are the people who work at the bons nurses?

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I just want to know if the people who work at the bon are nurses. In Nj I was on the website and it seems that the director isn't a nurse. When someone gets investegated or has a complaint filed against them,do nurses investigate or some other people,like lawyers?

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Specializes in Psych.

in texas the bon employs lawyers, investigators, secretaries, and clerical staff as well as nurses. when your case is heard a multi-discipline team sits at the table and goes over your case. but ultimately the nurses decide your fate.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTAC, Critical Care.

I was taught in school that the State BON is not to protect you, but to protect the public FROM you.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

OutlawNurse86 is right. The BON exists to protect the public. The Texas BON originated with a recommendation from the Texas Nurses Asso to define nursing and set standards for who could become a nurse, etc. I believe the BON and TNA have a pretty good relationship but, ultimately, the BON is an agency of the state govt.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
I was taught in school that the State BON is not to protect you, but to protect the public FROM you.

That is a pretty cynical analysis. While there is a significant degree of public protection inherent in what boards of nursing do, they also advocate for the profession and play a role in drafting legislation that pertains to the profession.

Speaking of school - during my last semester of school we attended a BON meeting. It was sobering to watch them suspend and revoke licenses. I had a classmate who went before the board that month for them to decide whether he would be allowed to take the licensing exam due to a prior conviction. I hated it that he had to lay out the details of everything that happened in front of all of his classmates.

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Specializes in icu/er.

the joke in mississippi is the the bon is referred to as the board of nazis...

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RN or not they are hard core, show them love and respect :)

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That is a pretty cynical analysis. While there is a significant degree of public protection inherent in what boards of nursing do, they also advocate for the profession and play a role in drafting legislation that pertains to the profession.

I don't think it's cynical at all. While your description is accurate, the purpose of their existence and all their activities is to regulate nursing practice within the state to protect the public.

The composition and practices of state BONs varies somewhat among states, but, in my experience, in most states, the board is made up predominantly of nurses and a number of members of the "general public" who are there to represent the public's interests. So, not all members of a BON are nurses, and it could certainly be the case that the director of a BON might not be a nurse. And, as noted, they employ a wide range of different people (different occupations) to carry out their activities.

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

There are so many people that make up the BON. I am a nurse and I volunteer at the Peer Assistance program. PAP also has drug and alchohol counsellors. All of the nurse investigators are nurses. And at PAP we are there for the public, but we want clean and sober nurses and we want to help them as well. I am also in recovery as well and I know these nurses can get clean and I can provide info that will tell them how to do it.

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