The St. Louis Metropolitan Area is home to over 33,000 nurses, from registered nurses to nurse anesthetists and nurse practitioners. The area comprises the city of St. Louis in Missouri and the surrounding counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, and St. Louis County. It also includes counties across the Illinois border, including Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair. With its affordable cost of living, beautiful historic neighborhood, and amazing food scene, the St. Louis area is popular.
The St. Louis Metro Area has four major healthcare systems staffing thousands of nurses: BJC Healthcare, SSM Health, Washington University in St. Louis, and Mercy Health. Nurses in the St. Louis Metro Area may also work at the area's over 170 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. These healthcare systems, nursing homes, countless other medical facilities, and above-median average salaries for nurses make it a great option for nurses.
But all that can be on the line if you're a nurse facing disciplinary action in the St. Louis Metro Area. Living in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area means any disciplinary action against you can follow you across state lines and potentially ruin your reputation and ability to work throughout the entire area. Whether the accusation against you is baseless or not, you must address the allegations head-on.
At the Lento Law Firm, we understand how hard you have worked to become a nurse. You deserve to have your license defended from countless hours studying in school, money spent on nursing school, and sitting for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). When you retain the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team, we will vigorously defend you and your license. We do everything in our power to get you the best possible outcome. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
Allegations That Can Threaten Your St. Louis Metro Area Nursing License
No shortage of allegations can land you in front of the Missouri or Illinois boards of nursing. While each state has its own laws regulating nurses, the prohibited conduct is the same. Common misconduct allegations our Professional License Defense Team sees 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
Whether you've been accused of a clerical error or patient abuse, you need to take any allegation against you and your license seriously. Your state's board of nursing takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. Unfortunately, even though you have dedicated your career to helping others, your state's board of nursing won't automatically give you the benefit of the doubt.
Even if this whole thing is a big misunderstanding, you need the best defense on your side. At the Lento Law Firm, we don't believe your career should be derailed over allegations of misconduct. We will fight tirelessly for your license before the Illinois or Missouri nursing board.
Disciplinary Action Process for Nursing Misconduct Allegations
Whether you're on the Missouri or Illinois side of the St. Louis Metro Area, the disciplinary action process is similar. The Missouri State Board of Nursing and the Illinois Board of Nursing take misconduct allegations seriously. Their job is to protect the St. Louis Metro Area public, and they take that job seriously. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will walk you through the disciplinary action process in your state and answer any questions you may have. But in the meantime, below is a brief overview of the process in each state in the St. Louis Metro Area.
Nursing Misconduct Reporting and Defense in Missouri
If you're working on the Missouri side of the St. Louis Metro Area, you're likely working at one of the state's most renowned facilities, like many of our other clients. Our clients come from different healthcare settings in the St. Louis Metro Area, including nationally recognized academic hospitals such as Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Regardless of your healthcare setting, if you're on the Missouri side, the Missouri State Board of Nursing will handle the nursing misconduct allegation against you. The Missouri State Board of Nursing will first review the complaint to see if the allegations against you violate the Missouri Nurse Practice Act and warrant investigation. The Missouri State Board of Nursing will then notify you that a complaint has been filed against you.
As soon as you receive this letter, it's time to contact the Lento Law Firm. The Missouri Administrative Commission and State Board of Nursing take these allegations seriously. They don't know off the bat if you're innocent or guilty, and you can't make any assumption they will be giving you the benefit of the doubt. You need our Professional License Defense Team in your corner, fighting for you from day one.
Your Lento Law Firm attorney will help craft your written response to the Missouri State Board of Nursing. Generally, you only have a short window to respond to the notice of complaint, so it's important you call the Lento Law Firm immediately.
During this time, the Missouri State Board of Nursing will conduct an investigation, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews with all relevant parties. You should never participate in a Missouri State Board of Nursing interview without your Lento Law Firm attorney present.
Throughout the investigation process, your Lento Law Firm attorney will negotiate with the Missouri State Board of Nursing on your behalf. Our Professional License Defense Team often finds a solution that both our clients and the Missouri State Board of Nursing feel comfortable with. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will represent you at your administrative hearing if necessary.
Nursing Misconduct Reporting and Defense in Illinois
The Illinois side of the St. Louis Metro Area is also home to numerous high-quality healthcare facilities. Lento Law Firm's nurse clients have worked in large hospitals on the Illinois side, including Anderson Hospital, HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and Memorial Hospital Belleville. The Illinois nurse disciplinary action process is very similar to that in Missouri.
