Lawmakers want answers after investigation into nurses' backgrounds
Minnesota lawmakers are asking questions about licensing procedures for nurses following a newspaper investigation.
The Star Tribune found that hundreds of nurses were able to stay on the job despite stealing pain medication and having criminal records. The series also found patients have little access to nurses' disciplinary records.
After a joint House-Senate health committee heard testimony today from state nursing board officials, state Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, said she's considering whether the public should have more access to nurses' backgrounds.
"We have to have a deliberate conversation about what is the balance about the public's right to have information and what information," she said.
Shirley Brekken, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Nursing, said state legislators have always been serious about protecting the public.
"But there's always room for improvement," Brekken said. "We learn more all the time."
Minnesota's next legislative session starts in February. However lawmakers say they want to gather more information before proposing any new regulations.
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