How Does a DUI Affect a Nurse in California?

Like many other states, California has a licensing board that regulates and licenses nurses.  The main licensing body in CA is the Board of Registered Nursing which is a branch of the Department of Consumer Affairs.  Any person who wishes to become an R.N. has to be approved by the Board.  There are numerous ways the state can punish nurses who are arrested for a DUI.  In addition to the criminal sanctions imposed by the courts, the state can and often will take action against a person who possesses a professional license such as a nurse or other medical professionals.

Any attempt to suspend a nursing license must start with the initiation of a disciplinary process.  The process is regulated by various California State Laws such as that found in Business and Professions Code section 2762,  which provides in pertinent part that a licensed nurse engages in unprofessional conduct when he or she uses alcoholic beverages "to an extent or in a manner dangerous or injurious to himself or herself, any other person, or the public," or is convicted of a criminal offense involving the consumption of alcohol.   According to California DUI Attorney Matthew J. Ruff, the Board will look closely at the police reports in any given case to determine if the conduct violates this law.  One way a DUI can implicate the relevant code is if the licensee's blood alcohol level was extremely high.  In california the law dictates that a BAC of .15 or higher should be construed as an aggravated offense.  A blood alcohol level is usually determined from a breath test or a blood test taken after the arrest.  However, Ruff explains that many tests can be successfully challenged on the grounds that the official standards were not followed or that the individual was below the per se level of intoxication at the time of driving, a theory referred to as the "rising blood alcohol defense".  Indeed, in one recent case, attorney Ruff related how he was able to have the DUI charge lowered for a client in nursing school due to violations of the testing protocol known as "Title 17".  One thing remains clear, if the BAC levels are not fought, the accused faces a difficult road as far as the state licensing board is concerned.

In one recent California Appellate Court case a Judge ruled that even a first offense DUI where the nurse had a blood alcohol level of .16  and was involved in an accident was enough to trigger a suspension that was brought by the licensing board or registered nursing.  The Court found that the facts of that case, notably the conviction for Vehicle Code section 23152, were substantially related to the duties and functions of a nurse.  What was interesting in that case was the fact that the registered nurse had no prior history of drunk driving or any alcohol abuse, no criminal record and was highly respected by her peers. 

So where does this leave the average nurse that has the unfortunate luck to have been arrested for a DUI in California?  According to many attorneys who defend nurses charged with driving under the influence and other related criminal offenses, "do not plead guilty or no contest to any DUI without first consulting with an attorney".  Particularly in cases where a collision was involved or where the breath test reveals a blood alcohol level anywhere above a .14%.  The authorities seem to focus on these cases but any DWI arrest can trigger an investigation which will lead to a letter asking for information about the incident.

If the nurse pleads guilty or no contest in court, or fails to challenge the DMV action and there is any finding that a DUI was committed than the state can and will take action to suspend or revoke the person's nursing license.  Therefore, any health care professional, R.N., LVN, RPN, or anyone thinking about becoming a nurse in California,  facing an upcoming court date should proceed with caution.

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