Do You Need an Attorney for the BON?

I just received a call from a nurse in another state. She asked if she needed an attorney to represent her before the Board of Nurses in her state. She said that she thought if she just told the Board everything that she would be okay. Just in the short amount of time she took to explain her situation, she brought up several areas that would cause the BON concern and several things she brought up had nothing to do with the allegations against her. She was also very angry and then started crying.

I explained that almost every case a nurse going before the BON (in any state) should at least consult with an experienced attorney and in most cases, the nurse should hire an experienced attorney to assist with the BON. I told her that the Board is not there to protect or assist her, but to protect the public. I told her that an attorney can watch out for areas that have nothing to do with the allegations, but that are issues the nurse should not bring up; that an attorney can help the nurse in understanding the process and the easiest way to navigate the system and address the allegations; and since the attorney is not emotionally involved in the situation, the emotions do not become an issue.

I gave the nurse a couple of names of attorneys that I knew represented nurses in her state and then told her that she could contact The American Association of Nurse Attorneys or her state Nursing Association or the State's Bar Association for a referral. I also told her that doing an online search can give her some information as well. I told her to be sure that the attorney she hires is experienced in representing nurses before the BON (look at my other blogs for more info on how to do this).

Just like the disclaimers on TV: DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ON YOUR OWN!