Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 378 - Nursing
Section 20-99. - Improper professional conduct. Hearing. Appeal. Prohibited conduct.

(a) The Board of Examiners for Nursing shall have jurisdiction to hear all charges of conduct which fails to conform to the accepted standards of the nursing profession brought against persons licensed to practice nursing. After holding a hearing in accordance with chapter 54 and the regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health, said board, if it finds such person to be guilty, may revoke or suspend his or her license or take any of the actions set forth in section 19a-17. Witnesses and records may be summoned before such hearings by the issuance of subpoenas under the board's seal. The chairperson or presiding member may administer oaths. When any license is revoked or suspended, notification of such action shall be sent to the Department of Public Health. Any person aggrieved by a final decision of the board may appeal as provided in chapter 54. Such appeal shall have precedence over nonprivileged cases in respect to order of trial.

(b) Conduct which fails to conform to the accepted standards of the nursing profession includes, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Fraud or material deception in procuring or attempting to procure a license to practice nursing; (2) illegal conduct, incompetence or negligence in carrying out usual nursing functions; (3) physical illness or loss of motor skill, including, but not limited to deterioration through the aging process; (4) emotional disorder or mental illness; (5) abuse or excessive use of drugs, including alcohol, narcotics or chemicals; (6) fraud or material deception in the course of professional services or activities; (7) wilful falsification of entries in any hospital, patient or other record pertaining to drugs, the results of which are detrimental to the health of a patient; (8) conviction of the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter by any court of criminal jurisdiction; and (9) failure to provide information to the Department of Public Health required to complete a health care provider profile, as set forth in section 20-13j. The Commissioner of Public Health may order a license holder to submit to a reasonable physical or mental examination if his physical or mental capacity to practice safely is the subject of an investigation. Said commissioner may petition the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford to enforce such order or any action taken pursuant to section 19a-17.
(1949 Rev., S. 4434; 1955, S. 2223d; 1971, P.A. 870, S. 58; P.A. 76-315, S. 3, 6; 76-436, S. 420, 681; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 393, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 35, 127; 78-303, S. 88, 136; P.A. 80-484, S. 36, 174, 176; P.A. 81-471, S. 25, 71; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-47, S. 5; P.A. 08-109, S. 6.)
History: 1971 act replaced superior court with court of common pleas, effective September 1, 1971, except that courts with cases pending retain jurisdiction unless pending matters deemed transferable; P.A. 76-315 deleted hearing notice requirement, required that hearings be held in accordance with Ch. 54, added provisions re subpoena power and oaths, replaced previous detailed appeal provisions with statement that appeals be taken as provided in Ch. 54 and added Subsec. (c) defining unacceptable conduct; P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner and department of health with commissioner and department of health services, required that hearings be held in accordance with regulations adopted by health services commissioner, deleted requirement that subpoenas be signed by chief nursing examiner and deleted provision granting appeals precedence in order of trial in Subsec. (a) and deleted proviso preventing license revocation or suspension during appeal to higher court, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-280 and 78-303 restored provision re precedence in order of trial in Subsec. (a); P.A. 80-484 replaced “censure or otherwise discipline ...” with “take any of the actions set forth in section 19-4s” and “president” with “chairperson” in Subsec. (a) and revised grounds for disciplinary action in Subsec. (b) to replace “deceit” with “material deception” in Subdiv. (1), to add illegal conduct in Subdiv. (2) and delete “habitual” with reference to negligence and to replace conviction of crimes involving moral turpitude with fraud or material deception and added provisions re physical and mental examinations and re petitions to court for enforcement of order or action; P.A. 81-471 deleted reference to “certificate” in Subsec. (b); P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-47 allowed appeal from “a final decision” rather than from “a finding”; P.A. 08-109 made a technical change and added failure to provide information for health care provider profile to list of conduct which fails to conform to accepted standards in Subsec. (b), effective January 1, 2010.
Cited. 42 CS 376.
Subsec. (b):
“Unprofessional conduct” determined by standards accepted by those practicing same profession in same territory. 177 C. 78.

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