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QPX, a Thraustochytrid-like Disease of Clams
Category 2 (In Canada and of Regional Concern)
Common, generally accepted names of the organism or disease agent
Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX), Chytrid-like disease.
Scientific name or taxonomic affiliation
Organism of uncertain taxonomic position tentatively identified as an unusual member of the phylum Labyrinthulomycota, (= Labrinthomorpha) possibly in the family Thraustochytriidae (Maas et al. 1999). This affiliation was confirmed by analysis of the gene sequence of the18S rDNA component of the small-subunit ribosomal DNA (Ragan et al. 2000). Maas et al. (1999) suggested that QPX was a primitive member of the phylum because of the absence of typical sagenogenetosomes (sagenogens) and ectoplasmic nets in the clam host. However, Kleinschuster et al. (1998) reported the development of an ectoplasmic net in cultured QPX that had been transferred to sterile seawater. Members of the phylum Labyrinthulomycota have been placed in the monophyletic assemblage known as stramenophiles.
Geographic distribution
Initially reported from wild and hatchery stocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada (Drinnan and Henderson 1963, Whyte et al. 1994). Currently reported in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Canada and in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Virginia, USA. In Virginia, QPX was not found in Mercenaria mercenaria from Chesapeake Bay but was present in cultured M. mercenaria from 3 coastal embayments (Ragone Calvo et al. 1998). In Connecticut, QPX was not considered to pose a threat to the hard clam (M. mercenaria) industry because of low prevalence (0.3% in 2358 clams from 77 different samples from along the shoreline monitored over a period of about 8 years) (Sunila 2006). Lyons et al. (2007) found no latitudinal gradient in QPX prevalence or frequency over its geographic distribution and suggested that local factors were important in determining its distribution. A morphologically similar parasite was reported from Ruditapes decussatus from Portugal (Azevedo and Corral 1997).
Host species
Mercenaria mercenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria variety notata. Results of investigations by Ford et al. (2002), Ragone Calvo and Burreson (2002), Ragone Calvo et al. (2007), and Smolowitz et al. (2008) indicate that different strains of M. mercenaria varied in their susceptibility to infection, disease and mortalities caused by QPX. Mercenaria mercenaria stocks/strains from southern pasts of the USA Atlantic coast (e.g., Florida) were more susceptible than those from more northern areas (e.g., Massachusetts and New York).
Impact on the host
QPX disease in Mercenaria mercenaria (quahog or hard clam) disrupts the connective tissue throughout the body and is associated with gross lesions (swellings and nodules) in the mantle of infected quahogs. Necrotic haemocytes indicate the possible production of a toxic substance with lytic activity. The in vitro cytotoxic affects of QPX on haemocytes from M. mercenaria matched the pathogenicity of QPX in quahogs (Perrigault and Allam 2008). Aggregations of QPX vegetative stages are usually surrounded by clear zones (mucoid substance). The mucoid material produced by QPX resists host antimicrobial activity that occurs in filter-sterilized M. mercenaria plasma (Perrigault et al. 2008a and b) and may prevent phagocytosis by quahog haemocytes. Thus, the mucoid secretions of QPX may represent an important virulence factor (Anderson et al. 2003).
Smolowitz et al. (1998) reported that QPX-infected M. mercenaria grew more slowly and had a lower condition index than uninfected quahogs. QPX appears to be most prevalent in cultured M. mercenaria, in quahogs being held in the hatchery or nursery, or occasionally in densely set natural populations. QPX was suggested to be the primary cause of significant wild quahog stock mortalities in New Brunswick in 1959 (Drinnan and Henderson 1963) but no mortalities attributed to QPX have occurred in wild stocks in Atlantic Canada since that time (Bacon et al. 1999, MacCallum and McGladdery 2000). QPX was associated with 80-90% mortalities in juvenile M. mercenaria (up to 30 mm in shell length) in a nursery and up to 100% in hatchery broodstock on Prince Edward Island (Whyte et al. 1994, Bacon et al. 1999). And QPX has caused severe mortality (80 to 95% in some instances) in aquacultured M. mercenaria stocks in Massachusetts (Fraser 1996, Smolowitz and Leavitt 1997, Smolowitz et al. 1998, Walton et al. 2008b), New Jersey (Ford et al. 2002) and the eastern coast of Virginia (Ragone Calvo and Burreson 2002). In the summer of 2002, QPX, emerged as a severe threat to the M. mercenaria fishery, causing significant quahog mortalities in New York waters. However, QPX has also been observed in apparently healthy wild adult populations from Atlantic Canada and at some locations in Virginia (McGladdery et al. 1993, Ragone Calvo et al. 1997, 1998).
While many aspects of the basic biology and epizootiology of QPX disease are still unknown, observations to date suggest that genetic variability in the host and/or in the QPX pathogen could be responsible for differences in susceptibility toward the infection and in the presentation of the disease (Ragone Calvo and Burreson 2002; Ragone Calvo et al. 2003a and b, 2007; Camara et al. 2004; Dahl et al. 2008). Laboratory studies indicate that QPX has a direct life cycle and QPX was directly transmitted between quahogs within 3 months of exposure (Smolowitz et al.2001). QPX appears to be widely distributed in the marine environment on the east coast of North America. It has been detected in almost all different types of environmental samples (water, sediment, algae, invertebrates, detritus) and in marine aggregates (i.e., marine snow) especially from coastal areas experiencing repeated disease outbreaks (Lyons et al. 2005, Liu et al. 2008, Gast et al. 2008a and b). Liu et al. (2008) suggested that sediments represent a natural reservoir for the parasite. Also, the occurrence of QPX-laden aggregates (i.e., marine snow) suggests a means for the spread and survival of pathogens between epizootics and provides a specific target for environmental monitoring of QPX (Lyons et al. 2005).
Mortality caused by QPX is usually most severe in the spring and summer months in M. mercenaria at least one year old in the eastern USA. For example, Liu et al. (2008) reported that the prevalence of QPX disease in quahogs in Raritan Bay, New York, increased during the spring and summer, peaked in August and declined in the fall. However, from a compilation of published reports, Lyons et al. (2007) found that QPX infections occurred throughout the year with no discernable seasonal trends in the prevalence or frequency of disease.
Diagnostic techniques
Gross Observations: Swellings and round yellow-tan nodules (1-5 mm in diameter) in the mantle, often at the mantle edge and close to or directly adjacent to the siphon or adductor muscle. The gills can also be infected. Other non-specific signs of infection include decrease in new shell growth, swollen, retracted, tan-coloured mantle edges, mucus and sand granules caught between the swollen mantle and shell edges and a high degree of chipping of the shell edge in quahogs from sandy locations. No gross signs of QPX infection, including lack of nodules in the mantle, have been observed in infected M. mercenaria in Canada (MacCallum and McGladdery 2000).
Squash Preparations: Vegetative cells within the nodules that may contain up to 40 daughter cells.
Histology: Abscesses or necrotic lesions containing various stages of vegetative and spore-like stages, commonly within halos of translucent (mucoid), non-staining, tissue usually observed in the mantle, gills and gonad. QPX has less frequently been detected in the connective tissue of the foot, labial palps, digestive gland, kidney, heart and adductor muscle. Dove et al. (2004) reported significantly larger numbers of parasites and higher biomass of QPX in visceral infections than in infections found only in the mantle. Three basic vegetative forms occur in the tissues: 1) thallus (trophozoite, single nucleated organism, 2-10 µm in diameter), 2) sporangium formed from a large thallus undergoing endosporulation - appears to lack a well defined membrane bound nucleus (10-15 µm in diameter) and 3) mature sporangia (18 to 25 µm in diameter) containing 20 to 40 endospores (immature thalli, 1.5 to 2 µm in diameter) each with a basophilic cell wall (Smolowitz et al. 1998, Ragone Calvo et al. 1998, Dove et al. 2004). All stages have a basophilic cell wall that varies in thickness and staining intensity and are usually surrounded by a cell free zone up to 8 µm thick with mucoid staining properties. When numerous parasites are present in a focal lesion, large lucent (mucoid) areas free of host cells were formed (Ragone Calvo et al. 1998). In some cases, the cell free zones showed evidence of stellar, possibly cytoplasmic, extrusions (mucofilamentous net) from the vegetative stages. Phagocytic multinucleate giant inflammatory cells of various sizes and containing 3 to 25 nuclei within the cytoplasm and haemocyte encapsulation of QPX occur as part of the quahog response to infection (Smolowitz et al. 1998) The haemocytic response was often associated with moribund looking QPX (Ragone Calvo et al. 1998).
Electron Microscopy: Maas et al. (1999) suggested that QPX is a more primitive member of the phylum Labyrinthulomycota because of the absence of typical sagenogenetosomes and ectoplasmic nets characteristic of most Labyrinthulomycota. Sagenogenetosomes were not detected by Kleinchuster et al.(1998) nor Smolowitz et al. (1998). However, Whyte et al. (1994) illustrated a sagenogenetosome-like structure near the surface of a thallus. Nevertheless, scale-like laminated cell walls characteristic of the phylum were observed on some endospores and occasional thalli. Also, sporangia containing numerous nuclei, which occur as a result of mitosis and are difficult to see via light microscopy, were obvious in electron micrographs.
Molecular Characteristics:
Small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequences for several isolates of QPX have been deposited in GenBank (Ragone Calvo et al. 1998, Maas et al. 1999, Ragan et al. 2000 and Stokes et al. 2002). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers specifically designed to amplify a 665 base pair segment of the SSU rDNA of QPX was able to detect QPX in infected quahog genomic DNA and did not amplify DNA of uninfected M. mercenaria nor DNA of other species of thraustochytrids that were tested (Stokes et al. 2001, 2002). This PCR assay was sufficiently sensitive to detect 20 fg QPX genomic DNA and 1 fg cloned QPX SSU rDNA. Field validation indicated that the PCR assay was equivalent to histological diagnosis if initially negative PCR products were reamplified (Stokes et al. 2002). The limited sensitivity of the PCR assay for this parasite may be attributed to the focal nature of infection (i.e., QPX is usually localised in the tissues of M. mercenaria and not dispersed throughout its host) thereby increasing the possibilities of sampling error. The PCR primers identified by Stokes et al. (2002) were used in a nested PCR protocol with products analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) (Lyons et al. 2005; Gast et al. 2006, 2008a). The PCR identification of QPX proved effective at detecting QPX and provided new and important information on potential exposure of quahogs to environmental sources of pathogenic organisms. However, this assay targeted the relatively conserved SSU rDNA region, limiting the differential specificity of the test because of the potential for cross-reaction with unidentified, related species. Subsequently, Lyons et al. (2006) developed a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay using primers designed to amplify a transcript identified from QPX differential display analysis (GenBank accession number DV942140). Application of the assay demonstrated positive qPCR results from naturally contaminated environmental samples including marine aggregates (i.e., marine snow), quahog pseudofeces, haemocyte aggregation nodules from infected quahogs and should provide a valuable tool for characterizing QPX parasite abundances in coastal environments and for improving quahog disease diagnostics (Lyons et al. 2006, Liu et al. 2008, Fitzsimons-Diaz et al. 2008).
A cocktail of two DNA probes for QPX was used to detect the parasite by in situ hybridisation (ISH) and these probes did not hybridize with tissues of M. mercenaria nor with several other species of thraustochytrids that were tested (Stokes et al. 2002, Gast et al. 2008a). The ISH assay has been utilized to detect QPX in marine aggregates (i.e., marine snow), collected from coastal embayments in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA where QPX outbreaks have occurred (Lyons et al. 2005). Qian et al. (2007) were not able to detect significant molecular genetic variations between isolates of QPX from an outbreak in Raritan Bay, New York, from the original outbreak in Massachusetts and from another outbreaks in Massachusetts when they assessed regions of the ribosomal DNA (small subunit or 18S rDNA, ITS1, 5.8S rDNA and ITS2) and four regions of mitochondrial genes (fragments of coxI, cob, nad1 and nad7).
Culture: QPX extracted from mantle tissue of infected M. mercenaria into sterile seawater containing antimicrobics were cultured in modified Eagle Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated foetal bovine serum and antibiotics (Kleinschuster et al. 1998). All forms that were observed in infected M. mercenaria, developed in the cultures. As QPX proliferated in the culture media, it produced abundant mucoid material that bound the individuals together. Optimal culture conditions were a temperature of 22 °C, salinity of 28 ppt and pH 7 to 8 (Brothers et al. 2000). Upon transfer of the culture forms to sterile seawater, clusters of endospores adhered to the bottom of the culture flask and developed ectoplasmic nets. Within 1 to 4 days, zoospores formed from the adherent endospores (Kleinschuster et al. 1998). Cultures of QPX examined by Brothers et al. (2000) did not produce zoospores on transfer to seawater. Ragan et al. (2000) indicated that MEM culture with subsequent confirmation by microscopy was more sensitive in detecting QPX than standard histological methods. However, MEM will support the growth of a range of morphologically similar marine thraustochytrids and thus, additional assays such as PCR (see above) must be applied to the cultured organisms to confirm identification. In experimental trials, QPX from cultures and washed free of mucous were not infectious to quahogs by injection or bath exposure (Smolowitz et al. 2001) but infection could be achieved by using QPX cultured in sea water with macerated quahog tissue (Smolowitz et al. 2008). However, Dahl and Allam (2007) and Dahl et al. (2008) were able to infect M mercenaria in the laboratory by injecting QPX from laboratory maintained cultures into the pericardial cavity (83% infected 2 weeks post injection) and into the pallial cavity (18% infected 31 weeks post injection). Buggé and Allam (2005) developed a fluorometric microplate technique for the in vitro measurement of proliferation and viability of QPX. Perrigault et al. (2008a and b) used in vitro procedures to demonstrate that the plasma of M. mercenaria is able to alter the growth of QPX with plasma from QPX challenged quahogs and quahogs from New York having higher anti-QPX activity than plasma of quahogs from Florida. Alternately, QPX had variable in vitro cytotoxic affects on haemocytes from M. mercenaria which matched well with their in vivo pathogenicity of the quahog stocks assayed (Perrigault and Allam 2008).
Further Research: Techniques to identify the aetiologic agent to species and provide more specific diagnosis is needed. Differences in pathological presentation between infections of clams in Canada and those along the eastern United States, also requires more research.
Methods of control
Avoid importing stocks carrying this organism into areas currently free of QPX. However, QPX appears to be a ubiquitous member of the normal marine and bivalve flora on the east coast of North America and M. mercenaria disadvantaged in some way (e.g., unfavourable genotype-environmental interactions or stocks imported from southern locations) may be more susceptible to infection. Thus, QPX may be an opportunistic facultative parasite not dependant on a parasitic way of life. However, Perrigault et al.(2008d) reported that both salinity and temperature affect defence parameters and disease progression in M. mercenaria with higher QPX related mortalities occurring at higher salinities and higher temperatures. QPX may be limited to areas with salinities above 25 ppt (Ragone Calvo 1998).
Stress on cultured M. mercenaria associated with high planting densities and poor husbandry are believed to increase the risk of QPX disease problems (Ragone Calvo and Burreson 2002, Walton et al. 2008a). Lyons et al. (2007) reported a higher prevalence of QPX in M. mercenaria from cultured (farmed) beds than in wild populations with the highest prevalence in quahogs of intermediate size (20 to 55 mm in shell length). It may be possible to keep the incidence of disease under control through good plot husbandry and the removal of infected and dying quahogs (Gast et al. 2008a and b). In an extreme case with very high quahog mortalities associated with QPX, over 1 million quahogs were removed from culture beds in Wellfleet Harbour, Massachusetts during the winter which apparently prevented the spread of QPX disease (Walton et al. 2008b). Reduction of the stocking density was reported as effective in reducing mortalities to a negligible level. However, Kraeuter et al. (1998) reported no significant difference in the prevalence of QPX in juvenile M. mercenaria (<10 mm shell length) after 4 months at densities of up to 860 quahogs per square meter on intertidal and subtidal sites in New Jersey. Also, Ford et al. (2002) noted that although there was a significant trend towards higher QPX levels at higher planting densities, the considerable variability in the data made it difficult to determine the effect of density with a high degree of confidence. The dynamics of infection and pathogenicity under different holding and handling conditions require more investigation to manage QPX proliferation in cultured M. mercenaria (MacCallum and McGladdery 2000).
Ford et al. (1997) concluded that hatchery produced seed are an unlikely source of QPX, based on results of extensive surveys of M. mercenaria from 13 different hatcheries in six states of the USA over a 3 year period. Because strains of M. mercenaria seem to vary in susceptibility to QPX disease, growers in enzootic areas should consider the geographic origin of quahog seed as an important component of their QPX disease avoidance/management strategies (Ford et al. 2002; Ragone Calvo and Burreson 2002; Ragone Calvo et al. 2003a and b, 2007; Dahl et al. 2008; Walton et al. 2008a). Dahl and Allam (2008) and Dahl et al. (2010) indicated that the higher susceptibility of southern strains of M. mercenaria to QPX could not be attributed to cooler (winter) water temperatures as an aggravating factor and that aquaculture practices such as the selection of fast-growing stocks may exacerbate QPX disease problems. However, the identification of genes and other molecular markers in M. mercenaria that are associated with resistance to QPX could be used as biomarkers for the selection of quahogs for the development of strains resistant to QPX (Perrigault et al. 2008 a and c). Dahl et al. (2010) provided evidence for the utilization of local wild broodstock to enhance the resistance of cultured strains of M. mercenaria to QPX.
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Smolowitz, R., E. Marks, C. Brothers, D. Leavitt and B. Lancaster. 2000b. Results of QPX field studies. Journal of Shellfish Research 19: 648. (Abstract).
Smolowitz, R., D. Leavitt, B. Lancaster, E. Marks, R. Hanselmann and C. Brothers. 2001. Laboratory-based transmission studies of quahog parasite unknown (QPX) in Mercenaria mercenaria. Journal of Shellfish Research 20: 555-556. (Abstract).
Smolowitz, R., J. Defaveri, W. Walton, D. Murphy and D. Leavitt. 2008. The interaction of temperature and hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) strain on the occurrence of QPX disease in the laboratory and in the field. Journal of Shellfish Research 27: 1052-1053. (Abstract).
Stokes, N.A., L.M. Ragone Calvo and E.M. Burreson. 2000. DNA-based molecular diagnostics for the hard clam parasite QPX (quahog parasite unknown). Journal of Shellfish Research 19: 649. (Abstract).
Stokes, N.A., L.M. Ragone Calvo, K. Apakupakul, E.M. Burreson, I. Sunila and R. Smolowitz. 2001. Validation of DNA-based molecular diagnostics for the hard clam parasite QPX (quahog parasite unknown) and the oyster parasite SSO (Haplosporidium costale). Journal of Shellfish Research 20: 557. (Abstract).
Stokes, N.A., L.M. Ragone Calvo, K.S. Reece and E.M. Burreson. 2002. Molecular diagnostics, field validation, and phylogenetic analysis of quahog parasite unknown (QPX), a pathogen of the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 52: 233-247.
Sunila, I. 2006. Connecticut's hard clam industry and QPX-disease. Journal of Shellfish Research 25: 780. (Abstract).
Walton, W., D. Murphy and R. Smolowitz. 2008a. Field test of culture methods to reduce losses of farmed northern quahogs (Mercenaria mercenaria) to QPX (Quahog Parasite Unknown). Journal of Shellfish Research 27: 1060. (Abstract).
Walton, W., D. Murphy and R. Smolowitz. 2008b. Quahog triage: identifying and responding to an outbreak of QPX (Quahog parasite Unknown). Journal of Shellfish Research 27: 1060. (Abstract).
Whyte, S.K., R.J. Cawthorn and S.E. McGladdery. 1994. QPX (quahaug parasite X), a pathogen of northern quahaug Mercenaria mercenaria from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 19: 129-136.
Citation Information
Bower, S.M. (2010): Synopsis of Infectious Diseases and Parasites of Commercially Exploited Shellfish: QPX, a Thraustochytrid-like Disease of Clams.
Date last revised: April 2010
Comments to Susan Bower
- Date modified:


