Nursing regulatory boards have long taken disciplinary action against licensees who have violated Nursing Practice Acts. License suspensions are a common penalty for such violations, but rehabilitation and regaining competence also must be considered. The North Carolina Board of Nursing has developed and implemented two courses, Legal-Ethical Decision Making, and Pharmacology, which may be required of licensees as part of the disciplinary process. Developed by board staff, the courses are taught by independently contracted nurse instructors located throughout the state. During the courses, the licensees must acknowledge their specific violation and explore the reasons for occurrence and strategies for prevention. Upon completion of the course, instructors submit required course materials that are used for consideration of relicensure decisions. This article describes the development and implementation of the instruction program, as well as descriptive data on the licensees.
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