Just got my letter from the nursing board!! Yay!

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hello all,:heartbeat

i am new here, but had been a lurker. i live in virginia, and in june of this year, some narcotics were found to bot have been "scanned" properly. this former employer reporeted the discrepancies to the board of nursing, never tried to speak to me. i resigned when i found out that "hr wants to meet with you in 2 days."i thought they were going to can me for alot of recent abscences, and for my being counselled a month before aboout my trouble scanning all my meds at work.

turns out, i am glad i resigned, as they had a board investigator ready to spring on me, had i shown up!:uhoh3: this investigator called me, 4 days later, and interviewed me by phone, well, she tried! i told her i wanted to meet with her in person,and i went out and found a damn great lawyer!! i met with htis investigator in my attorneys office 2 weeks late. she grilled me and had records from every pharmacy i had ever been to in va!! she was very accusatory. let me tell you, i thank god i had the foresight to get a lawyer prior to meeting with this rude person, she wanted me to admit to "i have a problem" and that i could just sign up for the hpmp, and etc etc.

i tild her i didn't do anyhting wrong!! well, 5 months go by, of torture, then i get a 85 page investigation report of any and everything i had ever done whille nursing, and i have adamn good record, but these people can dig, and you need a lawyer!!

so, on 12/2 my lawyer and i and my spouse go before a 3 member "mini" board and i got grilled again for 75 minutes!!'i thought i would not know any of the outcome till atleast january, well, the certified letter came, and there is nothing going to happen to me, and this had me so scared for 6 months. nurse, hire a lawyer! i got everything dropped, not even a reprimand or fine!! yay!!

i just wanted to stress how important a lawywr is, right at the start!! i paid, like 3k, all said and done and it is the best money i ever spent!! (moderator edit of name)

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That is awesome, Congrats!!

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.

It's nice to hear someone speak of how much difference an attorney made in their case. This administrative law stuff can be extremely complicated. Not to mention the fact that we are so caught up in our own issues emotionally it can be very difficult to weigh the issues rationally. If my professional life was on the line I certainly wouldn't rely on my to save it!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

Jack

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Congratulations!

It's another reminder that the BON is not your friend. Some people are afraid to get an attorney when they deal with the BON because they think by getting a lawyer, it's conveying the message to the BON that they must be guilty and/or have something to hide. But you NEED a lawyer to look after your own interests because no one is going to do that for you...the BON definitely won't ;)

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
Congratulations!

It's another reminder that the BON is not your friend. Some people are afraid to get an attorney when they deal with the BON because they think by getting a lawyer, it's conveying the message to the BON that they must be guilty and/or have something to hide. But you NEED a lawyer to look after your own interests because no one is going to do that for you...the BON definitely won't ;)

Very, very well said!!!

In the law practice where I consult, it's amazing the number of nurses who think if the investigator or board member(s) are "nice", then everything will be OK. They also want the BON/investigator to "like" them...if they do, then everything will be fine. Finally, many think innocence will make everything come out "fine" in the end.

NONE of these are true!

The administrative laws which govern the nurse practice act and the manner in which they are applied are not all that simple. If anyone has practiced home care then you know how frustrating it can be to educate the family on the process of performing a function, whether it's a simple dressing change or performing an infusion of antibiotics. WE understand the principles behind why we do certain things and why we avoid other things. It's no different when it comes to license defense (or any other type of law). WE ARE NOT TRAINED AS ATTORNEYS! We don't know the ins and outs of what works and what doesn't. I've seen instances where ONE PHRASE can make the difference between closing a case without action and having a multi-year consent agreement with extensive (and expensive) monitoring requirements. Not only that, these agreements (contracts!) last for quite a while (3 - 5 years, with 5 becoming more common) and have many areas just waiting to jump up and bite the nurse in the gluteus maximus (with no intent to screw up on the part of the nurse)!

Finally, the biggest problem I see in the nurse who relapses is they put too many things before their recovery. As I tell those I sponsor and coach, ANYTHING you place before your recovery...job, career, family, etc....you will eventually lose. I'm a perfect example. Surrendered my license, felonies, divorce, loss of house and home, pension, and almost my life (twice!). I've done the research. No need for others to try to prove they are somehow "different". As the Big Book says, without recovery this disease leads to 3 things....Jails, Institutions, and Death.

Recovery matters...more than anything else. Obtain that and everything else follows! Don't try to defend yourself on the legal aspects. Hire an attorney!

Jack

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savgirl1211 please contact me at bw358 re: Virginia BON ASAP. Thanks

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Med/Surg.

I hope the last poster realizes the original post of this thread was from 2010.

Catmom :paw:

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