Representing Nurses and other Medical Professionals
I became a nurse in 1976 after receiving my diploma in nursing from The Toledo Hospital. I then obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Madonna College in 1978 and my Masters in Nursing in 1980 from Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. I became certified as a nurse practitioner in 1980 through the American Nurses Association, and worked in the areas of primary care and occupational health for the net 11 years for several medical and industrial concerns. I obtained my law degree from the University of Toledo Law School in 1993 and specialized for several years in insurance defense, including personal injury lawsuits, combining my legal and medical training. I continued to practice nursing throughout and still work in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the University of Michigan.
While in law school, I joined the faculty at University of Toledo Medical College, formerly known as the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, as an assistant professor of nursing. I continue as an adjunct assistant professor.
My knowledge and experience in health care give me a significant advantage in representing health care professionals in licensing and regulatory matters. Being licensed as a nurse and a lawyer both in Michigan and Ohio, I am able to represent health care professionals in both states.
Nurses have a particularly acute problem when their hospital or institutional employers wish to terminate their employment. Some employers believe that they can avoid potential wrongful discharge claims, and even the payment of unemployment compensation, by claiming that a termination was the result of misconduct on the part of the nurse; but because both Michigan and Ohio require that terminations for cause related to nursing practice be reported to the nursing board, a simple firing can often turn into an action by the state to suspend or even revoke the nurse’s license.
Of course, the nurse may indeed have made errors or fallen into circumstances that should, in fairness, be treated as a disciplinary matter. Sometimes, the health care professional who finds himself/herself before a disciplinary board is suffering from health and possibly substance abuse issues that require a thoughtful and carefully measured approach combining rehabilitation, education and other measures until the professional is again ready to meet the demands of clinical practice.
This is an area where my experience with the nursing boards and their personnel allows me to both know what can be achieved and how best to get there.
I accept insurance payments for my services, when the professional has such coverage.
While in law school, I joined the faculty at University of Toledo Medical College, formerly known as the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, as an assistant professor of nursing. I continue as an adjunct assistant professor.
My knowledge and experience in health care give me a significant advantage in representing health care professionals in licensing and regulatory matters. Being licensed as a nurse and a lawyer both in Michigan and Ohio, I am able to represent health care professionals in both states.
Nurses have a particularly acute problem when their hospital or institutional employers wish to terminate their employment. Some employers believe that they can avoid potential wrongful discharge claims, and even the payment of unemployment compensation, by claiming that a termination was the result of misconduct on the part of the nurse; but because both Michigan and Ohio require that terminations for cause related to nursing practice be reported to the nursing board, a simple firing can often turn into an action by the state to suspend or even revoke the nurse’s license.
Of course, the nurse may indeed have made errors or fallen into circumstances that should, in fairness, be treated as a disciplinary matter. Sometimes, the health care professional who finds himself/herself before a disciplinary board is suffering from health and possibly substance abuse issues that require a thoughtful and carefully measured approach combining rehabilitation, education and other measures until the professional is again ready to meet the demands of clinical practice.
This is an area where my experience with the nursing boards and their personnel allows me to both know what can be achieved and how best to get there.
I accept insurance payments for my services, when the professional has such coverage.