In Chicago, registered nurses have injected themselves with heroin and cocaine, then committed dozens of errors. They have stolen prescribed medications, then left patients to suffer in pain for hours. They have been convicted of felony crimes, from child molesting to drug trafficking. They have injured through neglect and killed through inattention. And in each of these cases, they continued working even after they were caught and, in many cases, after signing admissions of wrongdoing.
Registered nurses are the primary guardians of hospital care.
It is their job to monitor patients, detect sudden declines in condition and call for help in emergencies. Nurses across the country save countless lives every year, and the vast majority never face disciplinary action. But because they work with more patients for longer periods of time and because they are vulnerable to inadequate staffing, nurses make the majority of the nation's medical errors, state and federal healthcare records show. As Congress this year considers proposals to combat a rising toll of medical errors, one of the hidden components of this issue is the role of states in licensing and disciplining of registered nurses, the nation's largest healthcare profession. Illinois is one of 37 states that do not require healthcare facilities to report cases of nurse misconduct, even if injury and death occur.