Feature Story
Inept Nurses Free to Work in New Locales
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica, and Maloy Moore, Los Angeles Times - December 27, 2009 9:04 am EST
Nursing regulators at the state level fail to effectively tell each other what they know. As a result, caregivers with troubled records can cross state lines and work without restriction, Read More »
Major Stories
When Caregivers Harm: Problem Nurses Stay on the Job as Patients Suffer
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica, and Maloy Moore, Los Angeles Times - July 11, 2009 12:17 am EST
The board charged with overseeing California's 350,000 registered nurses often takes years to act on complaints of egregious misconduct, leaving nurses accused of wrongdoing free to practice without restrictions, our joint investigation with The Los Angeles Times found.
Loose Reins on Nurses in Drug Abuse Program
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - July 25, 2009 12:31 am EST
For years, nursing board officials have described diversion as a haven where good nurses can kick bad habits – without losing their licenses or their reputations. But spotty oversight of the program allowed nurses who dropped out to continue treating patients, despite being labeled risks to public safety.
Temp Firms a Magnet for Unfit Nurses
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - December 5, 2009 7:52 am EST
Emboldened by a chronic nursing shortage and scant regulation, temp nursing firms vie for their share of a free-wheeling, $4-billion industry. Some have become havens for nurses who hopscotch from place to place to avoid the consequences of their misconduct.
Schwarzenegger Replaces Most of State Nursing Board
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - July 13, 2009 9:55 pm EST
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced most members of the state Board of Registered Nursing, citing the unacceptable time it takes to discipline nurses accused of egregious misconduct.
California Nursing Board Executive Officer Ruth Ann Terry Resigns
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - July 15, 2009 10:31 am EST
The longtime executive officer of the embattled California Board of Registered Nursing resigned Tuesday, ensuring almost entirely new leadership for the agency as it strives to revamp its oversight of hundreds of thousands of caregivers. But the sweeping reforms promised by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week face significant obstacles.
Reform of California Nursing Board’s Discipline System Shows Early Progress
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - October 10, 2009 10:09 pm EST
After moving swiftly to replace the leadership of the Board of Registered Nursing, California officials are revamping practices that had allowed errant nurses to work for years after complaints were filed against them.
California Adopts Stricter Rules for Drug Abusers in the Health Industry
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - November 20, 2009 8:47 am EST
California will require health workers who have abused drugs and are in state-run recovery programs to take at least 104 drug tests in their first year.
Dozens of Criminal Registered Nurses Identified by California Regulators
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - December 26, 2009 2:10 am EST
Fingerprint checks of thousands of California nurses not previously subject to background checks have turned up dozens of convictions of crimes ranging from petty theft to murder.
Ongoing Coverage
Calif. Registered Nursing Board Follows Up on Our Nurses Stories
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - December 26, 2009 1:00 am EST
The California Board of Registered Nursing has taken actions against nurses featured in a series of stories by ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times.
A ‘Crazy’ Way for an Industry to Operate
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - December 5, 2009 9:06 am EST
There's no simple way for a hospital or temp agency to find out if a nurse it might hire has caused problems elsewhere in the United States.
Schwarzenegger Wants Sweeping Reforms in Discipline System for Health Care Providers
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica, and Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times - August 13, 2009 7:57 am EST
The California governor says the process for policing health professionals is broken, but some of the problems have worsened on his watch.
State Board Seeks Swifter Action Against Errant Nurses
by Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - July 27, 2009 11:10 pm EST
Managers of the California Board of Registered Nursing seek to more than triple the size of their enforcement staff and immediately boost licensing fees to speed discipline against errant nurses who may pose a danger to patients.
After Nurses Investigation, Scrutiny Turns to Other Calif. Health Boards
by Alexandra Andrews, ProPublica - July 22, 2009 1:55 pm EST
More Nurses Fallout: Head of Investigations Unit Resigns
by Tracy Weber, ProPublica - July 17, 2009 11:27 am EST
Troubled Nursing Board Defends Itself
by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica - July 13, 2009 2:11 pm EST
Leaders of the California Board of Registered Nursing sent a note of encouragement to their staff following a Los Angeles Times-ProPublica investigation that found the board takes years to act on complaints of egregious misconduct.
Board Takes No Public Action Against Some King/Drew Nurses
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica, and Maloy Moore, Los Angeles Times - July 11, 2009 1:04 am EST
Spencer Sullivan: His Body a Prison
by Tracy Weber, ProPublica - July 11, 2009 1:00 am EST
Today Spencer Sullivan, 48, spends his days in a wheelchair at his Laguna Hills home. In 2001, after neck surgery at UC San Francisco Medical Center, two doctors gave similar orders for powerful medications. Instead of questioning the duplication, a nurse gave Sullivan all of the drugs, then didn't check on him as required, state records allege.
Many California Health Workers Not Checked for Criminal Pasts
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber - December 29, 2008 9:25 pm EST
California's failure to check the criminal backgrounds of health professionals extends well beyond nurses, encompassing tens of thousands of doctors, dentists, psychiatric technicians and therapists. As many as a third of the state's 937,100 licensed healthcare workers have not been screened through fingerprint checks, according to a December 2008 estimate.
Board Knew of Nurses’ Criminal Records But Took Years to Act
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - November 1, 2008 11:10 pm EST
Even in cases when vocational nurses reported their own felony convictions, the vocational nursing board failed to act in a timely manner.
California Nursing Board Will Require Fingerprints From All Licensees
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - October 24, 2008 11:00 am EST
The California Board of Registered Nursing approved emergency regulations requiring all licensees to submit fingerprints shortly after a Los Angeles Times/ProPublica story revealed that dozens of convicted criminals had kept their licenses for years.
Criminal Past Is No Bar to Nursing in California
by Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber, ProPublica - October 4, 2008 8:20 am EST
Dozens of nurses convicted of crimes, including sex offenses and attempted murder, have remained fully licensed to practice in California for years before the state nursing board acted against them. In some cases, nurses with felony records continue to have spotless licenses – even while serving time behind bars.
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