(Iowa Capital Dispatch – Clark Kauffman) The Iowa Board of Nursing has issued a warning to a nurse suspected of being intoxicated at work and failing to report two arrests for drunken driving.
In 2020, the Board of Nursing charged Mandi Irlbeck of Harlan with excessive use of alcohol that might impair a licensee’s ability to practice nursing with reasonable skill and safety. The board alleged that in May 2020, Irlbeck came to work in a condition unfit to work. The board did not disclose the nature or place of her employment.
In additional, the board said it received information that Irlbeck “excessively uses alcohol.”
In a settlement, Irlbeck agreed to have her license placed on probation for 18 months, during which she would not use alcohol and would enroll in a chemical screening program.
In July 2025, the board received a complaint that Irlbeck’s coworkers suspected she had been intoxicated while working as a nurse. While looking into that matter, the board learned Irlbeck had failed to report a 2024 conviction for drunken driving during a period when she worked at a MercyOne medical facility.
The board also learned Irlbeck was then facing a charge of second-offense drunken driving that was still working its way through the courts. That charge stemmed from a May 2025 incident in which Irlbeck was pulled over near Logan and, according to police, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.235% — almost three times the legal limit for driving.
Court records show Irlbeck subsequently pleaded guilty to the second-offense drunken driving charge and, according to the board, she was fired from her place of employment due to concerns with her use of alcohol.
The Board of Nursing charged Irlbeck with being convicted of an offense that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of the nursing profession, and with engaging in behavior that is contradictory to professional decorum.
The board and Irlbeck recently agreed to a settlement that calls for Irlbeck to accept a warning that states any future infractions may result in some form of discipline. As part of the settlement, Irlbeck also agreed to enroll in the Iowa Practitioner Health Program. Her nursing license remains in full effect.
Board takes action in other nursing cases
Other Iowa-licensed nurses whose cases recently came before the Board of Nursing include:
Melynda Albert of Muscatine — The board alleges that while Albert was working in a Bettendorf assisted living facility in April 2023, she was suspected of taking a vial of morphine from a resident’s supply. Court records indicate the theft occurred at The Summit, a residential care facility in Bettendorf, and that the victim was a dying hospice patient.
Albert was criminally charged with unlawful possession of a prescription drug, possession of a controlled substance and fifth-degree theft. She later pleaded guilty to the possession charge and the two remaining charges were dismissed and was placed on probation.
In December 2023, Albert was criminally charged with theft, and later convicted, for stealing items at a Walmart store.
In August 2024, she was charged with violating the terms of her probation in the morphine-theft case by failing to complete a substance-abuse evaluation as ordered. In December 2024, she was cited for driving with an open container of alcohol in the car.
In April 2025, District Associate Judge Michael Motto ruled Albert had successfully completed the terms of her probation in the morphine-theft case and ordered that all charges in the matter be expunged from the public court record — although those records remain accessible to the public.
Board of Nursing documents indicate the panel filed a set of disciplinary charges against Albert in June 2025, although the written charging documents in the case have not been publicly disclosed. As part of a recent settlement agreement with the board, Albert has agreed to an indefinite suspension of her license that will remain in effect until the completion of a substance-abuse evaluation that indicates it is safe for Albert to practice, at which point her license will be placed on probation for one year.
Jaclyn Zabolotny of St. Cloud, Minn. — In May 2025, Zabolotny applied for an Iowa license to work as a registered nurse. Board records indicate that on her application she reported a criminal history and an out-of-state disciplinary case. An investigation showed that in May 2017, while working as a licensed nurse in Minnesota, Zabolotny was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance procured by fraud or deceit. She later pleaded guilty to the charge and successfully completed probation in 2019, after which her criminal conviction was expunged.
According to board records, Zabolotny admitted she obtained a prescription for an opiate using the credentials of a nurse practitioner so she could get some sleep and keep working the 60 to 90 hours per week she was scheduled. According to the board, Zabolotny “regrets this decision and knows it was wrong.” Noting that Zabolotny has completed a substance abuse evaluation, recommended educational courses, and mental health counseling, and has maintained an unconditional nursing license in Minnesota since February 2021, the Iowa board agreed to issue her a license free and clear of any restrictions.
Angela Gaynor of Sioux City — Board records indicate Gaynor’s Iowa license to practice nursing expired in 2018. In February 2025, she applied for license reactivation and disclosed a 2019 criminal conviction for felony credit card fraud, which resulted in a deferred judgment and three years of probation. In October 2020, Gaynor entered a guilty plea to a charge of violating her probation by testing positive for THC and alcohol.
In January 2022, she stipulated to a second probation violation resulting from her refusal to enter a residential treatment program. In January 2023, Gaynor was successfully discharged from probation. In deciding to grant Gaynor’s request for a reactivated Iowa license, subject to two years of probationary status, the Board of Nursing noted Gaynor “was forthcoming regarding her criminal history and drug use,” and that she had been sober for 15 years before suffering a relapse.
Nikki Smith of Waterloo — Board records indicate Smith applied for licensure in November 2024. A board review of her criminal history showed a conviction for first-offense drunken driving in July 2020, violation of a no-contact order in October 2022, a second-offense drunken driving charge in May 2024, and domestic-abuse assault by display or use of a weapon in May 2024. Smith subsequently completed a substance-abuse evaluation, a domestic abuse program and a drinking driver’s class, according to the board. Noting that Smith was “forthcoming regarding her criminal history” and that “she took full responsibility for her mistakes,” the board agreed to issue Smith a license, subject to one year of probationary status.
Ursella M. Washington of Perry — The Board of Nursing has charged Washington with committing an act that might adversely affect the physical or psychosocial welfare of a patient; failing to assess, accurately document, evaluate, or report the status of a patient, and failing to respond to a board investigation or subpoena. The board has not disclosed any information as to the alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges or when it may have occurred. A disciplinary hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 23, 2026. Although the charges were only recently made public, state records indicate they were approved by the board on Sept. 8, 2025.