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Rhodes appeals unfairness
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on January 21, 2004 2:03 PM
Goldsboro Councilman J.B. Rhodes said Tuesday, before what may have been his last council meeting, that he has filed an appeal to try to keep his political seat.
Rhodes received the written order from the state Friday that declared Jimmy Bryan the winner of the November election by one vote.
Rhodes has 10 days to appeal the decision. He said his lawyer was supposed to have filed the appeal Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court. Rhodes will ask the judge to stay the order so he can keep his seat until the court process is complete. He is seeking another election.
"Whatever they do is all right with me," Rhodes said of the courts. "I'm not going to worry about it."
Although he has appealed, Rhodes also acted as though Tuesday's meeting could be his last.
Rhodes said he had enjoyed working with City Manager Richard Slozak and City Attorney Harrell Everett during his 16-year tenure as a councilman. He mentioned nothing during the meeting about his appeal, but instead spoke of what he is most proud of during his service on the council.
"And if I don't come back, I want the work I've done to speak for me," Rhodes said, referring to sewer, water and paving improvements in the north side of town, which he said were the results of his efforts.
"I haven't been on the board for J.B. Rhodes, but have tried to be a voice for everyone," Rhodes said.
Rhodes was initially declared the winner of the November election, before it was discovered that many ballots had been mistakenly double-counted.
The county Elections Board agreed to a recount, and Rhodes lost to Jimmy Bryan by one vote.
District 6 candidate Danny Roseborough was also originally counted as the winner, but after the recount, he lost by four votes to Jackie Warrick.
Both Roseborough and Rhodes appealed the recount decisions to the State Board of Elections.
The State Board of Elections declared Bryan the winner on Dec. 19, but ordered a new election for Roseborough and Warrick.
Rhodes said he filed the appeal to show what he considered to be unfair treatment by the State Board of Elections.
"I was only one vote" behind "and they denied me another election," he said. "The other man was four votes behind, but they gave him an election."
The state board said it issued the new election for Roseborough, because more voting irregularities were found; whereas, no other problems were found with Rhodes' race.
Other Local News
- Care in the sky: Members of the aeromedical evacuation crew fight to get injured troops back to their families

