Abstract
Public health nurses, midwives, and nurses are subject to a warning, suspension from work for up to three years, or revocation of their license under the Public Health Nurses, Midwives, and Nurses Act if sentenced to a fine or greater, or for committing a crime or misconduct in connection with their work. In the 20 years from FY2001 to FY2020, a total of 404 individuals (31 public health nurses, 3 midwives, 1 person qualified as both a public health nurse and a midwife, and 364 nurses) were punished, for average annual number of 20.2 individuals. 5 nurses were punished twice. In terms of reason for / content of disciplinary action, traffic offenses, fraud/theft, and medical malpractice were the most common reasons for disciplinary action, and these three reasons accounted for the majority of disciplinary actions. For most of the traffic offenses and medical malpractice offenses, the punishment was limited to six months or less of suspension from practice, while fraud and theft were severely punished. Also, many licenses were revoked for homicide, assault, and sex offenses.
Reflecting the criminal penalties, the administrative suspension period for accidents due to negligence was shorter, while the penalties for intentional crimes were harsher.
