or proceed to a formal hearing.
- Consent Agreements: Before formal hearings are required, many disciplinary cases end through consent agreements. Professional License Defense attorneys can negotiate with your state's Board and secure lesser punishment, though agreeing to particular facts and conditions may be required.
- Formal Hearing: If the case remains unresolved, it proceeds to a formal hearing, which is similar to a court trial and includes evidence presentations, witness testimony, and oral arguments.
- Final Decision: Board panels or administrative law judges will decide on the case, dismissing it altogether or ordering a range of punishments, from minor warnings to license suspensions or revocations.
It's extremely stressful and challenging for nurses to undergo disciplinary proceedings without the help of experienced attorneys to guide them. When your career hangs in the balance, you need the LLF Law Firm to help defend your license and continue your important work of helping local Philadelphia patients with their health concerns. Plus, the LLF Law Firm can assist if final decisions don't go your way and further appeals are necessary. Contact our Professional License Defense Team today to learn how we can guide you through your state's disciplinary processes for nurses.
Choose the LLF Law Firm for Greater Philadelphia Nursing License Defense
Nurses in the Greater Philadelphia area deserve the utmost support when facing disciplinary issues, as they are the ones dedicating their lives to helping those in need. Nursing boards are responsible for investigating nurses and sanctioning them for policy violations, but nurses should never accept punishments without a fight. With years of experience representing nurses across state lines, our Professional License Defense Team is committed to protecting your license and your future.
The LLF Law Firm Professional License Defense Team understands that every situation and nurse, is unique. The disciplinary issues currently threatening your license require a close inspection and review to determine how best to respond. There is no one-size-fits-all license defense, and the LLF Law Firm works tirelessly to craft concrete defenses to every aspect of your licensing board's disciplinary accusations.
The LLF Law Firm also recognizes how accusations of nursing misconduct often take a significant emotional and professional toll on Delaware Valley nurses. When you work with our Professional License Defense Team, you no longer have the added pressure of responding to Board notices or negotiating with them to save your license. Our attorneys work on your behalf to limit the hardships you face and help return you to what you do best: helping patients in the Greater Philadelphia area.
If you are a nurse in Philadelphia, Camden, Wilmington, Reading, or anywhere else throughout the Delaware Valley facing a nursing board investigation, don't wait until it's too late to defend your license. Contact the LLF Law Firm today at 888.535.3686 or complete our confidential online form to get started. If you postpone your license defense or assume the truth will save your career, the chances of adverse disciplinary sanctions skyrocket, and your future as a nurse is in jeopardy.
