Suppose you have a professional license as a vocational nurse or psychiatric technician in California. In that case, the Vocational Nursing Board can cancel your license or order you to pay a fine for professional misconduct. This puts your livelihood at risk. It helps to act immediately after you are notified of an investigation by the board to defend your career. Sadly, even a minor disciplinary action by the board can affect your public record, creating problems with your employer and patients. It could also cause you to lose your permit and a career you have held for years.
With our intricate understanding of the Nursing Practice Code, Business & Professions Act, and other state statutes and regulations governing your profession, our attorneys at Fresno License Attorney can help. We have exceptional experience defending professional licenses and helping professionals understand and fight for their rights. Thus, we could help you build a strong defense for a win if you are under the board’s investigation in Fresno.
The Crucial Role of a Vocational Nurse
Vocational nurses are professionals who compassionately and patiently offer health care to people in various settings. They are not just based in hospitals like regular nurses but can also be sent to patient’s homes or nursing homes. Their dedication to care for everyone makes them invaluable in the healthcare industry. Your patients rely on you for care and assistance from wherever they are.
As a vocational nurse, you perform various duties to improve the health of your patients. For example, you could monitor a patient’s chronic condition, take their vital signs, record their progress, issue different treatments and medications, operate intravenous machines, and care for injuries or wounds. These critical roles represent the constant need for vocational nurses around the state.
However, only a highly trained and experienced professional can serve as a vocational nurse safely and effectively. Thus, you must receive the proper training, excel in all examinations, and demonstrate an understanding of your legal and professional requirements to become a licensed vocational nurse.
Vocational nurses go through an extensive training process to become effective and reputable. The training process is expensive and time-consuming and also requires exceptional dedication. This is the only way you can fit in a career that requires you always to be merciful.
Unfortunately, your career is always at risk, thanks to the strict regulations of the Vocational Nursing Board. A slight mistake or a dissatisfied patient can trigger an investigation by the board, threatening your livelihood. However, you should not sit back and watch your entire career and all your effort to build it go down the drain. A knowledgeable license attorney can help you defend your license and reputation.
The Roles of Psychiatric Technicians
Psychiatric technicians work in almost the same environment as vocational nurses but in different arenas. They mainly offer psychiatric care to patients suffering from mental and emotional illnesses in various settings, not just in hospitals. A licensed technician can be called to work in a mental health clinic or regular hospital offering psychiatric care. They are usually part of a patient’s treatment program, including rehabilitation. Sometimes, you must handle tasks beyond a patient’s mental health, including administering medication and assisting with personal hygiene.
Your role as a psychiatric technician is all-encompassing, and you must train in various areas, including psychiatry and general health. This requires you to spend a lot of time and resources in college and areas where you acquire hands-on experience. You must also continuously train and master newer skills and technologies that make your work easier, especially with advancing technology.
Thus, being a psychiatric technician is not easy. The job requires dedication and a willingness to help patients, even under challenging conditions. This makes your career unique and worth fighting for, especially if your license is at risk due to a professional complaint. You must be willing to defend your license with the assistance of a skilled license attorney.
Even though the Vocational Nursing Board understands how difficult your job is, its primary role is to protect the public from unsafe practices. Hence, the board must take action if it obtains information and evidence of your unprofessional conduct. However compassionate and reliable you are as a caregiver, you can lose your livelihood if the board takes disciplinary action against you. An experienced license attorney can help you defend your license, though. With the right defense strategies and unwavering support, you could compel the board to dismiss the allegations or agree to a favorable settlement.
The Board’s Mission
The Vocational Nursing Board is the licensing body for psychiatric technicians and vocational nurses in California. The board has strict requirements on its website for anyone seeking a professional license to work within the state. You must meet a particular education requirement and understand the regulations and laws governing the profession and the healthcare industry in general. These high standards are meant to disqualify anyone not fully qualified or committed to engaging in the demanding career of vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians. You could be arrested for rendering your services within the state without a license. Hence, there is a need to work hard to meet the licensing criteria to start earning a living.
However, licensing vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians is not the board’s central role; it is public safety. The board ensures public members enjoy safe, effective, and quality services. Any vocational nurse or psychiatric technician offering unsafe or substandard service does not deserve a license and will lose their livelihood. The Vocational Nursing Board takes this role very seriously. This is evident in the strict criteria it uses when licensing qualified professionals. It is also apparent in the swift manner in which the board investigates allegations against licensed professionals and the disciplinary actions it takes afterward.
Someone can file a complaint with the board if you demonstrate negligence or incompetence when rendering your services to the public. The board takes such complaints seriously and will start an investigation to gather evidence and determine the right course of action. If it finds any form of professional misconduct, the penalty you receive can impact your career or license in many ways.
