Preventing legal problems by maintaining charm from Carolyn Buppert

Fairly frequently, I hear from nurse practitioners who believe they are in legal trouble at work. Usually, a supervisor is threatening discipline for some reason -- it may be inappropriate clinical, billing, or time management choices. Often, it all started when the nurse practitioner upset someone -- a supervisor or other employee -- about something. Upset evolves into disapproval of how the nurse practitioner conducts his or her practice.

Disapproval, or even workplace discipline, is not a legal problem. But it can evolve into a legal problem -- termination of employment and/or a report to the Board of Nursing. In some cases, a nurse practitioner's credentialing with a payer or a hospital is at stake.

Many of the nurse practitioners I hear from don't need a lawyer, yet. They may need "coaching" to help them through a rough patch. For this, I am sending people to Eileen O'Grady (www.eileenogrady.net), a nurse practitioner and wellness coach.

But I want to use this space to encourage nurse practitioners to use their charm to prevent workplace squabbles. Supervisors or coworkers who feel disrespected may suddenly decide that a nurse practitioner's clinical skills aren't good enough, or that documentation isn't extensive enough, or that the nurse practitioner isn't productive enough. And that may evolve into reports, discipline, and termination.

So, I urge readers, maintain a respectful attitude and demeanor at work. If you upset someone, ask for a sit-down meeting and apologize if necessary. We're all familiar with "preventive medicine"; this is "preventive law." It's worth it if it saves you from escalation of a small problem into a legal matter.

For more information on legal issues affecting nurse practitioners, visit www.buppert.com.

Source: Buppert.com- Carolyn Buppert, NP, JD