Even more: FresnoBee.com: California: Vocational nursing board failed to censure nurses
California's vocational nursing board lagged in taking action or did not take action at all against licensed vocational nurses convicted of crimes, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday on its website.
The review of the California Bureau of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians by the Times and ProPublica, an investigative news organization, follows similar findings by the Times last month at the bureau's sister agency, the Board of Registered Nursing.
The investigation of the vocational nursing bureau found 27 nurses racked up three or more criminal convictions before regulators filed complaints against them.
The previous Times investigation found that the RN board allowed dozens of registered nurses convicted of serious or repeated crimes to retain their licenses for years.
After the Times revealed its findings, the registered nursing board last month approved regulations requiring all nurses to submit fingerprints to check for criminal convictions.
Notice it says 'convicted of serious or repeated crimes'; also 3 or more criminal convictions.