LOS ANGELES—An investigation by the Board of Registered Nursing found that thousands of nurses who were barred in other states for misconduct are still licensed to treat patients in California.
The board discovered that as many as 3,500 nurses are no longer permitted to work in medicine in other states. Of those, roughly 2,000 were punished for severe violations, such as sexual abuse, neglect, criminality and rampant drug use, according to Mercury News.
The examination was prompted after the Los Angeles Times/ProPublica investigation inspected a national database and discovered a large number of licensed California nurses had problems in other states.
Many of the nurses involved in these cases are licensed in the state; however, they are currently not working in California.
The board is looking to replace its databases and hire as many as 140 investigators to examine the violations.
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