Dear Nancy,
I have had disciplinary action on my license, which included suspension. There were no criminal charges. I can get my license reinstated, but what are my odds of an employer hiring me with this on my record? Can I ever have it expunged?
Caroline Dear Caroline,
A disciplinary action that included a suspension of your license taken by your state board of nursing may create difficulties for you in getting a job. Some employers are adamant about not hiring a nurse who has had any type of discipline imposed by the state board while others deal with these situations on a case-by-case basis. Another issue of concern to employers is if the reinstatement is conditioned on certain factors. As an example, if your license was suspended for diverting narcotics from your employer at the time, and your reinstatement agreement includes the prohibition of passing any medications for a period of time, a prospective employer might find this restriction on your practice unacceptable. Before you begin applying for jobs, consider excluding positions that replicate working conditions that may have contributed to your suspension. Again, using the diversion of narcotics as an example, explore a position as a case manager or as nurse in a physician's office where you triage patients who call in for an appointment rather than a job as a nurse in a hospital or an outpatient clinic where patient care, including passing medications, is part of the job. The expungement of disciplinary actions by state boards of nursing is available in some states. You can check your state board of nursing's position on this by going to its website and reviewing the topic of "disciplinary actions by the board" or something similar. If there is no information available there, calling or emailing the board and asking about this issue can hopefully provide you with the answer.
