Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger: Misconduct Allegations that Can Ruin a Nursing Career

The public has a high degree of respect for nurses. Allegations of misconduct, even misconduct unrelated to your profession and occurring outside of work, can derail a nurses career with a license suspension or revocation. Because nurses enjoy the public’s trust, any allegation that calls that trust into question can threaten your license.  

If you are a Kansas or Missouri nurse and allegations of misconduct arise against you, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced and aggressive attorney for nurses facing occupational discipline. You do not have time to waste and can damage your career by trying to deal with these allegations without professional help.

Allegations Involving Conduct Outside of the Workplace

A disciplinary action can be triggered by a wide variety of behaviors.  The following is a list of types of conduct that I have seen trigger investigations into clients’ licensure:

• Shoplifting

• Falling behind on child support payments

• Urinating in public

• Domestic abuse

• Having a restraining order against you

• Public intoxication

• Harassment or stalking

• Fighting

• Failing to file income taxes

This list represents conduct that a nurse may irresponsibly engage in outside of the workplace. But because there may a criminal citation or a mention of the conduct in the local “police blotter,” the employer finds out about the conduct and an investigation ensues.  There is a real question whether this conduct, which has occurred outside of the work environment, can be used against a nurse to pursue professional discipline. Thus, if these sorts of incidents occur and trigger an investigation, it is vital that you contact a licensing attorney immediately.

Allegations Involving Conduct In the Workplace

The above are just a selection chosen to show the diversity of conduct that can trigger an investigation. Boundary violation, such as having a sexual relationship with a patient or treating a patient with whom you have a financial relationship is also a frequent cause for investigation. In urban areas of Kansas or Missouri, it may be easy to simply hand off a patient with whom your relationship is too close. But in smaller communities or medical centers, that sort of handoff may be more complex and may be impossible to do without revealing your inappropriate relationship.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a problem in the nursing community; when that abuse is present in the workplace, it routinely results in serious allegations of misconduct and significant repercussions for the accused’s nursing license. If your use of drugs or alcohol is out of your control, get help.

Finally, social media has become an increasingly significant source of misconduct allegations. You have probably heard of the nurses who were suspended from duties for mocking and deriding newborn babies in videos that were later posted on-line. Remember that your social media profile is an extension of you and your professional identity—guard it.

What Should You Do If You Are Accused of Misconduct?

There is no time to waste if you are accused of misconduct. Too many nurses try to talk their way out of these allegations, with dire consequences. You should not respond to an investigation until you have attained representation by a skilled licensing attorney. Having a zealous advocate by your side challenging the validity of the evidence against you and cross-examining those who testify against you is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

If you are a nurse in Kansas or Missouri and are facing an allegation of a boundary violation, call Danielle Sanger today.

Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend your livelihood and career. Call Attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced and aggressive attorney for nurses facing occupational discipline. 

Comments are closed.