Nursing Licenses: Failure to Report

Is your Florida Nurses license being investigated for failing to report to the board, or the department if there is no board, in writing within 30 days after the licensee has been convicted or found guilty of, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a crime in any jurisdiction? Have you received a letter or been contacted by an investigator with the Florida Department of Health concerning a complaint or investigation of your license? Continue reading this article on what could possibly happen to your health care license if found guilty of this charge and what options you may have to combat it. Often times we recommend not contacting the DOH investigator until you have spoken with an experienced health care attorney.

You are accused of speeding and other traffic infractions and plead guilty to the charges. You plead no contest to a traffic infraction in another state before returning to Florida. You don’t believe anything is wrong, but two months later, an investigator sends you a letter saying the state is investigating you for the convictions. The Florida Department of Health has vast resources to come after your nursing license if they are investigating you. You don’t want to be the losing end of an administrative complaint with your livelihood on the line. There are penalties that could be imposed on your license with severe complications on your ability to make a living. Those include the following:

	Minimum Discipline	Maximum Discipline
First Offense	Reprimand, $250 fine and continuing education	$500 fine and probation
Second Offense	$500 fine and probation	Revocation

For a first offense, you could face a fine between $250 and $500. You will also be ordered to complete continuing education. You could face probation in addition to the fines. If it happens a second time, you risk revocation of your license! Hiring the right health care law attorney can help you in determining the course you should take. It could also help you save your nursing license.

However, it is important to note these penalties are not set in stone. The Board of Medicine can take into account any number of aggravating or mitigating factors to increase or lessen the penalties set forth in the rules. When you have an experienced health care attorney defending your license, you stand a much better chance of receiving a lower penalty, or even of getting the complaint against you dismissed.

Should you have any questions or would like additional information about the Board of Medicine investigation/disciplinary process,  please feel free to 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 and the Board of Medicine have experienced attorneys on their side. Shouldn’t you!