A Threat to Competent and Safe Nursing Practice

Licensed Nurses Disciplined in Oregon Between September 1996 and June 2008

“…Recidivism was studied in some depth in the Kentucky Board of Nursing study. The study reported an overall recidivism rate of 6.6%, in addition to a number of relevant findings: Repeat violations occurred more often than other violations among nurses who had alcohol and drug problems, repeat violations were more likely to occur when nurses were placed on probation without license limitations, and nurses who committed law violations after licensure were more likely to repeat a violation than did those who had a misdemeanor or felony conviction before licensure (Chappell et al, 1999). In the national study, the average recidivism rate was 24%, with a low of 9% and a high of 40% (Kenward, 2008).…”

“…Several studies have examined gender differences in disciplined nurses. One study, using the Kentucky Board of Nursing’s total nurse database from 1989 to 1995, examined the relationship between disciplined nurses and the rest of the Kentucky nursing population (Chappell et al, 1999). They found that male nurses committed violations at a rate 3 times that of female nurses.…”

“…These studies have placed these nurses in their 30s or 40s. The age range in which discipline occurred most frequently in Louisiana nurses was between 36 and 45 years (Booth & Carruth, 1998); the mean age in Kentucky was 37 (Chappell et al, 1999), and it was 44.6 years in South Dakota (Powers et al, 2002). The national picture is similar.…”

“…The general trend is that nurses with a higher level of education and/or licensure tend to commit fewer violations and are less frequently disciplined than their counterparts. This trend is evident in Kentucky, where 4.4% of all Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) studied had committed violations, compared to associate degree nurses who committed violations at a rate of 2.4%, and RNs with a baccalaureate degree or higher at a rate of 2.1% (Chappell et al, 1999). In an Ohio study, Jones, Fitzpatrick, and Drake (2008) determined that boundary violations in associate-degree-prepared nurses occurred with a significantly higher frequency than in baccalaureate-degree-prepared nurses.…”

An Exploration of Potential Gender Differences in the Discipline of Nurse Anesthetists

“…Two such state-level studies were conducted by Chappell et al (1999) based in Kentucky and Powers, Maurer, and Wey (2002) based in South Dakota. Chappell et al (1999) utilized the entire database of the Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN) (n= 92,461), covering a period of six years between 1989 and 1995. During this period, females represented 85.2% (n=83,610) of the nursing pool, but only 2.6% (n=2,179) of the female nursing pool were disciplined.…”