Amy Siple has served the state of Kansas for more than three decades as a geriatrics nurse practitioner. She is an accomplished nurse, holding several former appointments and awards from the Kansas Advanced Practice Nurses Association and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in Kansas. Amy speaks on panels, lectures to students, and presents at various events, including commencement ceremonies and TEDx. She was a tenured associate professor of nursing for 15 years and is endorsed by several credentialed nurses, educators, and practitioners for her expertise. In her decades of nursing practice, Amy has never had any complaints or disciplinary actions on her record. But everything changed in 2024.
In the spring of 2024, Amy’s husband was diagnosed with cancer, and she devoted her time and effort to helping him get well. While caring for her husband, Amy stopped seeing patients, which was the first time she had been unemployed in over 30 years. After her husband’s condition stabilized, Amy wanted to return to work. But when she double-checked her license status, she was surprised to discover that it had lapsed. She immediately submitted the appropriate documents to the Kansas State Board of Nursing to renew her license.
Amy’s license had lapsed for only a few months, but that lapse triggered an investigation from the Kansas State Board of Nursing. To her shock, the Board accused Amy of practicing nursing without a license—a serious infraction that puts her nursing career at risk.
During the brief period when her license was lapsed, her website included her qualifications, her title as a nurse practitioner, and a list of speaking engagements. Solely because of her website, Amy was punished by the Kansas nursing board with a $300 fine and an “unprofessional conduct” note on her record.
With the “Scarlet Letter” of “unprofessional conduct” on her record, Amy’s career is in jeopardy. She must pay four times her normal malpractice insurance rate, and she is unlikely to secure future employment.
The language on Amy’s website was 100% accurate and true, even during the brief period when her license had lapsed. Nurses don’t give up their right to freedom of speech when they become licensed—and the First Amendment protects Amy’s right to share her expertise without fear of undue government interference. With the help of Pacific Legal Foundation, Amy is challenging the punishment imposed on her by the Kansas State Board of Nursing, standing up for her freedom to speak and to use her medical expertise for the betterment of her community.
What’s At Stake?
- State boards cannot use licensure requirements to censor medical professionals from speaking about health-related topics.
- The First Amendment extends to medical professionals too; Americans don’t forfeit their constitutional right to free speech when they earn credentials.
