The Virginia Board Of Nursing - 1290 Words

Introduction The Virginia Board of Nursing has one main purpose: to keep the general public safe. There are twelve volunteer board members who carry the responsibility of giving a defendant a chance to explain the motive for their actions that merited the Formal Hearing. The board takes the time to listen to witnesses, investigators, and other pertinent persons that are involved in the case. They will then go into a closed session and make a collaborative decision whether the defendant is safe and competent to practice under their nursing license. Disciplinary Case One specific case involved substance abuse by a Registered Nurse. She was brought before the board for the renewal of her Virginia RN license. The defendant may be unable†¦show more content†¦She went through a monitoring program for that offense and has since relapsed. The decision made by the Virginia Board of Nursing concluded with an indefinite suspension of her license until a monitoring rehabilitation program has been completed. The Health Care Practitioners Program will be customized for the specific criteria that the defendant needs. If the defendant does not complete all parts of the program, she will have to come before the board to discuss the issue. The defendant stated during the hearing that she â€Å"does not trust herself around narcotics and needles.† Therefore, the board decided that she will not be able to work in a setting where she has access to either of those. The rest of the details of her implications are to be determined as a later time. Nursing Safeguards If the defendant would have adhered to the numerous safeguards for nurses, it could have prevented the alleged wrongdoing. According to the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses, nurses must advocate for proper assistance for coworkers when indicated. This supports nurses in early recovery when they return to work (O’Neil, 2015). If the coworkers of the defendant would have recognized her issue and spoken up prior to December 9th. 2015, than this hearing could have been prevented. It is the nurse’s ethical responsibility to safeguard the patient, the public, and the profession from prospective harm when a nurse appears to be impaired. This can be