subset: commoncrawl


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Plant Turnarounds and Standby Rescue Personnel
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Tom Howell Jr – April 21, 2017
House Republicans sounded the alarm Friday over an avian flu threat that's cresting in China, saying it underscores the need to finish and vet an overdue plan for responding to pandemic flu at home.
The H7N9 avian influenza virus mainly affects people who have been exposed to live poultry. It has infected nearly 1,000 people in Asia, and had a 40 percent fatality rate since its discovery in 2013, though the latest spurt of cases has been worse than previous ones, according to the World Health Organization.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, and Rep. Tim Murphy, Pennsylvania Republican, say it is more important than ever to have a solid response plan in case the virus or other types of pandemic flu reach the U.S.


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The SureCall Fusion5 kit is a Voice/3G/4G LTE signal booster system that is specially designed for small businesses, professionals and large home applications. The Fusion5 is built in such a way that it combines PCS and Cellular dual bands with both LTE and 4G AWS frequencies for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile voice and data reception. It covers an area of up to 10,000 square feet, 5-10 simultaneous users and is configurable for all indoor environments.
Adjustable and easy to use control dials are used to balance all carrier frequencies independently. The SureCall Fusion5 is approved by all major carriers and equipped with built in safeguards to completely eliminate interference to cell towers.
- Highest 4G data rate in the industry
- Simple Plug and Play operation
- Fully compliant with new FCC certification standards and approved by all major US carriers
- Eight RSSI detectors for all inputs and outputs
The SureCall Fusion5 kit comes with a choice of two outside antennas:
The SC-288W Omni Outdoor Antenna has 4dB gain. Omni antennas receive and send signals in a 360º radius. They can receive signals from multiple cell towers and is best for boosting signal on many different carriers. They are excellent in most situations where the existing outside signal strength is moderate to strong.
The SC-230W-S Yagi Outdoor Antenna has up to 5dB of gain. It is a directional antenna which can reach cell towers up to 30 miles away. It needs to be set up pointing in the direction towards the cell tower, and because it is directional it will only pick up signal in that direction. It's very powerful at picking up weak signal in one particular direction.
The SureCall Fusion5 kit also has a choice of two inside antennas:
The SC-222W Omni Dome Antenna is a multi-band omni-directional plastic dome antenna that gathers signals from all sides. It has 6dB gain and is designed for central locations with 360º coverage. The antenna range is dependent on three prime factors:
1) Physical obstructions
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The SC-248W Panel Antenna is a directional antenna with up to 10dB gain. Panel antennas allow optimum reception to targeted areas. It can be mounted to either the wall or ceiling.
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You are here Planning your trip Travel Guide Tourist Information Offices
Number of results: 40
, currently showing 1 to 10.
Local tourist information for Aukra.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating1718 reviews
Bergen's Tourist Information Centre is situated in Strandkaien near by the Fish Market. In these beautiful and spacious surroundings, information is available about what to do in Bergen and all of Fjord Norway. Besides obtaining free help and...
Open all year.
Egersund tourist information office is co-located with Magma Geopark's office in Elvegata 23, on the other side of Tengesdal sport. Here you can get practical information, tips on activities and inspiration for your visit in Egersund. You can also...
Tourist Information in Eid town centre. Our staff will assist you with information about activities, attractions, events and accommodation.
We have a wide selection of brochures about Nordfjord the rest of the country, as well as postcards and...
Flora is a modern city society, representing Sogn og Fjordane's oldest and Norway's most western city. Despite constant changes, the city Florø has managed to maintain its special features, appearing as a busy and charming city centre. Florø was...
Geiranger Tourist Information Office has recently relocated to a brand-new building. The Tourist Information Office is open for the public from early May - medio September.
Outside of this period, the Tourist Information Office is open at the...
Open during summer season.
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating10 reviews
The tourist information office is located at Kvadrat - one of Norway's largest shopping centres. Here you can find information material about attractions and other activities in the Sandnes and Stavanger region.
Do come and see us! Welcome!
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating3 reviews
Tourist Informatoin in Måløy town centre. Our staff will assist you with information about activities, attractions, events and accommodation.


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Written byon June 24, 2014 .
A.P.E group a.k.a Aesthetically Pleasing Experiences.
We have designed and built digitally since the turn of the century. But what makes us really tick is a burning passion to craft the most enticing end-user experience and design.
As an experience and service design studio, innovation is at the heart of what we do. When designing a new service or experience, we aim to create value through rethinking and in many cases, (re)designing the business itself. This design process is driven by a culture of innovation and collaboration, coupled with a deep understanding of the user ...


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The new mini's are brilliant for cards & journals as they are a lot smaller and thinner than some of the other chippie and sooooo versatile. Added bonus is that you get loads in a pack haha. I dabbed them with some distress ink and then roughly added Brilliance to the edges. I was going to add gems and things but then decided that I quite liked the country feel of the card as it was.
Thank you so much for popping by for a looksee, See you soon, HUGS xxx


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Ward Mountain Trail is a 8.2 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Hamilton, Montana that offers scenic views and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
nature trips
hikingWednesday, July 06, 2016
It was great but mileage on here is wrong. It is 6.3 to the top so about 12.6 round trip. Took us just under 8 hours to go to the top and back. Awesome view, one of our favorite and looks down on our property. Probably should be rated hard.
hikingFriday, April 08, 2016
This is a long, hard, often steep trail, but the views from the top are incredible. I went in the fall and found plenty of huckleberries to snack on along the way.


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What Is a Violation of Penal Code 647?
Interviewer: What about if I'm a passenger and my friend is driving, and I guess it matters whether or not I know he or she intoxicated. If we are pulled over and the police do a DUI investigation, will the police then try to charge me with DUI as well, as a passenger? What can they do to me?
Do Intoxicated Passengers in a Car Face Charges?
Aaron: No. They can't get you as a passenger for a DUI unless they believe that you grabbed the wheel and caused an accident or were trying to avoid a deer, or something like that and the car crashed. If you had control of the car from the passenger seat, they can charge you. What they usually get passengers for is Penal Code 647 violation.
Interviewer: What is that?
Aaron: That is basically being charged as being "drunk in public" You can be getting a ride home as a passenger, and you can have however much alcohol you have in your system and something happens, whether the driver is DUI or not, if there's an accident and the police see that you have alcohol in your system, they can arrest you for "drunk in public." This is true even though you were in a car, going home, being responsible, not out stumbling around in public, they can still charge you for it, and they do all the time. They try to at least.
You Can Be Charged with Drunk in Public Even if You Are on Private Property, Such as your Own Home
Interviewer: How about if you're on private property? Let's say you're in private property, in your driveway or just somewhere where you're not in the street. Are the police allowed to come onto private property and initiate a DUI investigation?
Your Best Defense: Avoid Making Incriminating Statements to the Police
Aaron: Absolutely, in most cases, and they do. If you think about it, you hear this the time, or at least I do, being a DUI lawyer. More frequently than you would image, someone pulled into their driveway and police officers came up on them or had been following them and arrested them there.
Or they pulled into the driveway, went inside, and the cops came and knocked on the door. In those situations, they have to be able to prove that you were driving, so the best thing in those situations is to not make statements to incriminate yourself, such as saying that you were actually driving.
The Police Do Need to Prove That You Were Incapacitated at the Time You Were Driving
Usually, in those situations, someone has actually called your license plate in. If they believe that you were driving the car, they put together all the circumstantial evidence. If you answer the door with a drink in your hand and they determine that you were driving, but if you have that drink in your hand and tell them that you just had a big drink after you got home, that can actually be a defense to DUI.
This is because if they take your breath test or do a blood test, they've got to be able to prove that at the time of driving you were at or over the limit. So, if you've been drinking since you got to your destination, it will be much more difficult for them to prove that you were under the influence or at or over a 0.08 blood alcohol level at the time of driving.
By Aaron Bortel
Get your questions answered - Call Us 24/7 For a FREE Case Evaluation (415) 523-7878.


