December 15, 2022

Nurse Loses License Over Physical Aggression Towards Patients

Nurse Loses License Over Physical Aggression Towards Patients

Nebraska registered nurse, Scott Shoff, has lost his nursing license according to the State of Nebraska for “being belligerent and disrespectful with colleagues and overly aggressive with patients.”

According to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Scott “left a patient’s mouth and nose bloody after physically pushing the person onto a hospital bed.” After the incident, a colleague reported that Shoff had said, "I'm going to put your ass to sleep, I'm going to tie you down, act like a man, you weren't invited to the hospital." 

Originally, a disciplinary petition was filed in November 2022 stating that in August 2019 administrators at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings, Nebraska warned Shoff of his behavior. In a seven-page petition he was warned of his conduct, including swearing at multiple patients and being combative with fellow healthcare workers. Both violated hospital standards according to the petition.

Shoff agreed to the disciplinary actions and the recommended guidelines, including improving his behavior and progress meetings. However, on January 1st, 2021, Shoff was caring for a patient that became agitated and was undergoing treatment for substance abuse. A co-worker was assisting and asked to obtain restraints for the patient. 

It was then that the Shoff became aggressive with the patient according to the co-worker. A coworker told investigatiors that Shoff held a patient down so hard that the patient’s face turned red leaving the patient’s nose and mouth bloodied and Shoff’s forearm injured. 

After a thorough investigation, Shoff came to a settlement with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Shoff admitted to the allegations against him and agreed to the revocation of his nursing license. According to the settlement agreement, Shoff could file for reinstatement of his nursing license in two years; however, it has to be approved by the health department and the state board of nursing. 

The hospital fired Shoff on January 25, 2021 after multiple instances of misconduct were found. 

The State of Nebraska indicates that Shoff has been a licensed registered nurse since 1994 and has held nursing licenses in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Go to the top of page