Certain crimes may impact your professional license.
If you are a nurse, you know firsthand how difficult it can be to obtain a license. Studying for and passing exams and keeping up with continuing education requirements can be daunting. Yet this type of license is necessary to work as a registered nurse.
Unfortunately, if you are charged with or convicted of certain criminal offenses, your nursing license may be at risk. The California Board of Registered Nursing may impose discipline on any nurse under their jurisdiction who is convicted of a crime. For that reason, it is important to retain a seasoned criminal lawyer in Orange, CA who can help you avoid the potential ramifications of a criminal conviction — such as losing your license.
A registered nurse in California can be disciplined for any number of issues. Under the umbrella of unprofessional conduct, the Nursing Board may discipline a nurse who uses drugs illegally, engages in fraud, or is convicted of certain types of crimes.
If you are convicted of a crime that is “substantially related” to the qualifications, duties and functions of a registered nurse, particularly if the crime affects public health and safety, the Board may discipline you. This may include crimes involving drugs or controlled substances, those related to theft, dishonesty, fraud or deceit, and crimes involving assaultive or abusive conduct.
Importantly, this does not mean that the Board can discipline you for any conviction. The crime must be related to your ability to perform as a nurse or affect public health or safety in some way. For example, if you received a ticket for speeding, you do not need to report this to the Board — and unless the offense involved alcohol or drugs, you won’t be disciplined for getting a speeding ticket. On the other hand, if you are convicted of forging prescriptions to obtain narcotic drugs, then the Board can and will discipline you because this type of behavior is directly related to your work as a nurse — and it may also affect public safety if you are using drugs while at work.
Depending on the conviction, the Board may choose to issue a public reprimand, order probation, suspend your license and give your probation, or revoke your license entirely. This can prevent you from earning a living — and is on top of whatever consequences have been handed down in your criminal case.
Nurses who are charged with crimes are uniquely vulnerable to losing their livelihood as a result. A criminal lawyer in Orange, CA can help you put on an aggressive defense to the criminal charges and potentially have the charges dismissed or reduced. While an acquittal or a dismissal of the charges may not prevent the Board from pursuing discipline, it can help you defend against a disciplinary action taken by the Board.
If you have been charged with a crime as a nurse, you will need top-notch legal representation. The Chambers Law Firm can help. Contact our firm today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a consultation with a member of our team.
