A nurse stealing narcotics from an acute care nursing unit is guilty o

A nurse stealing narcotics from an acute care nursing unit is guilty of a:

1. Civil offense
2. Criminal offense
3. Common law offense
4. Administrative law offense

ANSWER

ANS: 2
Criminal laws prevent harm to society and provide punishment for crimes (often imprisonment). A felony is a crime of a serious nature that has a penalty of imprisonment for greater than 1 year or even death. A misdemeanor is a less serious crime that has a penalty of a fine or imprisonment for less than 1 year. An example of criminal conduct for nurses is misuse of a controlled sub-stance. Civil laws protect the rights of individual persons within our society and encourage fair and equitable treatment among people. Common law is created by judicial decisions made in courts when individual legal cases are decided (i.e., informed consent). Administrative law is created by administrative bodies, such as state boards of nursing, when they pass rules and regu-lations.