Nurses
Nurses, and the letter from the board
Complaints against nurses come from employers, patients, coworkers and sometimes a lab result. The board treats each one alike at first: it asks you, in writing, to respond.
We represent registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners. Zelda Rennick leads these files, and she worked as a nurse before she became a lawyer, so she reads a chart the way the board’s nurse reviewer will.
What a first response has to do
- Answer the question the board asked, and only that question.
- Tie every statement to a record you can produce.
- Say what has changed since, if anything has.
- Leave your employer’s account to your employer.
If you have been put on leave, or handed a monitoring or treatment agreement and asked to sign it by the end of the day, call us first. These offers are often worth considering. They are rarely worth signing unread.
Where it begins
Files that start like this
Not a full list. If yours is not here, send the letter anyway.
- 01
A medication event your employer reported
An employer’s report to the board is often shorter and blunter than the incident was. Our job is to supply the rest.
- 02
A staffing or abandonment accusation
These turn on who assigned what, who was told, and when. The schedule and the messages matter more than memory.
- 03
A drug screen or a diversion report
The first week decides whether this is treated as discipline or as health. Get advice before you speak to anyone.
- 04
An arrest or conviction found at renewal
Boards ask about it even when it is old. How you answer the question can matter more than the record itself.
- 05
A complaint from a patient or family
Usually the first any of us hears of it is the board’s letter. We start with the chart, not with the complaint.
Questions nurses ask first
Nurses ask
Can I keep working while the board investigates?
Often, yes. Whether you can depends on the board’s order, if there is one, and on your employer’s own policy. Do not agree to leave work or to a restriction before we have talked.
Should I tell my employer about the letter?
Sometimes the letter already came through your employer. If not, there is usually no rush to volunteer it, but check your contract and your state’s reporting rules with us first.
Will the board want to interview me?
Many boards do. We prepare you for it, we can attend with you, and we send the board the written response first so the interview is not your first word.
Is my license number or complaint public?
Rules differ by state and by the kind of action. Ask us before you assume either way; we will tell you what a given outcome would show on a public lookup.