Please Help...should I self report? - Page 4

In fact, I suspect BONs are sovereign entities, and that an outside lawyer has little that he can do as a result. I don't see BONs as answerable to anybody, really.

There is absolutely nothing I can say to change anyone's mind about whether hiring an attorney is worth the money or not. What I can do is share my experience as a peer advisor who has dealt with nurses who have done it with an attorney and those who haven't. What I've seen is the nurse who tries to represent themselves consistently comes out on the short end of the stick. If I had a family member facing the BON...I'd recommend they retain an attorney. If they didn't have the money, I'd do what I could to help them out. Of course there are bad attorneys out there. There are bad doctors out there as well. Do you recommend someone not be treated by a doctor because some really suck?

Most nurses don't know the nurse practice act as well as they should, or understand how administrative law functions in order to represent themselves effectively. I understand how getting "burned" by a crappy attorney leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but I've seen the difference an effective attorney can make. That's why I'll keep recommending them. This is one of those times where we'll have to agree to disagree.

I appreciate the fact that you recognized I do care about what happens to a nurse (or anyone) who ends up with this lousy disease. Until more of our colleagues understand this disease, I'll at least have something to do with my time...which means I won't be driving my kids crazy!

jack

I've said it before- lawyers? You can't live with them, and you can't live WITHOUT them.

Dear Karl,

I read your post in regards to whom the bon is accountable to. If you read my last post this is a huge concern to me. What other government entity do you know of that is allowed to operate with little or no transparency or accountability? Where does the "freedom of information act" fit in here? Yet the bon has no problem publishing my name, the status of my license, and the details of the "Findings of Fact" on the internet! Does anyone other than myself have a problem with this?

When I was in FL, the BON published all nurses addresses on the internet. Is this really the United States?

Yep... Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, decided by a jury of one's peers... unless one is a registered nurse with a brain disease.

I think even Casey Anthony will have the privilege of living in an "undisclosed location".

I am going for reinstatement, this is what I found out. An Rn Investigator will review my documents, she will then talk to the chair of the reinstatement committee (who is an LPN, nothing against LPN's I was one for twenty years) by phone this one person has two choices. One to reinstate my license or forward my case onto the full board for a decision. How do you like those apples?

I hope you like the second apple better.

If you google "Health Practioner's Monitoring Program allnurses," your post is the second entry to pop up. I like that you are upfront and say what has happened, but do watch how you word things in the future as to not imply guilt. I had a job once where I looked up what people said on the internet. Not that anyone has a reason to look you up...but who knows.

First off, I am proud of you for admitting you have a problem. It took me having my nursing license suspended before I finally woke up. That being said, my attorney has been the best investment I could possibly make, period. I strongly recommend to ANYONE facing the nursing board to hire a BON knowledgeable attorney. They know the procedure, they are defending YOU, and they typically have a working relationship with the BON. As far as self reporting, I would go to the peer assistance group in your state as opposed to the nursing board. Good luck!!