CCS Blog LabelBy Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Nurses, did you know that the status of your license and disciplinary actions taken against you are constantly being tracked by employers? It is actually relatively easy with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) database, called Nursys. What’s even scarier is employers can sign up for an e-Notify option. This is an e-mail notification system that delivers real-time updates to employers about nurses. The Nursys’ e-Notify option is frequently used by hospitals and medical groups to regulate and screen employees. Click here to read a previous blog on Nursys.

It is imperative, as a nurse, you regulate your own profile regularly for discrepancies. You can do so by clicking here for the Nursys website.

Be Familiar with Nursys and the e-Notify Option.

Nursys is the only national database for license verification, discipline and practice privileges for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), practical nurses (PNs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), certified nurse practitioners (CNPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and certified registered nurse anesthetists  (CRNAs). The data on Nursys comes directly from the Florida Board of Nursing and forty-six (46) other state nursing boards. The e-Notify option provides automatic email notifications of licensure status changes and discipline action changes to employers directly. Any institution that employs a nurse can track or check licensure and discipline information at any time.

Employers using Nursys have the ability to view and manage their institution’s nurse employees, including uploading nurse profiles, searching nurses by name, editing nurse information and viewing individual nurse reports.

Nursys Makes it Easy for Employers to Keep Tabs on Nurses.

According to the website, a nurse’s profile on Nursys contains:

–  the nurse’s name,
–  licensed jurisdiction,
–  license type
–  license number,
–  compact status (single state or multistate),
–  license original issue date,
–  license expiration date,
–  discipline against license, and
–  discipline against privilege to practice.

e-Notify will alert subscribers when then following changes are made to a nurse’s record:

–  license status,
–  license expirations, and
–  publicly available disciplinary and alert action and resolution.

Flaws in the Nursys Program.

If you have recently received discipline from the Florida Board of Nursing, or any other state board of nursing, it would be prudent to immediately check this website to verify that any information listed under your profile is accurate.  The website clearly states that it is the nurse’s responsibility to contact the board of nursing to update his or her information.

Our law firm has encountered errors on this database that our client contended caused him to lose employment opportunities. Be responsible for verifying the information on your personal profile.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced in Representing Nurses.

The Health Law Firm’s attorneys routinely represent nurses in Department of Health (DOH) investigations, in appearances before the Board of Nursing in licensing matters and in many other legal matters. We represent nurses across the U.S., and throughout Florida.

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Comments?

Did you know about Nursys? What do you think of the database? Do you monitor your profile? Please leave any thoughtful comments below.

About the Authors: Carole C. Schriefer is a nurse-attorney with The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com  The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Avenue, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714, Phone:  (407) 331-6620.

George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of George F. Indest III, P.A. – The Health Law Firm, a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
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