Violations of nurse practice acts and disciplinary actions against RNs continue to increase. This protection includes shielding the public from unqualified and unsafe nurses. In each state, statutory law directs entry into nursing practice, defines the scope of practice, and establishes disciplinary procedures. State boards of nursing oversee this statutory law. They have the responsibility and authority to protect the public by determining who is competent to practice nursing.
Nurses incur disciplinary action from state boards of nursing for many reasons.
Grounds for discipline include fraud and deceit, criminal acts, substance abuse, mental incompetence, unprofessional conduct, incompetence due to negligence, and inability to practice nursing with reasonable skill and safety. The board may also discipline nurses for willful misconduct, such as diverting narcotics, misjudgment or inappropriate action stemming from a lack of knowledge, or a lapse in vigilance. 3 Nurse managers are often ill-prepared to confront nurses involved with potentially unsafe practices. Reporting a nurse's behavior to the state board of nursing can be stressful, especially when the nurse is a valued employee. Nurse managers as well as colleagues need to be able to differentiate between safe and unsafe nurse behaviors.