Sanctioned California Nurses Database

The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica analyzed the records of nearly 2,400 nurses who faced disciplinary action by the California Board of Registered Nursing between 2002 and September 2009.
The data can be searched by name, year of disciplinary action, type of sanction, and reason for discipline. Within each record is a link to the board's public discipline file on that nurse, if it is available.
To view all 2,369 nurses in this database, click here. There are several limitations to this database. Please email reporters charles.ornstein@propublica.org and tracy.weber@propublica.org with any questions or concerns.
This data was last updated in December 2009. Statuses may have since changed. Check the California's Board of Registered Nursing license database for the most current license statuses.

This chart shows the most common disciplinary actions, by year.

2009*

Chart?cht=bvg&chbh=18,5,5&chco=cc0000|ff9933|cccc00&chs=70x100&chd=t:123,82,95&chds=0,250&chm=n*f0y*,000000,0,-1,11

* Through Dec. 26, 2009

Color key:
License Revoked
License Surrendered
Probation/Probation Extended

Show key of definitions

Lost Licenses

Reinstatement Denied - A nurse's request to reinstate a license is denied. The individual cannot practice as an RN in California.
Revoked - A nurse's license is revoked and the individual no longer has the right to practice as an RN or to use the title.
Surrendered - A nurse surrendered a license as a resolution to a disciplinary matter. The individual can no longer practice as an RN in California.

Probation

Probation - A nurse is allowed to practice as an RN with a restricted license under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN is monitored by the Board.
Probation Extended - A nurse's probation is extended and the RN must practice with a restricted license under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN is monitored by the Board.
Petition For Termination Of Probation Denied - A nurse's request to terminate probation is rejected and the RN must continue to practice with a restricted license under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN is monitored by the Board.
Reinstatement Granted/Probation - A nurse's license is reinstated, but the RN must practice with a restricted license under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN is monitored by the Board.
License Issued/Probation - An applicant is granted a restricted license to practice as an RN under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN is monitored by the Board.

Cases Pending

Accusation Pending - An accusation is a legal document formally charging a nurse with a violation of the Nursing Practice Act, and notifying the public that a disciplinary action is pending
Accusation And Petition To Revoke Probation Pending - A document that both formally charges a nurse with a violation of the Nursing Practice Act and seeks to revoke a nurse's probation for violating the conditions of probation.
First Amended Accusation Pending - New allegations are added to an accusation, a legal document formally charging a nurse with a violation of the Nursing Practice Act, and notifying the public that a disciplinary action is pending.
Supplemental Accusation Pending - More details are added to an accusation, a legal document formally charging a nurse with a violation of the Nursing Practice Act, and notifying the public that a disciplinary action is pending.
Petition To Revoke Probation Pending - A petition seeking to revoke a nurse's probation for violating the conditions of probation.
Amended Petition To Revoke Probation Pending - An updated petition seeking to revoke a nurse's probation for violating the conditions of probation.
Second Amended Petition To Revoke Probation Pending - An updated petition seeking to revoke a nurse's probation for violating the conditions of probation.

Completed Probation

Probation Complete - A nurse completed probation.

Other

Public Reprimand - A nurse received a letter of reprimand for a minor violation the Nursing Practice Act, with no restrictions on the license.
Court Ordered Suspension - A nurse is suspended from practice by a judge in a criminal case, or restricted in how he or she may practice.
Interim Suspension - A nurse is immediately suspended from practice by an Administrative Law Judge before an accusation is filed. The action is pending a final determination of the licensee's fitness to practice.
Other - Other reason.
Suspension/Probation - A nurse is suspended from practice for a period of time and the RN must practice with a restricted license under conditions of probation. While on probation, the RN must be monitored by the Board.
Deceased - Nurse has died.

Show key of definitions

1192 nurses who lost their licenses
412 nurses on probation
388 nurses with cases pending
287 nurses who have completed probation
90 nurses in other categories.

This chart shows the types of wrongdoing most often cited in accusations seeking nurse discipline.

Out-of-state discipline
On-the-job misconduct
Criminal conviction
In diversion program

Search by Last Name

Search for a nurse in our database by last name (use partial if necessary)

View Nurses by County

Multiple Employers

There are 69 nurses who were accused of wrongdoing by three or more employers before they were disciplined.

Multiple Sanctions

There are 167 nurses who were sanctioned more than once between 2002 and 2009.

