Attaining and Protecting Your Professional Nursing License

1. I intend to become licensed by examination in Massachusetts and it is not currently a Nurse Licensure Compact State.
2. You are required to have a certificate of graduation for an accredited university and an official final transcript that is sent directly to PCS. Transcripts can either be electronic or sent in by post.
3. The online application includes the Child Protective Services (CPS) Background Record Request Form. You will also have to upload a 2×2 color passport style photo to your account page.
4. The presentation from the Attorney General’s Office and the Medical Professional Health Program was very enlightening and educational because it I did not know much of the information discussed in the presentation. For the state of Massachusetts “all nurses who directly observe another nurse engaged in the abuse of a patient must report that nurse to the Board”. There are several laws and regulations that require nurses to report suspected patient abuse, child abuse, elder abuse and abuse of a disabled person to their respective divisions in the State Government. Child abuse is “abuse inflicted which causes harm or substantial risk of harm to the child’s health or welfare, including sexual abuse and can result from neglect, including malnutrition; physical dependence upon an additive drug at birth, being a sexually exploited child, and being a human trafficking victim. Elder abuse can be in any form such as physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, financial exploitation and self-neglect. Failure to report elder abuse, abuse of a person with disabilities and patient abuse in nursing homes, rest homes, home health and hospice can lead to a fine up to $1,000. If you willfully fail to report child abuse it can lead to a fine up to $5,000 and up to 2 ½ years in jail. Legal issues are related to informed consent and refusing treatment, licensure, the safeguarding of clients’ personal possession and valuable, malpractice, negligence mandatory reporting, abuse and unsafe practices. I will protect my license by ensure that all the consent forms are signed and having conversations with each patient to ensure they understand the care they are going to receive. I will also want to ensure I follow the five rights of medication; The right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right documentation (time). By just taking these few little safety precautions you can ensure you are safe administering medication. Maintaining patient confidentiality is very important to maintain as well. To ensure I protect my license and maintain patient confidentiality I will not talk about the patients condition or any identifying factors to other nurses (not providing care for the patient), family, friends or in a public area. The only think I can do is ensure I am the best nurse I can be every day to ensure I protect my license.

https://www.mass.gov/guides/nursing-mandatory-abuse-reporting#-child-abuse-