While this is a noble role, most vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians have lost their livelihoods due to misleading or unsubstantiated allegations. Some people file false accusations out of jealousy and a desire for revenge. Others exaggerate the details of a matter to get even with a professional who did not satisfy their needs. A licensed attorney will ensure the board considers all factors in your case for a fair ruling.
Remember that you can be accused of many violations, even though not all accusations result in disciplinary action. Here are some violations that could impact your license:
- Drug and substance abuse or alcohol abuse while serving patients
- A felony or misdemeanor conviction that relates to your qualification or duty as a vocational nurse or psychiatric technician
- Professional misconduct with a patient or colleague
- Deviating from the board’s standard of care
- Ordinary negligence, incompetence, or gross negligence
- Violating your license probation
- Dishonesty or fraudulent actions when discharging your services
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of a patient
The board has a long list of disciplinary actions it takes against professionals who are guilty of misconduct. The board's action depends on the gravity of your misconduct, the consequences or possible consequences, and your history of violations. Depending on your case details, your attorney will explain what to expect to prepare you for the trial. They will also develop defense strategies according to your case details to convince the board to drop the matter or accept a reasonable settlement.
The kinds of disciplinary actions the board uses include the following:
License Revocation
This is the farthest your licensing board will go when disciplining you for professional misconduct. By revoking your license, the board will ensure you do not work again as a vocational nurse or psychiatric technician in California. The board uses this harsh penalty in cases of gross or criminal negligence. For example, if you cause a patient to lose their life due to incompetence or gross negligence, the board can revoke your professional license.
If you made an honest mistake or are rehabilitated, a skilled license attorney can prepare a solid defense to help defend your license. They can use mitigating factors for a fair resolution, like mentioning your willingness and readiness to become a better professional.
License Suspension
If you commit a grave violation, are remorseful, or are rehabilitated, the board can suspend your license for a given period. This period allows you to put your act together before resuming your career. While this seems like a favorable resolution, you will not earn a living during suspension. You could also lose your job or patients. Additionally, you could face difficulties when reinstating your license. This is because the board will require proof of rehabilitation or changed behavior.
Your attorney can help you fight the suspension if you are not ready to lose your livelihood. If that is not possible, they will negotiate favorable terms to make your life easier as you wait to reinstate your license. A license attorney will also help you file for your license reinstatement and fight alongside you until you are back to work.
A Citation and Fine
The board does not always handle grave matters requiring license suspension and revocation. Sometimes, it receives minor complaints, needing a reminder of the professional code of ethics and likely penalties if violated. If your violation is lenient but still attracts the board’s attention, it could issue a citation through its webpage. The penalty is usually a fine, which the board deems reasonable, depending on the facts of the matter. Once you pay the fine, you can continue discharging your services.
However, public citations affect your credibility as a healthcare professional. You could lose your job and practice once your employer or payments discover the violation. Since the citation also goes into your record, it could affect your efforts to find another job or patient.
However, a skilled attorney can challenge public citations, citing the likely impact that citations will have on your career.
A Public Reprimand
The Vocational Nursing Board also uses public reprimands to warn licensed professionals who fail to adhere to its standards. A reprimand works like a warning against further violations. A public reprimand will also go into your record, affecting your credibility. Your attorney can fight it to protect your livelihood.
License Probation
The board uses probation in cases where it is considering revocation. It could delay revoking your license and place you on probation for that period to test your performance. If you perform well during this period, the board will dismiss the complaint and reinstate your license. However, you could also lose your license permanently if you perform poorly on probation.
Probations are usually fair because you continue working, but your attorney can improve them by negotiating favorable conditions. They could also petition the board to suspend your probation after some time if you demonstrate goodwill.
The board considers several factors when determining the proper discipline to issue. Some of these factors include the following:
- The gravity and nature of your violation
- Whether you inflicted actual harm on a patient or any other person
- The likely harm you could have caused through your actions or inactions
- Your disciplinary record
- Your criminal record
- If the violation you face is one or multiple issues
- The presence of mitigating or aggravating factors in your case
- If you have been rehabilitated or treated for the problem that led to the violation,
- The likelihood that you will commit the same violation
- Whether or not you cooperated with investigators
Find a Competent License Attorney Near Me
The Vocational Nursing Board expects you to adhere to a particular professional standard if you hold a professional license in vocational nursing or psychiatric technician. If not, you could be accused of professional misconduct and face disciplinary action that risks your career. The board does everything possible to protect the public, even if it affects your livelihood. However, you can defend your license with the assistance of a competent attorney.
At Fresno License Attorney, we defend healthcare professionals against professional misconduct allegations threatening their licenses. We can help you understand your legal situation, navigate the complex administrative process, and develop a solid defense for your license. Call us at 559-777-7040 for more information.