Craig Smart

Nurses Disciplined Out of State

ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times identified nearly 300 California nurses disciplined since 2002 who had been sanctioned previously by another state. It took the California nursing board a median of 13 months to file public accusations against those whose licenses were first revoked, surrendered, denied or suspended by another state.

View these nurses' cases and all of the states that acted against them.

Melony Currier

Nurses Labeled Threat to Public Safety

ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times identified nearly 100 nurses disciplined since 2002 who failed out of the nursing board's recovery program for impaired nurses and were considered so incorrigible that the board labeled them public safety threats or public risks. Even so, the label did not trigger immediate discipline nor was it immediately disclosed to the public. While the board pursued confidential investigations and cumbersome disciplinary action, some "public safety threats" continued to treat patients without constraint.
View these nurses' cases.

Cases can bog down at many points in the disciplinary process and most of them happen outside the public's view. The chart below shows the distribution of cases by how much time passed between the initial filing of an accusation and the final imposition of discipline.

0-1 yrs.
1-2 yrs.
2-3 yrs.
3+ yrs.

Other stages of case handling – including complaint processing, investigation and legal review – are not publicly disclosed for each nurse. When those earlier stages are included, the total length of time to discipline a nurse averaged more than 1,200 days, based on data from fiscal 2008.

To view a graphic detailing the path a complaint takes, click here.

Data last updated Dec. 26, 2009

Please note there are several limitations to the database:

This database includes nurses who faced disciplinary action between 2002 and September 2009, as well as any subsequent actions against these nurses. .
Employers and patients seeking verification of a nurse’s license should use the Web site of the Board of Registered Nursing.
Multiple nurses may have the same name, but each has a unique license number.
The information on the database is based on the Web site of the Board of Registered Nursing and state documents. In some cases, the Web site and documents conflict; in such cases, reporters used dates included in the board’s documents.
Documents for some cases are missing from the site in whole or in part.
The database does not include discipline against nurses meted out as a condition of being licensed. Such discipline is only included if the nurse subsequently faced board action.
The grounds listed for discipline in this database are based on the board’s public allegations against the nurses. Because accusations are sometimes written in an unclear or inconsistent manner, reporters did not try to guess the intent.
This database includes discipline against some nurses who have subsequently died. The board has removed many of these nurses from its Web site. They are included here because they faced disciplinary action during the period examined.

Read our full coverage on the California nursing system.

Project Credits

Project Management and Data Analysis: Maloy Moore and Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times
Reporters: Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber
Site Development: Dan Nguyen

Our Complete Coverage

The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica have conducted a joint investigation into the failed oversight of California's health professionals. In July 2009, we reported that the Board of Registered Nursing took more than three years, on average, to investigate and discipline errant nurses. It failed to act against nurses whose misconduct already had been thoroughly documented and sanctioned by others. And the board gave probation to hundreds of nurses – ordering monitoring and work restrictions – then failed to crack down as many landed in trouble again and again. Read our complete coverage here.

Our reporting recipe: We've written a guide to how we conducted our nurses investigation. Take a look for help in investigating your own state's regulatory boards.

Ask the reporters about the series: Email QandA@propublica.org

Database

California Sanctioned Nurse Database - The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica compiled a database of nearly 2,400 California nurses who have been sanctioned since 2002. Search the records of nurses who have faced disciplinary proceedings and the circumstances of allegations against them.

Multimedia

Follow Thomas's case
Follow Kinney's case
Follow Reed's case
Follow Smart's case
Chart: California takes far longer to discipline registered nurses than many other large states, according to a review by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica. Click graphic to see the full details.
Interactive Chart: About the Board - The California Board of Registered Nursing oversees the education, licensure, practice standards and discipline of the state's 350,000 nurses.

Profiles

Spencer Sullivan - In the prime of his life, Spencer Sullivan was rendered a quadriplegic. It took the nursing board more than six years later to revoke the license of a nurse involved in his care. Read more | LA Times Audio Slideshow
Caitlin Greenwell - Caitlin Greenwell's family alleges that she suffers from cerberal palsy because nurses neglected to monitor her during her birth. LA Times Audio Slideshow
Dr. Iraj Zandi – During a surgery, Dr. Iraj Zandi discovered that a nurse had stolen painkiller drugs intended for his patient. He found out later that the nurse had been accused of pilfering drugs from a previous employer. Read more...
Veronica Glaubach – Veronica Glaubach’s nurses missed crucial signs of a life-threatening complication during and after childbirth, her family alleged. She died. The nursing board absolved the nurses. Read more...

Donate

Journalism in the Public Interest