Florida Nurses: Mistakes with Patients Can Harm Your License

We all make mistakes, but if you are a licensed nurse in the state of Florida and make certain mistakes while treating your patients, your license can be suspended and you can face thousands of dollars in fines which may not be covered by your liability insurance.

If you are a Florida-licensed nurse and have received an administrative complaint from the Department of Health (DOH), you are probably concerned about how this may affect your license. To set up a FREE no-obligation consultation with attorney Jeff Howell or attorney Rickey Strong, contact the law firm of Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law at 850-877-7776. We represent licensed nurses statewide, including out-of-state clients who are concerned about the status of their Florida license.

According to Section 456.072(1)(bb)-(cc), Florida Statutes, the Florida Board of Nursing may discipline your license if you are found to have “[p]erform[ed] or attempt[ed] to perform health care services on the wrong patient, a wrong-site procedure, a wrong procedure,” or “[left] a foreign body in a patient, such as a sponge, clamp, forceps, surgical needle, or other paraphernalia commonly used in surgical, examination, or other diagnostic procedures.” (emphasis added)

According to Rule 64B9-8.006(3)(y), Florida Administrative Code, the penalty for even a first violation is a fine in the amount of $250 to $500 for each violation, and a possible reprimand. If you have any prior disciplinary history, the fines per violation are $500 to $750, and your license can be suspended. Your disciplinary history is a matter of public record, and will be viewable by patients and prospective employers.

However, these penalties are not set in stone. The Board of Nursing can take into account any number of aggravating or mitigating factors to increase or lesson the penalties set down in the rules. When you have an experienced health care attorney fighting for you, you stand a much better chance of receiving the lowest possible penalty, and even of getting the complaint against you dismissed.

Contact the law firm of Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law at 850-877-7776 to set up your FREE no-obligation consultation with attorney Jeff Howell or attorney Rickey Strong today. DOH has experienced attorneys on its side. So should you!