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Gujarati Samaj seeks your participation in publishing better articles in every Setu.
If you have a poetry or a story or self-experience of general interest that we can publish in Setu. Please send it in printed and/or readable format to:
Gujarati Samaj Of Metropolitan Washington
Attn: Editor-in-charge SETU
25753 Howerton Drive, Chantilly, VA 20152


text:
An elder lawyer specializes in legal matters that directly affect aging Americans. These matters include probate law, estate planning, health care and guardianship concerns, according to the legal resource site HG.org.Continue Reading
Elder law began to emerge as a distinct area of legal practice in the early 2000s, and it was based on the principles put in place by the Older Americans Act of 1965, reports the American Bar Association. The percentage of the population over the age of 65 continues to grow, creating more demand for elder lawyers. By the year 2030, 71.5 million Americans are to be of retirement age or older, which is nearly twice the senior population of 1990.
An elder lawyer may draft a living will that covers power of attorney decisions, nursing home wishes and other matters that may occur before a client passes away, as stated by About.com. These professionals also assist with the establishment of trust funds, offer advice on estate planning and handle issues with Medicare and Social Security. Protection from personal and financial abuse, even after an elderly person's death, is another important facet of elder law. An elder lawyer also takes on cases involving age discrimination, veterans' benefits and pension plans.Learn more about Law


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MyFord Touch, the extension of Ford Sync to an 8-inch LCD touchscreen with control of phone, audio, navigation, and climate control, was intended to make life easier and less distracting for drivers and front seat passengers. Now comes a story in industry bible Automotive News that says "some industry safety experts are unconvinced" whether the Ford and Lincoln touchscreens are easier and less distracting.
Who are the experts? The Automotive News story, "Is MyTouch All Thumbs?" (Dec. 6), quotes a Consumer Reports engineer who says the fonts are too small and a guy from the auto club who says MyFord Touch is so easy to use it will tempt drivers to make more phone calls, and that might not be good, in his opinion.
Guilty on the First Charge: Font Size
Consumer Reports engineer Tom Mutchler dinged Ford for smallish MyFord fonts and slow response to voice commands. Mutchler also told Automotive News that MyFord Touch and its Lincoln counterpart, MyLincoln Touch, may not be as widely appreciated as the basic Ford Sync platform, which doesn't require a touchscreen interface.
In our September SUV review, Lincoln MKX: Like the Car. Love Sync and Audio, I said the infotainment system – Sync, MyLincoln Touch, THX audio, dual USB jacks – "blows away all mid-size SUV competitors." (Not necessarily the MKX overall, which is a nice vehicle in a crowded field.) The review also said:
"The not-so-bright part [of MyLincoln Touch] is that the display type is fixed-point-size, perfectly readable by Ford's mostly youthful electronics engineers, quite possibly too small for buyers a generation older, who've advanced to the reading glasses stage of life. Many users will have trouble seeing the tab's info (inset photo), that tells you: Turn right on Cherry Hill Road in 0.3 miles. Lincoln optimistically talks about cars such as the MKX bringing a more youthful demographic to Lincoln but the age of the average Lincoln buyer hovers around 62 and a typical Town Car owner has been drawing Social Security checks for five years. The rule of thumb is that close-up vision will fade and many people will need reading glasses around 40."
Ford says, via technology spokesman Alan Hall, that the font size meets industry guidelines for font size. Which may mean the industry standards need to be re-examined. Industry standards can be wrong. Years ago, PC Magazine tested a metal-cased surge suppressor that arced over from its internal electronics to the case when fed a test surge in our labs, raising the possibility of a shock hazard to someone touching it; the maker said the unit was acceptable because its design met industry standards.
Ford is not alone with the problem of information being too small on digital displays. Baby Boomers and now the leading edge of Generation X are bothered also by small screens on iPods, cellphones, and smartphones. Few if any let users, say, double the font size (for instance if you're out jogging but not wearing reading glasses) so you can see what's on the screen.
MyFord Touch as Attractive Nuisance
The story's other complaint came from Bill Van Tassell, AAA National Auto Club manager of driver training, who says MyFord Touch (and MyLincoln Touch) makes it easy to place cell calls and because of that, drivers will make more calls, and that could be "risky behavior."
Driver distraction research is ongoing. It's already clear that using a handheld cellphone is risky, especially dialing while driving. Other research suggests that just listening to cellphone calls represents something of a distraction risk. Also distracting are talking with your passenger, entering a navigation destination, tuning the radio, inserting a CD (remember them), or lighting a cigarette. Dropping a lighted cigarette in your lap may still be the single most distracted driver issue of all time, followed by bee-in-the-car situations.
MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch: What It Does
Sync is a three-year-old technology developed by Microsoft and Ford. (Fiat uses a similar, earlier version called Blue & Me.) For 2011, Ford added an enhancement called MyFord Touch (starting with Ford Edge) and MyLincoln Touch (staring with Lincoln MKX). The cars get an 8-inch transflective screen in the center stack that is readable event in bright, plus a pair of 4.2-inch LCDs in the instrument cluster that duplicates some of the center stack information but without glancing over.
On the main MyFord Touch LCD screen, the corners have colored bands (the colors may vary between Ford and Lincoln). Touch one and the screen switches to that mode:
- Phone, upper left corner, amber / brownish shading
- Navigation, upper right, green shading
- Audio / entertainment, lower left, red
- Climate control, lower right, blue
If you don't touch one of the mode buttons in the corner, whatever is in the middle of the screen remains active. You can also custom-configure the interface to have combinations of all four. The commands are also accessed by Sync's voice input module, which now accepts 10,000 words, although in my experience it still misses quite a few, just like all other in-car voice input systems.
The most common operations, such as rasing or lower cabin temperature, are also retained as physical buttons (albeit small) in the center stack. Critics who say it takes multiple keypresses (two) to start adjusting cabin temperature via the MyFord screen are correct but would be more accurate in noting there are some dedicated buttons as well. BMW with its pioneer iDrive cockpit controller in 2002 over time added some dedicated buttons back to the center stack.
The Sync and MyFord Touch features include steering wheel controls that resemble cellphone rocker switches (in others, you already know how to use them), HD Radio with song tagging, caching and replay of satellite radio, rudimentary navigation via cellphone download if you don't have full onboard, SD-card-based navigation, and sports scores, weather, and movie times. The Lincoln version also had a media hub in the console: two USB jacks and AV inputs including video (just not active up front while you're driving). Overall, the infotainment package, especially with the THX audio on Lincolns, represents a big step forward.
Worse Than MyFord Touch: Capacitive Touch Volume, Fan Sliders
My other concern with the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch center stacks is the over-engineered capacitive touch volume and fan controls just below the touchscreen. (See Dumb and Dumber? Lincoln's Capacitive Touch Volume, Fan Sliders.)
There's already a good technology available: big round knobs. There's also a passable, slower alternative, up-down buttons. By why make it simple when you can make it complex and kind of cool-looking? (Example: 1965 Ford Thunderbird rear tail lamp sequential turn signals.) So Ford created two capacitive touch strips just below the LCD. Slide your finger across left-to-right and the volume goes up (top strip) or the fan speed goes up (bottom strip); slide it real fast and it goes all the way up to 10. A chaser light gives you feedback on how far you raised or lowered the setting. It's of course faster with a knob, way faster if you're on a bumpy road, and the louder or softer volume or fan noise is good feedback, too.
On this part of technology, Ford got too caught up in cute technology for sake of being different. It may demo well in the showroom, but it's a non-starter in the real world.


