Changes Coming

The Star-Telegram published an article about the Board of Nursing in Texas. The article details the Board's reputation for being the most aggressive Board in Texas and at the forefront of nursing regulation in the country.

Nurses in other states should watch Texas because Texas seems to be the pioneer for nursing regulatory agencies in that they are usually one of the first states to initiate various regulatory actions. For example, nurses in other states should watch for criminal background checks for ALL licensed nurses to come to their state. Texas has been doing this for a few years; all nurses that are actively licensed are requested to provide fingerprints and if a background check shows an undisclosed criminal action, the nurse is subject to investigation and possible discipline.

For a long time I have cautioned Texas nurses that the Board of Nursing may follow what the Medical Board has been doing and this article confirms that the changes are coming: The board lists the names of nurses that have been disciplined along with which sections of the law the nurse violated. The article interviewed Board Staff and reported that "in the next few months, it will beef up that portion of the site to give detailed information about specific violations."