In a drastic move, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced most of the members of the California Board of Registered Nursing this past Monday. This attempt at crisis management stemmed from an LA Times/ProPublica investigation that revealed it takes an average of nearly three and a half years to close official complaints filed against nurses. This quote from a recent ProPublica.com article sums up the report:
During that time, nurses accused of wrongdoing are free to practice – often with spotless records – and move from hospital to hospital. Potential employers are unaware of the risks, and patients have been harmed as a result.
Reporters found nurses who continued to work unrestricted for years despite documented histories of incompetence, violence, criminal convictions and drug theft or abuse. In dozens of cases, nurses maintained clean records in California even though they had been suspended or fired by employers, disciplined by another California licensing board or restricted from practice by other states.
The board members’ replacements will have to scramble to put together some sort of reputation management strategy to restore public faith, or their already-struggling industry could feel a serious financial impact.
JB
Jonathan Bernstein
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/