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NHL - Mats Sundin to Come to a Decision in the Next 72 hours?July 16, 2008
Rumors are that Mats Sundin could be on the verge of coming out of the basement and reveal his next destination.
It looks like it would be a two team dilemma for the swede—most likely between remaining a Leaf or pack his bags to Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Airport.
Not that the Canucks and the Rangers are out of the picture, but this rumor leans more towards the Leafs or the Habs.
This rumor makes total sense.
1- Mats love to play (and live) in Canada—that would rule out the blue shirts.
2- He is getting old and, although the Canucks is a Canadian team, we all know the amount of traveling involved in the west. If he wants to play for more than one year, he would probably run out of gas as the season comes close to the end.
He could remain a Leaf, but I doubt he'd have a chance to win the well-deserved cup to wrap up his career. The Leafs are in full blown reconstruction, and I think Sundin's mentoring years are over.
His best shot at winning the cup is to sign with Montreal. The team's reconstruction is pretty much over. Last year, Gainey's team were sitting on top of the eastern conference, had the best offense, and the most devastating power play in the league.
Can you just imagine adding Sundin to the current roster?
We'll see what he says!


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How it works:
How we keep your account safe:
Your RuneScape account's safety is our number one concern. That is why we have developed this verification method that avoids players giving us their RuneScape password and still manage to verify their RuneScape identity to us with 100% accuracy. For added safety, we use Facebook for registration on RuneHead. This way, we do not maintain a database of RuneScape player's email addresses and other vital information often used to hack into RuneScape accounts. Even if our database was to get compromised, you can rest assured that your RuneScape account, IP address, and email address will remain completely safe.


text:
Assume the role of a diplomat during the upcoming academic year 2017-2018 and represent different countries at the upcoming international Model United Nations conferences!
Delegation 17/18
Members of our new delegation can look forward to the following events and conferences:
- Weekly meetings on Wednesdays, 7pm
- Kick-off weekend: winter semester
- Joint sessions with the other delegations
- Conferences: IsarMUN, EuroMUN and others at request of the delegation
Our concept
Every year, we choose a broad range of conferences that our delegates can participate in. Through weekly meetings, a kick-off weekend and joint sessions with our sister society MUNAM, we seek to provide optimal preparation that allows our delegates to excel in the international MUN circuit. This preparation aims to strengthen core skills, such as rhetoric, language, diplomacy and negotiation skills.
At the same time, MUNTUM in itself is an environment for our delegates to stay in touch with international politics and discuss their views with peers who share their interest.
Weekly debates with your delegation as well as your final appearance on the world stage will mark an unforgettable period in your study life!
What are our assessment criteria?
- Good English language skills
- High level of interest in foreign relations and international politics
- Previous team or social work
- Commitment to contribute to MUNTUM
Any questions? Send us an email: info[at]worldmun[dot]de
We look forward to turning you into a delegate on the world stage!


