Help with board complaint

Nurses General Nursing

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I am wondering if anyone has experience with something similar. I am a RN in Mississippi. My boyfriend told me last night his wife informed him she filed a complaint against me to the BON for unprofessional conduct due to our affair. He is still married but they are separated. We work together and live together now, but his wife found out about our affair a month ago and filed for divorce about 3 weeks ago against him citing adultery. We met at work and started seeing each other at work while he was still married but he has told me they were separated. My question is, will the BON actually investigate this complaint? It has nothing to do with my nursing license so I don't know how it can be viewed as unproffesional conduct. I realize dating someone who is still married is not the best thing, but I did not know it could affect my career as a nurse. He is also a nurse and we are not in management and neither of us supervise one another. Any advice or experience is appreciated.

Specializes in Behavioral health.

FrenchieB1986, your post sparked my curiosity to check out the MS BON discipline page. The cases primarily centered around substance impaired nurses, med diversion or patient harm. Unless your relationship significantly affected patient care (your employer prevented this by changing your assignment), I doubt investigators have the resources or inclination to get involved in a domestic matter.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

The fact that it's illegal to cohabitate and she filed a legal claim against you is not positive. He is technically still married and since you posted in a public forum with details and a state that you live together your big concern may be moral turpitude, if investigated by the state. A nurse lost her license for doing non-nude but adult entertainment camming videos for pay under a moral turpitude clause. Just because current discipline is criminal conviction/drug use issues does not mean they won't put your license on notice for moral turpitude. By your account you were not discrete in public at work as you were "caught". Whomever noticed/reported may know his wife and testify against you.

Be proactive. Contact a TAANA Executive Office - Home attorney for a consult. I'm sure your license is worth more than a few hundred dollars for a consult from a professional experienced nursing license defense attorney. None of us here can predict what may happen. The only advice we can give is to contact a qualified attorney.

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I have been to many a board meeting in Florida ( I realize it's not MS ) and never have I seen anything regarding an affair with a coworker. If you were caught having sex on the nurses station counter, maybe. Or if you were having an affair with a client currently under your care, then yes. Otherwise, I doubt it. Your world regarding the potential for nursing misconduct is probably pretty small. You would not believe the behaviors some individuals are capable of and there's quite a few licensed individuals out there setting precedents everyday. So, it is my gut feeling, given the things I have seen brought before the board, that you will not be investigated by your BON. Now, the whole alienation of affection might be an issue. There are still two sides to every story, and the truth. I doubt seriously if your BF is going to sit there silently while his ex makes herself out to be a saint. She might reconsider when her attorney advises her of the evidence presented against her.

Another tidbit, adulterous affairs begun at work rarely make it to the finish line. If he cheats on her, he will cheat on you. And this woman is a human being. It will eat away at you that you have gained happiness at the expense of another. You are a nurse, and if you are a nurse it makes you happy to help people.

I know this from experience too, mine.

Best wishes to you.

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