It takes a variety of support staff to keep a nursing facility running. One key element: nurses. Nurses provide medical care and compassion to residents at these facilities. Without a strong nursing staff, nursing homes are not successful.
Nursing home faces allegations of failing to check licenses of nurses
What makes a nurse a nurse? In the most basic sense, a nurse is an individual that holds a nursing license. Anyone that presents him or herself as a nurse should hold the proper licensure. A family member of a resident at a nursing home recently accused a nurse of failing to have the appropriate licensure. He stated he looked for the nurse in the state’s nursing license database and was unable to find her listed within the database.
When he asked for the information he stated the facility sent an email stating it would not provide such information about individual employees to family members. The family member then filed a complaint with the state’s Board of Nursing. A Department of Regulatory Agencies representative reached out to the facility and was informed the nurse was licensed under a different name in Texas. Ultimately, it turned out the woman had stolen the nurse identification number from another individual and was not a licensed nurse.
A dishonest applicant provides lessons for nursing home administrators and nurses
This case provides a number of potential liability issues, including:
- Criminal charges. Allegations of this nature are serious. Depending on the details, the individual in this case could face criminal charges for providing medical care without a nursing license.
- License issues. It is not uncommon for nurses to face false allegations similar to this case that could threaten their nursing license. Nurses in this situation should take the allegations seriously.
- Hiring. A facility in a situation like this could face allegations of using faulty methods to confirm applicants are qualified for available positions. This could lead to liability issues for the nursing facility itself.
These are just a few examples of the types of legal issues that nursing facilities can face. Any nursing home that is navigating these types of legal issues is wise to seek legal counsel.