Probation and recidivism: remediation among disciplined nurses in six states.

Objective: The researchers sought to determine what factors might affect the outcomes of remediation, including the likelihood of recidivism, among nurses who had been the subject of disciplinary action and had been put on probation by a state board of nursing.

Methods: Boards of nursing in six states, Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Carolina, chose to participate in this exploratory study. A 29-item questionnaire was used to investigate the records of 207 RNs, LPNs, and advanced practice RNs (APRNs) who were disciplined and put on probation by a state nursing board in 2001, as well as to collect data on their employment settings, the boards' actions, and remediation outcomes (the presence or absence of recidivism); 491 nurses who had not been disciplined served as controls.