Criminal issues have been a signature specialty of an experienced skilled nurse attorney when handling cases for some nurses. However, some nurses tend to forget this fact because they really felt like they should be responsible even if they never intended to commit such an error.
One such incident occurred on or about December 1, 2013, to an RN in Plano when she completed the Application for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and Prescriptive Authority and answered “Yes” to the question which reads as follows: “For any criminal offense, including those pending appeal, have you:
been convicted of a misdemeanor?
been convicted of a felony?
pled nolo contendere, no contest, or guilty?
received deferred adjudication?
been placed on community supervision or court-ordered probation, whether or not adjudicated guilty?
been sentenced to serve jail or prison time?
court-ordered confinement?
been granted pre-trial diversion?
been arrested or have any pending criminal charges?
been cited or charged with any violation of the law?
been subject of a court-martial;
The RN failed to disclose that she was convicted of OBSTRUCT HIGHWAY -INTOXICATION, a Class B misdemeanor offense committed on March 11, 2012.
This issue was filed as a complaint and sent to the Texas Board of Nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction in all cases that may affect the status of an RN or LVN’s license in the future. But they advise nurses to attend a hearing first before placing the sentence, which the RN attended for her career’s security.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing placed her RN license to disciplinary action. It’s too bad that she failed to hire a nurse attorney for assistance, knowing that she had every reason to defend herself in the first place. Her defense would have gotten better if she actually sought legal consultation from a Texas nurse attorney as well. So if you’re facing a complaint from the Board, it’s best to seek legal advice first. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is willing to assist every nurse in need of immediate help for nurse licensing cases. To contact him, please dial (832)-428-5679 for a confidential consultation or for more inquiries.