They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to care for a patient. Healthcare administration, doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff must work together in order to bring out the best possible outcome for each and every patient under their care.

But what happens when that support is missing, and nurses are put in a position to make life-and-death decisions for patients?

Take the recent case of an Ohio nurse who will now lose her professional license after making a clinical decision, usually left to a physician or physician assistant, in an understaffed and under-supported nursing home. This nurse, during the thick of the COVID-19 epidemic, was only trying to help a patient. Her patient asked her to remove his oxygen mask. His family supported the idea. But the nurse, because the facility was so short-staffed, was unable to move the request up the chain of command. So, she made the hard decision to remove the patient's oxygen – and then wrote about how hard it was to do so on a Facebook post. After the patient passed away, the nurse was charged with practicing medicine without a license.

Many may feel that justice was done in this case. However, this scenario illustrates with hundreds of thousands of nurses must deal with every day – the lack of administrative and clinical support to do what's right for or what's been requested by their patients. It puts them in an untenable position. Do nothing and watch patients needlessly suffer. Do something and potentially lose their professional license, the state certification required to work in the nursing field.

Your License Is Your Livelihood

Most individuals become nurses because they are caring, compassionate, and want to help people. If you are a licensed professional nurse, you've worked hard to get where you are. You've achieved your degree, put in the clinical hours, and met all of the qualifications set forth by your state so you can pursue this challenging, yet rewarding career. You should never be in a position where your license is at risk due to a misunderstanding, temporary lapse in judgment, or a forced decision necessary because of a lack of administrative or clinical support. If you find your nursing license is under threat, you need an experienced professional license defense attorney by your side to protect your career, your family, and your future.

If you find yourself facing an allegation of professional or clinical misconduct because of a decision you made at work – especially if it was made under duress or because of a lack of support – you are likely surprised, confused, or even angry. But that's not a reason to ignore the situation and hope that it goes away on its own. Neither should you try to deal with the matter yourself. What you say can and often is used against you. But when you retain Attorney Joseph D. Lento and his Professional License Defense Team, you can address any allegations knowing you have an experienced, trusted team behind you. They will help ensure that one incident does not derail an otherwise positive nursing career.

The Right Representation, Right Now

If you have learned your state nursing license is under threat because of a clinical decision made on the job, the time to act is now. With a trusted attorney-advocate by your side, you can mount a strong defense against any allegation – and help protect your professional license, the lynchpin of your livelihood.

Attorney Joseph D. Lento and his Professional License Defense Team know that the healthcare arena is complex – and any allegation made against you will require an experienced eye to make sure that all pertinent information is included in the investigation and decision-making process. Contact Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm to discuss your case – and find a path forward to protect your nursing license – at (888) 535-3686 today.