Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, healthcare professionals across the nation have been ringing the alarm about adverse working conditions, understaffing, and personal safety issues. In fact, according to Morning Consult, nearly 1 in 5 health care workers have quit their job during the pandemic. Resigning from a job that causes dissatisfaction is an obvious option…
Continue reading…Tips To Protect Your Nursing License During COVID-19
On August 26, 2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) released an article authored by AJC journalist Rose Kennedy, and it features Attorney Hahnah Williams, Esq, RN who addresses some key steps nurses can take to protect their nursing licenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Ms. Williams suggests that nurses: Recognize that Georgia is a mandatory reporting state meaning that state law requires certain nurses and employers of nurses to report the names any nurse to the Board if…
Continue reading…National Nurse Attorney Association Releases COVID-19 Paper in Support of Healthcare Professionals
On today, The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (“TAANA”) released a COVID-19 Position Paper in support of frontline healthcare professionals. The Paper was authored by TAANA members Hahnah Williams, Esq, RN, Paula Grant, RN, JD, and Kimberly Kent, RN, JD. TAANA is a national organization whose members practice in academia, private law practice, as litigators…
Continue reading…Joint Commission Supports the Use of Facemasks Brought from Home Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
On today, the Joint Commission issued a statement supporting the use of personal facemasks and/or N95 respirators when healthcare organizations cannot provide healthcare workers access to protective equipment “that is commensurate with the risk health care workers are exposed to amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” As the nation’s oldest and largest accrediting body in healthcare, the…
Continue reading…Physician Says He Was Fired After Speaking Out About Lack Of COVID-19 Protections
An emergency room physician who spoke out about lack of COVID-19 protections at his workplace says he was fired on March 27. Dr. Ming Lin, a physician with nearly 30 years of experience, reportedly used his personal Facebook page to speak out about the lack of protective equipment at his workplace. On March 25, Dr….
Continue reading…Nurse Sues Illinois Hospital Alleging She Was Fired After Warning About COVID-19 Masks
On March 23, 2020, Lauri Mazurkiewicz, an Illinois nurse, filed a lawsuit against Northwestern Memorial Hospital. According to the complaint, the nurse claims that she was fired for informing coworkers that the Particulate Respirator N95 masks are more effective for preventing healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19 than the facemasks provided by the hospital. The complaint…
Continue reading…Impact of Criminal Arrest on Nurse License Application
In Georgia, the Board of Nursing can refuse to grant a license to an applicant, revoke the license of a licensed nurse, and discipline a licensed nurse upon a finding by the Board that that the applicant or licensee has been convicted of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude. The Board regulations do…
Continue reading…Individual Malpractice Insurance
It is true that a patient can sue the hospital and individual healthcare professionals in a medical malpractice lawsuit to obtain the maximum amount from multiple insurance policies. However, a healthcare professional’s individual insurance policy is not public information. Therefore, the patient will not become aware of the individual insurance policy until after the healthcare…
Continue reading…Purchasing Insurance For License Complaints
I highly recommend that you purchase individual insurance with license protection benefits. Most employer policies only cover professional negligence claims resulting from care that the nurse provides at the employer’s facility. Employer policies typically DO NOT provide license protection benefits. For example, Nurse Tommy performed several dressing changes on Patient X while the patient was…
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