Revoking Your Own License: How to Remove Your Name from the Board of Nursing

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Not that I am planning on doing so, but I was wondering if someone could request that their named be removed from the Board of Nursing website and no longer legally be referred to as a nurse. This would not be in a case of a nurse facing disciplinary action; rather, if someone who was still in good standing decided they no longer desired to be referred to as a nurse or to maintain the legal responsibilities of a nurse, would they be able to do so?

I am going to throw out a "what if" scenario here. What if the nurse in question is escaping a domestic abuse situation and the abuser is stalking her? I haven't looked on a bunch of BON websites, but in WI I know they at least provide the city of residence in your license info. If this is the case in every state it wouldn't be terribly difficult for a stalker to find that nurse just by looking up license information in every state until the nurse is found. Even with a common name it would sure help narrow down the possibilities.

I've honestly never thought of this before, but do you think the State's department of licensing would remove a name altogether if it were requested under extenuating circumstances like that?

My state, CA, has a system for people getting away from stalkers. You have to go through a gauntlet of barrels in order to get your location removed from public access on your nursing license. When I looked at it, I thought to myself, "forget it". I would be dead before the paperwork is finished.

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Specializes in Neuro/NSGY, critical care, med/stroke/tele.

Reminded me of this thread: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/can-you-cancel-1082850.html

Definitely an interesting conversation. It's so true about there being so much information accessible online to those with minimal search-y skills... The piece about the identity/responsibility etc. is more complex I think.

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That's like trying to tell the Catholic Church that you are no longer Catholic, and to remove you from their baptismal registry. No can do.

Once a Catholic, always a Catholic. Once a nurse, always a nurse...

Try telling that to the numerous people at my church who converted from Catholic to Baptist.

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Try telling that to the numerous people at my church who converted from Catholic to Baptist.

The Catholic church will be happy to tell you that it still considers those individuals to be Catholics.

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My grandma retired in 1987 and her license shows up on a Google search

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With the internet they would find another way. I have thought of this as I work in a jail and not all inmates take kindly to being told no. On the BON website it states the town I live in and this town has a full-time population of @ 2,800 people and I grew up here. If an angry inmate had the town it would take someone @ 2 minutes just to walk around & say "do you know *insert description* nurse?" The inmates are not permitted to know our last names so that helps. The deputies go by their last names and are easier to find and they have been stalked by inmates who carry a grudge upon release or relay info.

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