Are there better professionals than nurses? If you’ve ever been in a hospital or had a loved one who needed care, you’d likely agree with me that 99% of nurses do a great job and are often the stars of the show.

There are some that don’t do a good job and others that do a great job, but still get complaints against them with the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulations.  That is the licensing board that can discipline professionals in Illinois and could take away a nursing license.  We have helped hundred of nurses over the years who have ethical complaints filed against them. In no particular order, these are the top reasons nurses end up under investigation by the IDFPR.

  1. Drug or alcohol abuse. If it becomes clear that you are abusing drugs or alcohol, it can put patients at risk. This often is revealed through a drug test or by erratic behavior. In some cases you are having a bad day and they try to claim you have a problem when you don’t.
  2. Drug theft. This could be a sign that you are abusing drugs or it could be that you are selling them for money.  Either way, if prescription drugs you are responsible for go missing it will almost certainly lead to an ethical violation complaint at the IDFPR.
  3. Patient abuse. If a family member isn’t happy with how their loved one is treated, especially if there is bruising or an injury, you can’t be surprised when a claim of abuse is filed.
  4. Failure to report. Whether it’s a criminal conviction, termination for cause from employment or out of state disciplinary issue, a failure to report can ultimately lead to a loss of your nursing license in Illinois.
  5. Standard of care violations. While these can also lead to malpractice lawsuits, if you deviate from acceptable standards of patient care it may show such neglect that a disciplinary investigation could take place.
  6. Unprofessional conduct. Of late we see complaints against LPN’s, CNA’s etc. for rudeness, racism allegations, yelling, etc.
  7. Personal boundary violations. In plain English, you can’t have intimate relations with a patient.

An allegation for any of these can sound scary and it should as your professional life is on the line.  The good news is that there is a process of both an investigation and potentially a hearing.  The worst thing you can do is try to explain away what happened or represent yourself.  As the old saying goes, anything you say can and will be used against you. While there are very few Illinois attorneys experienced with defending nurses before the state, the ones that do it regularly have a great track record of success.

If you would like our recommendation of which attorney to hire for an allegation before the IDFPR or if you just have questions, please contact us at 312-346-5320. We help nurses everywhere in Illinois.