After abuse conviction, nurse agrees to surrender her license

A Delaware County nurse convicted of dependent adult abuse in the care of a patient has agreed to surrender her license.

The Iowa Board of Nursing recently accepted the voluntary surrender of the license of Julie Porter, a licensed practical nurse from Manchester.

The board alleges that while working an overnight shift at an unspecified medical facility in August 2023, Porter documented completing an assessment of a patient. When confronted with video footage showing she was at the nurses’ station at the time she reported performing the assessment, Porter allegedly admitted she did not perform the work.

Court records show the incident in question occurred while Porter was working at the Good Neighbor Home in Delaware County. She was criminally charged with, and later convicted of, dependent adult abuse and tampering with records.

Prosecutors alleged Porter had failed to check on a resident whose condition had deteriorated and that she had falsified records. The victim in the case later informed the court she wished to see Porter’s nursing license permanently suspended.

As a result of the criminal convictions, Porter was given a deferred judgment and placed on probation for two years.

Salem nurse surrenders license

In a separate and unrelated case, the Iowa Board of Nursing recently charged Jennifer Melcher of Salem with excessive use of drugs that might impair a licensee’s ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety.

The board alleged it received information that indicated Melcher repeatedly used marijuana and that her co-workers had reported concerns she was impaired while on duty.

The board has not publicly disclosed the name of Melcher’s employer, the nature of Melcher’s work, when the allegations were made, or whether her alleged conduct had any impact on patient care.

To resolve the case without admitting any wrongdoing, Melcher agreed to surrender her license.

In a separate disciplinary matter, the board charged Melcher last September with excessive use of drugs that might impair a licensee’s ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety. As with the more recent case, the board alleged last year that Melcher had repeatedly used marijuana — although there was no indication of her using it while on duty.

To resolve the 2024 case, Melcher had agreed to an indefinite suspension of her license that was to remain in effect until she was deemed fit to resume practice.

Court records indicate that in February 2025, Melcher was arrested on a charge of second-offense drunken driving after a single-vehicle accident in Henry County. She later pleaded guilty to the charge.

Melcher was previously convicted of drunken driving in 2017 while employed by GrapeTree Medical Staffing, a temporary employment agency. Court records associated with that case indicate she was initially charged with second-offense drunken driving, then pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-offense drunken driving.

The court records indicate her first arrest for drunken driving was in 2010 in Wapello County.

This story first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.