Legal exposure remains one of the most significant yet overlooked aspects of nursing practice. While nurses excel at memorizing complex medical terminology and interventions, many remain dangerously uninformed about the regulations governing their licenses until it's too late.
Maggie Ortiz, MSN, RN, CEO and founder of Advocates for Nurses, joins us to unpack this critical knowledge gap. She explains why nurses often develop a dangerous mindset: "We're not criminals, so we won't do anything wrong" – leading many to merely memorize regulatory requirements for exams without truly understanding their implications. This approach creates significant blind spots that can devastate careers when nurses encounter real-world ethical dilemmas or policy conflicts.
The conversation reveals how a single 1983 Texas court case (Lunsford v. Board of Nursing) fundamentally changed nursing practice by establishing that a nurse's license supersedes hospital policies and physician orders. This means nurses cannot defend themselves by simply stating they followed policy if that policy contradicts evidence-based practice or current standards. The podcast also explores how seemingly minor documentation issues or scope of practice violations can rapidly escalate across multiple agencies, potentially involving criminal charges, insurance fraud investigations, and board actions across multiple states simultaneously.
Whether you practice in Texas or elsewhere, understanding the three fundamental sections of nursing regulation – standards of practice, unprofessional conduct definitions, and grounds for discipline – is essential for protecting your career. Learn how to use documentation as a defensive tool, properly refuse unsafe assignments, and leverage resources (including AI) to simplify complex regulations before you face an investigation. Don't wait until you're under scrutiny to understand what protects your license and livelihood.
Get more information, details and resources on Know Your Regulator - https://www.belolaw.com/know-your-regulator
