Usually buried somewhere on the second page of a Hearing Notice (at least in Indiana and I presume in other states) is a notation that a nurse has the right to have an attorney represent them before the Nursing Board. However, for whatever reason, some nurses either fail to notice that part or don’t feel that they can afford an attorney and so, choose to go before the Board alone.  They may believe that Board is made up of nurses who will understand their situation. After seeing many … [Read more...]

For the past 25 years, I have represented clients before both Medical Licensing Boards as well as Nursing Boards.  What I have noticed during that time is that there are significant differences between the Boards. The first difference is the volume of matters.  The Nursing Board handles a much larger number of cases than the Medical Board because, obviously, there are more nurses than physicians. But here are some interesting facts.  The Medical Licensing Board in Indiana defines … [Read more...]

Many a nurse found in violation of nursing regulations have come to me saying, “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that!” Other times I hear, “Well, that’s the way we did it in our unit” or “That’s how I was trained!” But none of those are proper defenses to charges that could be applied to your license. You are responsible for knowing the rules that you are required to follow. If you don’t know, you have an obligation to find out. Even if you think you know, but your thinking is incorrect, you’re … [Read more...]