Criminal Liability

University of Pheonix |

Professional Regulation and Criminal Liability |

HCS 430 |

Joann WilcoxChristina HernandezAugust 9, 2010 |

The Board of Registered Nursing regulates the practice of registered nurses and certified advanced practice nurses in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare. The Legal topic that will be discussed is sexual misconduct within a health care setting. As a health care professional, a nurse strives to inspire the confidence of clients, treat all clients and other health care providers professionally, and promote the clients’ independence. Clients can expect a nurse to act in their best interests and to respect their dignity. This means that a nurse abstains from obtaining personal gain at the client’s expense and refrains from inappropriate involvement in the client’s personal relationships.

A health professional must follow the set boundaries within any facility to ensure that all rules and laws are being followed. The power of the nurse comes from the professional position and the access to private knowledge about the client. Establishing boundaries allows the nurse to control this power differential and allows a safe connection to meet the client’s needs. When a personal relationship has been established whether it is between two health professionals or a nurse and patient, there must be a civil complaint process for the one of knowledge of the situation.

A complaint should be filed by anyone who believes that a licensee of the Board has engaged in illegal activities which are related to his/her professional responsibilities. Some examples of allegations may include gross negligence or incompetence, unprofessional conduct, license application fraud, misrepresentation, substance abuse, mental illness and unlicensed activity. Complaints received by the Board of Registered Nursing are reviewed to determine if the Board has the authority to investigate the complaint. The Board can...