A Single DUI Results in Discipline for a Nurse

iStock_000017580334XSmall_edited-1   In Sulla v. Board of Registered Nursing (May 8, 2012, A132699) __Cal.4th __ , a nurse was convicted of a misdemeanor after he caused a single-car accident. He had been driving with a blood alcohol level in excess of the legal limit. Sulla was charged with unprofessional conduct. Specifically, that he used alcoholic beverages to an extent dangerous to himself or the public; or was convicted of a criminal offense involving alcohol. The superior court had reversed a disciplinary action taken by the Board of Registered Nursing on the ground that Sulla’s conduct and his resulting conviction were not “substantially related to the qualifications, functions or duties” of a nurse. Continue reading