Can You Practice Nursing Without a License If You've Been to College?
Whether you have a four-year or two-year degree in nursing, you might think with all that education that you are allowed to seek employment as a nurse. This isn't necessarily true. Unless you are a college graduate who is a licensed Registered Nurse, you could be opening yourself up to criminal charges if you work as a nurse.
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Types of Nursing Degrees
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There are two primary degrees you can get to become a nurse. If you have graduated from a state-approved two-year or four-year nursing program, you may be eligible to apply to become a Registered Nurse. You become an RN only after passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Unless you have taken and passed the NCLEX-RN exam, you are not allowed to work as a nurse in any state.
Warning
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Practicing nursing without a license is a crime and is called the unauthorized practice of medicine. Practicing medicine without a license includes activities like providing medical treatment to a patient or giving a medical exam to a patient if you don't have a license. A medical exam could be something as routine as taking blood pressure readings, weights or reading charts -- activities that nurses often do.
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State Laws
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The unauthorized practice of medicine is a crime in every state. Therefore, if you practice nursing without a license, you can be arrested and tried as a criminal. In addition, practicing medicine without a license also opens you up to the possibility of civil lawsuits. For example, if you perform an exam on a patient, that patient entrusts that you are a licensed nurse. If you aren't, the patient can sue you for emotional distress or even assault.
Penalties
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If you are tried and found guilty of unauthorized practice of medicine, the exact penalties and fines you could face depend upon the state in which you are tried in. In general, you could be subject to jail or prison sentences, community service, probation, parole or civil monetary penalties. In addition, if you are sued in civil court for assault or emotional distress, you could be looking at a large settlement or judgment against you.
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References
- Photo Credit nurse chris image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