The disciplinary action process starts when the Illinois Board of Nursing receives a complaint against you. They will review the complaint to ensure the alleged misconduct is a violation of the Illinois Nurse Practice Act. If you have received a notice from the Illinois Board of Nursing that a complaint has been filed against you, it believes the complaint warrants an investigation.
The Illinois Board of Nursing will investigate your case by collecting relevant evidence or documentation, such as work logs, medical records, etc. You and others will also be interviewed during the investigation. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will be working this entire time to get you the best possible outcome in your case. This involves negotiating with the Illinois Board of Nursing and representing you at an administrative hearing if it comes to that.
Consequences of Disciplinary Action
There is no shortage of consequences, from professional to personal, you may be facing when you're accused of misconduct. Taking these potential consequences seriously from the get-go, even if you're innocent, can mitigate the damage to your life.
Board of Nursing Disciplinary Actions
In an ideal situation, your Lento Law Firm attorney will get you cleared of all the charges against you and your St. Louis Metro Area nursing license. Unfortunately, not all cases will be dismissed. The disciplinary action you may be facing depends on the nature and severity of your case and on whether you've had prior disciplinary actions taken against you. The Missouri State Board of Nursing and the Illinois Board of Nursing have a few options to choose from when prescribing disciplinary action, including:
- Formal warning or reprimand
- Probation
- Suspension
- License revocation
If your misconduct allegation relates to alcohol or substance use, you may be able to participate in an alternative to discipline program and avoid formal disciplinary action. Both the Missouri State Board of Nursing and the Illinois Board of Nursing offer these programs to their St. Louis Metro Area nurses struggling with alcohol and substance use disorder. There are many pros and cons to entering alternative discipline programs, and nurses must meet various eligibility requirements. Your Lento Law Firm attorney can walk you through how the Missouri alternative to discipline program or Illinois alternative to discipline program work and help you make the right choice for you and your license.
Issues Related to the Nurse Licensure Compact and Other State Licensure
If you're on the Missouri side of the St. Louis Metro Area, you can use the Nurse Licensure Compact (NCL). As you likely know, this system allows you to use your Missouri nursing license to practice nursing in other NCL-participating states. If you've faced disciplinary action before the Missouri State Board of Nursing, you may seek a fresh start elsewhere, outside the St. Louis Metro Area. When disciplinary action is taken against you and your license, this is reported to NCL. You won't be able to practice restriction-free practice in other states and leave the consequences of the misconduct allegations behind.
The same is true in non-NCL states. When you apply for a nursing license in any other state in the country, you must disclose the disciplinary actions taken against you in the St. Louis Metro Area. Having disciplinary action against your St. Louis Metro Area nursing license won't automatically prevent you from getting a nursing license in another state. Still, it can certainly make it more difficult. You don't want your career options hindered by disciplinary action. Let the Lento Law Firm fight to get you the best possible outcome and limit the damage to your nursing career.
Appealing Disciplinary Action Against Your St. Louis Metro Area Nursing License
At the Lento Law Firm, we know that everything about the disciplinary action process is overwhelming and upsetting. As a nurse, you're used to taking care of others. When you're so used to prioritizing others and putting out fires on your own, you may not have asked for help when you heard that a complaint was filed against you.
If the Missouri State Board of Nursing or Illinois Board of Nursing has taken disciplinary action against your license that was unfair or just plain wrong, the Lento Law Firm can help. Our Professional License Defense Team frequently gets our nursing clients better outcomes on appeal. Just like you are an expert at your job, our Professional License Defense Team fights for clients before state nursing boards day in and day out. We know the best ways to present your case for a successful appeal.
If You're Facing Misconduct Allegations, Retain the Lento Law Firm Today
You can't allow misconduct allegations to ruin your career when you've worked so hard to become a nurse, especially in a prestigious area like the St. Louis Metro. Whether the allegations against you are a mistake, miscommunication, or malice, you must defend yourself from day one. Whether you're on the Missouri or Illinois side of the St. Louis Metro Area, the Lento Law Firm is there to help.
Our Professional License Defense Team will vigorously fight to preserve your license, career, and livelihood. We know the disciplinary action process is stressful, and we are here to guide you through it in your state and ensure your rights are protected every step of the way. Let us help you retain your license so you can keep helping patients throughout the St. Louis Metro Area. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