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PA License Renewal: Are you guilty of a crime of "Moral Turpitude"? DUI, Drug crime
how does your state compare to pa'sdefinition. karen
accurate and truthful license renewal
by rena m. lawrence, r.n., ph.d., c.r.n.p.
pa board of nursing newsletter winter 2004/2005, pg 26
the professional nursing law and the practical nurse lawrequire that only persons with "good moral character" be licensed as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and dietitian-nutritionists. most of us believe that we are of good moral character and have never been guilty of a crime of "moral turpitude," nor would we ever deceive the board of nursing.
however, the commonwealth court in moretti v.state board of pharmacy, 277 a.2d 516 (pa. cmwlth. 1971) has defined "moral turpitude" as "anything done knowingly contrary to justice, honesty or good morals." the state board of nursing has adopted and applied this definition in cases before it where the licensee is charged with having been convicted, pleading guilty, entering a plea of nolo contendere,or being found guilty of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude.
many licensees are also unaware that there are provisionsin the practice acts for discipline of a license wherethe licensee has committed fraud or deceit in the practice ofnursing or dietetics-nutrition, or in securing his or her admissionto nursing practice or nursing school; or licensure asa dietitian-nutritionist. prosecuting attorneys for the departmentof state are increasingly utilizing this concept offraud and deceit when filing formal charges against licensees. hence to the point, as you are aware, you are asked certain questions when you renew your license. "since your last renewal, have you been convicted, pleaded guilty, or entereda plea of nolo contendere, or received probation withoutverdict to any crime, felony or misdemeanor, including any dui/dwi or drug law violations, or are any criminal chargespending and unresolved in any state or jurisdiction?"
should you answer "no" and it is later determined you should have checked "yes," the prosecuting attorneys for the department of state may charge you with fraud and deceit in securing your continued license to practice and recommend disciplinary action against your license, in addition to any action with regard to the actual criminal matter. many licensees will state, "that's not fair, moral turpitudeis something terrible, heinous." that was the old definition;that one stated above is the one currently utilized. other licensees will state, "i was innocent, but my lawyer advised me to plead guilty or nolo contendere; that nolocontendere wasn't the same as pleading guilty."
this isincorrect; the licensing laws consider a nolo contendere plea as well as a guilty plea.
a few say, "my lawyer said the charges were dropped." unless you have something in writing that says the charges were dropped, report it on the renewal form and explain that you think the charges were dropped. then attempt to obtain the documentation from your attorney or from the court in which the criminal matter occurred.
finally, one of the most common reporting problems is duis and dwis. many people do not view alcohol as a chemical dependency problem and say the dui or dwi was not an arrest but a traffic violation. incorrectly, many managers and administrators reinforce this misconception and believe unless the dui/dwi happened on the job, it's irrelevant. however, the board views duis and dwis as a drug or alcohol related conviction and requires licensees to report these on the biennial renewal.
the best advice the board can give a licensee is to tell the truth, check the right box and attach a personal explanation and court documentation. nurses and dietitian-nutritionists are good people and many problems with the law are minor and will not effect your license. reported criminal violations are reviewed by legal staff and in many cases do not pose a barrier to continued licensure. more licensees are getting into difficulty because they check "no" when they should have checked "yes." it may sound trite, but tell the truth and you will never go wrong.Last edit by NRSKarenRN on Aug 29, '10
About NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN Moderator
Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 27,523; Likes: 13,735
Utilization Review, prior Intake Mgr Home Care; from PA , US
Specialty: 40 year(s) of experience in Home Care, Vents, Telemetry, Home infusionMay 18, '05[font=timesnewromanpsmt][font=arial-boldmt]the effect of criminal convictions on nursing licensure
by martha h. brown, board counsel
pa state board nursing newsletter winter 2002 issue, pg. 7
many licensed nurses are not aware that a criminal conviction for a crime committed outside the practice of nursing may affect their nursing license. this article will discuss the various laws which permit or require the discipline of a nursing license for criminal actions and what constitutes an actionable criminal offense under those laws.
[font=timesnewromanps-boldmt]felonies and crimes of moral turpitude
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the professional nursing law and the practical nurse law practice acts provide that the board may refuse or discipline
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]1 [font=timesnewromanpsmt]any license if the board finds that:
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the licensee has been convicted, or has pleaded guilty, or entered a plea of nolo contendere, or has been found guilty by a judge or jury, of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, or has received probation without verdict, disposition in lieu of trial or an accelerated rehabilitative disposition in the disposition of felony charges, in the courts of this commonwealth, the united states or any other state, territory, possession or country.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]section 14(a)(5) of the professional nursing law and section 16(a)(5) of the practical nurse law, 63 p.s. �224(a)(5) and 63 p.s. �666(a)(5),
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]2 [font=timesnewromanpsmt]under these sections of the practice acts, the board is not required to discipline the licensee for felonies or crimes of moral turpitude, but may do so at the board's discretion.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the practice acts do not define moral turpitude and there is no list specifying which crimes are ones of moral turpitude. however, the
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]commonwealth court of pennsylvania has defined moral turpitude as ... "anything done knowingly contrary to justice, honesty, or good morals." moretti v. state board of pharmacy, 277 a.2d 516, 518 (pa. cmwlth. 1971).
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]determination of whether a crime is one of moral turpitude turns on the elements of the crime as they are enumerated under the criminal statute. all crimes of which fraud is an element are looked on as involving moral turpitude.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]court decisions have held the following crimes to be crimes of moral turpitude: theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, mail fraud, conspiracy, income tax evasion, falsifying an accident report, tampering with public records, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the board is authorized to discipline a nurse who has been convicted of a felony or crime of moral turpitude, even if the crime was not related o the practice of nursing or was not committed while in the practice of nursing.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]discipline may include revocation, suspension, probation, or public reprimand of a license.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the practical nurse law also permits the board to discipline a license where the licensed practical nurse �has been dishonorably discharged or has been discharged under circumstances amounting to dishonorable discharge from the military forces of the united states or of any other country.� 63 p.s. �666(a)(5).
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the professional nursing law contains no such similar provision.
[font=timesnewromanps-boldmt]drug crimes and automatic suspension
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]if a licensee is convicted of a crime involving a controlled substance, the board has less discretion in imposing discipline. the practice acts provide for the automatic suspension of a nursing license, if the licensee has been convicted of a felony under the controlled substance, drug,
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]device and cosmetic act ("drug act"), or convicted of an offense under the laws of another jurisdiction, which, if committed in pennsylvania, would be a felony under the drug act. under section 15.1 of the professional nursing law and 17.1 of the practical nurse, the board must discipline the licensee where there is a judgment, an admission of guilt or a plea of nolo contendere to a felony under the drug act. 63 p.s. �225.1 and 63 p.s. �667.1.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]additionally, section 23(c) of the drug act, 35 p.s. �780-123(c), requires the board to automatically suspend the license of any practitioner, for a period not to exceed one year, if the licensee has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere or has been convicted ofa misdemeanor under the drug act. automatic suspensions under both these provisions take place without the opportunity for a hearing prior to the suspension of the nursing license. automatic suspension of a nursing license will take place regardless of whether the conviction is on appeal.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt]the facts of each and every disciplinary case are different. with the exception of automatic suspensions, any disciplinary action affecting a nurse's license is taken after an opportunity for a full and fair hearing on the merits and after the board�s review of all the relevant facts. it is the responsibility of the nurse to practice in accordance with the nursing practice acts and the board�s regulations, to ascertain whether a practice is acceptable to the professional nursing community and to exercise professional judgment in the treatment of patients.
[font=timesnewromanpsmt][font=timesnewromanpsmt]if you do not have a current copy of the practice acts and regulation booklets for pennsylvania nurses, you may request one from the board office at (717) 783-7142; fax your request to (717) 783-0822; or e-mail the board at: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Last edit by NRSKarenRN on Jul 2, '09Jun 2, '05Here in WV, we have doctors giving out narcotics to anybody, getting DUI's, but they practice, even a racketeering conviction was overlooked, but if a nurse falls into a grey area, she is put through the mill. I really have not had a problem, but friend was accused by "ex" of forgery and went through a real bad time. Nurses are human, if lawyers, doctors, and policemen get off , why can a nurse never get a break? Moral turpitude is a wide subject to many no matter what the modern defination says. :angryfireJun 2, '05"The Professional Nursing Law and the Practical Nurse Lawrequire that only persons with "good moral character" be licensedas registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and dietitian-nutritionists. Most of us believe that we are of goodmoral character and have never been guilty of a crime of "moral turpitude," nor would we ever deceive the Board of Nursing."
Only female-dominated jobs are held to this ambiguous standard, notice that? It's archaic & rooted in our history where nurses had to be unmarried, ugly/plain, live supervised in dorms & with a curfew, and stand up when male docs entered the room.
Instead of using such unclear language, the objectionable behaviors should be listed, such as "drug use" or whatever. Yet with this catch-all language, someone with a socially questionable reputation can be labelled as having poor "moral character". So who does this include?
