(Photo courtesy of the Iowa Board of Nursing)
An Iowa nurse convicted of multiple criminal offenses related to her use of alcohol will be allowed to retain her license to practice, the Iowa Board of Nursing has ruled.
The decision allows Taylor James Gill, 31, of Bondurant, to continue practicing in Iowa as a registered nurse, subject to certain requirements for monitoring and treatment.
Earlier this year, the board charged Gill with violating regulations pertaining to the excessive use of alcohol in a manner that might impair her ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety.
The board has not publicly disclosed any of the circumstances that led to the filing of the disciplinary charge and has opted not to disclose where or when the offending conduct took place.
To resolve the matter, the board agreed last month to place Gill’s license on probation for one year. During that time, she will be required to enroll in a chemical screening program and provide random urine, blood, or hair specimens when requested, and comply with any recommendations for treatment.
Gill declined to comment on the matter when contacted Monday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Court records document arrest history
Court records show that in March 2018, Gill was arrested and later convicted of public intoxication and interference with officials acts. According to the Board of Nursing, those charges stemmed from Gill showing up for work at an unspecified nursing home with slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and an odor of alcohol.
Three months later, Gill faced the same two criminal charges, and an open-container violation, after police said a bottle of vodka was found in her car during a roadside arrest. The open-container violation was dismissed, and the remaining charges resulted in convictions. The court records indicate Gill was then working for Trinity Center at Luther Park, a Des Moines nursing home.
In December 2018, Gill was again convicted of an open-container violation.
In 2021, the Board of Nursing alleged that Gill, while working at an unspecified care facility, delegated to unauthorized individuals the task of administering medications to patients and failed to ensure a witness was present when she discarded unused controlled substances. The board ultimately opted to let Gill keep her license, subject to one year of probation and 16 hours of educational training on medication safety and documentation.
In February 2022, Gill was charged with another open-container violation, as well as first-offense drunken driving. Police alleged she had been found passed out in her vehicle with an open can of beer in the center console and several empty containers scattered about the car’s interior. She was later convicted of the drunken-driving charge and the open-container violation was dismissed.
Two more drunken-driving arrests
A few days after the drunken-driving arrest, Gill was arrested for public intoxication — a charge that was later dismissed.
In August 2022, while working at the Rehabilitation Center of Des Moines, she was charged with driving with a revoked license. The charge was later dismissed.
In May 2023, Gill was arrested at Broadlawns Medical Center. She was charged with, and later convicted of, assaulting a female health care worker by spitting on the woman’s neck and legs.
In July 2023, while still on probation for the 2022 drunken-driving conviction, Gill was arrested for second-offense drunken driving. One month later, Gill was arrested and charged again with second-offense drunken driving.
Each of the two cases resulted in a second-offense conviction for drunken driving. At the time, Gill was working for Genesis Health Systems, according to court records.
In March 2024, while working for Azria Health Park Place, a Des Moines nursing home, Gill was arrested for driving while barred. Court records indicate prosecutors later made a motion to dismiss the charge, although no such motion is in the publicly accessible portion of the court file. The case was dismissed in May.