reinstatement of surrendered RN license in ca.

[victorfunk]

What do the board members ask? I have more than satisfied the required terms of probation imposed by the boards on my own in my home state. I still want to prepare for the public hearing in some way. I have found no clue on what to expect.

[SororAKS, ADN, RN]

I'm assuming that your home state is not in CA? If you have fulfilled the terms of probation in a state other than CA, have gotten your license reinstated there, and are applying for reinstatement in CA, don't be surprised if they also place you on probation with restrictions.

You can prepare yourself for the hearing by having all your documentation in order for one. Look at the Nurse Practice Act and see if you can locate the Board of Nursing Procedures. These will, generally, list the conditions which must be met for reinstatement or petitioning after license surrender. Either way, it is good to know how things work and the general flow of how they conduct their hearings/meetings can be seen on YouTube.

Their concern is that you can practice safely and competently, and their goal is to protect the public. By now you probably know that they are not charged to protect the nurse. Your goal is to demonstrate that you can safely practice and that the conditions which led to your license surrender have been addressed. You'll be asked questions regarding these circumstances, and about what you have been doing in your home state. You'll be sworn in before this testimony. It may seem adversarial, but they are trying to establish what happened and what has changed with your situation. Don't take any of their questioning personally. You will be asked to explain things. Do just that, stick to the facts, and don't tell them any more words than that which answers the question. Stay calm, stay focused on what is being asked, give them what they ask for but don't rattle away.

I believe that in CA you can appeal the outcome of this hearing if you aren't satisfied with it. Know your rights, and know your obligations.

[Dave_In_Florida, ADN, LPN, RN]

Having recently attended BON meetings, but not in CA (for school, I was not involved), the themes the board focused on were acknowledging your past transgressions, and demonstrating that you've moved on, learned from your past, and done something to benefit others.

The people that got their license back all had volunteered to help others, and had admitted wrongdoing. The people who literally blamed every one of their issues on someone else (my ex, my boss, the tow truck driver, etc) and had spent time since continuing to point fingers didn't have a very pleasant time in front of the board.