I find the whole thing offensive. Morals are subjective, crimes are not. Understandably people who commit crimes do not deserve the public trust, ie. a license. Those who are law-abiding deserve the license if they jumped through the educational hoops, period.Nov 24, '05Quote from lady_jezebelWell said lady jezebel."The Professional Nursing Law and the Practical Nurse Lawrequire that only persons with "good moral character" be licensedas registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and dietitian-nutritionists. Most of us believe that we are of goodmoral character and have never been guilty of a crime of "moral turpitude," nor would we ever deceive the Board of Nursing."
Only female-dominated jobs are held to this ambiguous standard, notice that? It's archaic & rooted in our history where nurses had to be unmarried, ugly/plain, live supervised in dorms & with a curfew, and stand up when male docs entered the room.
Instead of using such unclear language, the objectionable behaviors should be listed, such as "drug use" or whatever. Yet with this catch-all language, someone with a socially questionable reputation can be labelled as having poor "moral character". So who does this include?
I find the whole thing offensive. Morals are subjective, crimes are not. Understandably people who commit crimes do not deserve the public trust, ie. a license. Those who are law-abiding deserve the license if they jumped through the educational hoops, period.Mar 19, '06A friend of mine was arrested tonight for possible DUI, can she loose her nursing license for this?Mar 19, '06You're going to get bombarded with "Only your board of nursing can answer that" responses.
And this is true, but at the same time, hopefully, you might get some insight on other people's experiences.
All I can tell you is this:
I know a LOT of nurses who had DUI/DWI's in their past and still have their licenses completely unrestricted.
Not sure at what point the licensure revocation or restriction occurs. And each board may rule differently on different situations.
I know one nurse that has two DWI's on her record, but both offenses were 10 years apart.
I have no idea whether or not that had anything to do with it.
Hopefully, your friend is a first time offender. Boards often refer to taking things on a case-by case basis and even they can't give you a straight answer over the phone until they have all of the facts of the individual situation.
Again, this is why you'll get the "only your BON can answer that" responses because so much is unknown and on a case-by-case basis.
But I have yet to hear of one nurse who completely lost their nursing license because of one DUI/DWI (that didn't result in any injury/ casualties that is).
Maybe someone who recently had a DWI in your state can better answer your question.
But even then, their situation and circumstances may be different from your friend.Mar 19, '06I Had a friend who was an LPN and he lost his over a DUI now I dont know if it was his first or not I just know he is no longer a nurse...Mar 19, '06here's pa's answer:
[font=garamond-bold]from: pa sbon winter 2005/2006 newsletter:
the effects of a dui charge in regards to licensure[font=garamond-bold]by kevin knipe, director of the professional health monitoring program
the professional health monitoring programs' (phmp), voluntary recovery program (vrp) of the bureau of professional and occupational affairs (bpoa) offers confidential, voluntary treatment and monitoring of commonwealth-licensed health care professionals suffering from mental or physical impairments, including chemical dependency.
the primary responsibility of the phmp is to protect the citizens of the commonwealth from unsafe practice by impaired licensees. this responsibility is fulfilled through the identification and referral to appropriate treatment of such licensed professionals, and the case management and monitoring of their progress in recovery.
the majority of nurses that are referred to the vrp are done so through hospitals or health care facilities, peers orcolleagues reporting licensees that are suspected of suffering from an impairment and/or involved in the diversion of controlled substances. in the nurse board's continued effort to identify nurses that may be suffering from an impairment that may affect their ability to safely practice, a procedure was developed for board staff to automatically forward all renewal applications to the vrp whereby licensees have reported having had a dui/dwi or underage drinking arrest and/or conviction. the rationale for referring licensees to the vrp who have had a substance-related legal problem is based on the fact that frequently incidents of this nature indicate that a person may be suffering from a substance-related disorder.
when nurses are referred to the vrp after reporting a dui to the board on their renewal application, our office sends a letter to the licensee providing them with information regarding the vrp and what the nurse must do to be considered for enrollment. to be eligible for vrp enrollment, nurses that have had a dui must submit to a comprehensive evaluation by a vrp-approved evaluator. only those licensees that meet criteria for a substance abuse or dependence diagnosis under the diagnostic and statistical manuel of mental disorders, fourth edition (dsm-iv) would be offered the opportunity to enroll in the vrp.
in order for an eligible nurse to be successfully enrolled in the vrp, he/she must also comply with all enrollment procedures and agree to sign a consent agreement with the nurse board to be monitored by the vrp. consent agreements are presented to the board for their approval in redacted form, with no identification of the licensee, thereby
protecting the licensee's confidentiality. consent agreements are usually entered into for at least three years. while in the vrp, licensees must submit to random body fluid screenings; abstain from the use of prohibited substances; comply with the recommendations made by their evaluator and/or treatment provider; submit to monitoring of their practice by a workplace monitor; and actively attend 12-step mutual help fellowships, such as alcoholics anonymous, narcotics anonymous, or other community basedsupport groups approved by the phmp.
if a licensee declines to cooperate with the vrp's offer to be assessed by a vrp-approved evaluator, the licensee's vrp file is closed and the information in our possession is forwarded to the prosecution division of bpoa for further review and appropriate action. in cases where a vrp-approved evaluator concludes that a licensee does not meet criteria for a dsm-iv diagnosis, the licensee's vrp file is closed as ineligible with a recommendation that there be no further action taken.
the vrp recognizes that in order for our program to fulfill our primary responsibility of protecting public safety, it is imperative that licensees be referred to our office when an event occurs that indicates a person may be suffering from an impairment. therefore, if you know of a nurse that has had a substance related arrest or conviction, such as a dui, please recommend to that individual to consider calling our office to seek an evaluation.
for further information about the vrp, please contact our office at[/size]
(800) 554-3428 (pa residents only) or (717) 783-4857.Last edit by NRSKarenRN on Mar 19, '06Mar 19, '06It's funny that you bring up PA. That is one state in which I am somewhat familiar with their process.
Years ago, I was working in Philadelphia and a co-worker overdosed on narcs he was injecting in the restroom while on duty.
He was found passed out and blue in the bathroom with a needle still in his arm. He was taken to ICU and almost died.
When he got better, he was sent to detox/rehab, completely paid for by our employer, and was given his same job back.
The board ordered that he could not administer or handle narcs in any way and even other staff couldn't give his narcs for him. It had to be the house supervisor.
Then he was subject to random urine screens, which occurred I believe around 2-3 times monthly if I'm not mistaken. On top of that, he had to attend regular NA meetings.
Staying in compliance with this program, he was able to keep his license and it was eventually to be non-restricted with respect to narcs after a certain period of time but I'm not sure how long that period of time was supposed to be. Eventually though, he was not able to stay in compliance and fell off the wagon, and subsequently, lost his license. But that's a different story.
My point here is that I would think that if a heroin addict that was shooting up while on duty caring for patients and stealing more narcs from the hospital on top of it can keep his license (if he were to have stayed in compliance with the program) then I would think that a nurse getting a DUI while not on duty would most certainly be able to keep their license as well.
But then again, the OP is in KY and they may have a different procedure for these situations. Maybe the KY BON has similar info on their website like PA does.Mar 20, '06My friend was taken to jail and booked on suspicion of DUI, she demanded they draw labs and swears she was not impaired.Mar 20, '06Years ago, I was working in Philadelphia and a co-worker overdosed on narcs he was injecting in the restroom while on duty.
He was found passed out and blue in the bathroom with a needle still in his arm. He was taken to ICU and almost died.
When he got better, he was sent to detox/rehab, completely paid for by our employer, and was given his same job back.Mar 20, '06Quote from Chad_KY_SRNAVery smart move on her part. I would have suggested it but thought it was too after the fact.My friend was taken to jail and booked on suspicion of DUI, she demanded they draw labs and swears she was not impaired.
My friend didn't demand labs be drawn and it hurt his case.
I didn't know at the time that there is a lot of info out there on breathalizers being questioned about their accuracy.
My friend and I both drank the exact same amount of alcohol one night. Same drinks, same strength. We both weigh within 5 pounds of each other.
He was driving, we got pulled over for speeding.
He blew apparantly way, way over the legal limit according to the cop and was taken to jail. I blew well under the legal limit and was allowed to drive his car home no questions asked.
I couldn't believe there was such a big difference in test results on two males of the same age and weight who drank the same amount.
He should have had blood drawn because I think there was something wrong with the whole set-up but he didn't do it and it's too late now.
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Big fund raising event this year May 3, 2018 - Idaho Gives!
Knock 'em Dead is once again taking part in Idaho Gives, a chance for the community to support local non-profits. Knock 'em Dead is in the process of working with developers to convert the old Plaza Twin Theaters into an amazing dinner theater space that will allow almost any production to be staged! Please consider donating to KED which has been around for 34 years doing some of the Treasure Valleys most amazing musicals. We are hoping to be doing fundraising over the summer - so donations will be used for everything from remodeling to new (comfy) chairs!! Please join us in celebrating Idaho Gives!!!.
Move date changed again, watch for an announcement
Move Changed, Date To Be Announced
Update February 1, 2018
Larry Leasure, Colliers and our new landlord have been working diligently to hammer out the details of Knock 'em Dead taking over the Plaza Twin Theaters in the back of the Hillcrest Shopping Center on Overland. However, there are still pieces to be worked out so that Knock 'em Dead will have a long-term lease for this amazing space. So, we are going to have to cancel our move for the present. So many of you offered your support and told us you would be there. Please forgive us and watch for our notice in a couple weeks. As soon as we get papers signed we will plan on the short move to the new space.
The theater is going to be amazing--a stage that is about 48 feet wide and 26 feet deep. Also, a height above the stage of around 16 feet which should easily allow for multi-level sets. We are also hoping for a tiered audience seating at tables and more comfortable chairs with food and drinks served while watching the show. All in climate-controlled comfort and free and convenient parking available. Keep your fingers crossed our dream is moving forward!