Abstract
Although most health care professionals know that licensing boards can take disciplinary action against them for professional misconduct or gross negligence in clinical practice, nurses may not appreciate the true extent of authority the nursing boards maintain or the issues they address. This three-part series will discuss nursing disciplinary actions and provide tips for maintaining one's license in good standing. Part 1 discusses misconceptions nurses commonly have about licensure. Part 2 will discuss common reasons boards of nursing conduct investigations and take disciplinary action. Part 3 will be a discussion of strategies for protecting your license.