Nurses make up the largest sector of the healthcare industry in the US. These men and women work hard to provide exceptional care to their patients. However, sometimes a nurse makes a mistake, a patient makes false allegations, or a misinformed co-worker reports a complaint.
If you’ve been accused of violating the Texas Board of Nursing regulations or the Nursing Practice Act, the Texas Nursing License Defense Attorneys at Ladd Law Firm, PLLC are here to help. They understand what it takes to defend you, help you keep your nursing license, and move forward after your case.
Our Nursing License Defense Attorneys help nurses and medical professionals throughout the state of Texas, including:
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
Tyler, TX
Longview, TX
Dallas, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Meet Our RN, LVN, & CNA Attorneys
At the Ladd Law Firm, PLLC, we do a lot of medical administrative law. We represent nurses and other healthcare providers when there’s a restriction or revocation on their nursing license. Our attorney, Norman Ladd is passionate about protecting his clients’ rights and fighting for them to have a second chance.
Norman Ladd is an expert civil litigation attorney practicing insurance defense, employment law, nursing license defense and commercial litigation.
Our legal team will proudly represent you and achieve the best outcome for your nursing license defense case anywhere in Texas.
About the Texas Board of Nursing and Disciplinary Actions for Nurses
“More than 16,000 complaints per year are typically received by the Texas Board of Nursing,” according to their website. Of the complaints received, about 100 nurses every month undergo disciplinary actions for board violations in Texas. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) issues a public record on their website every quarter with a list of all nurses in Texas whose licenses have been suspended, revoked, or who experience some other form of discipline. If you are a nurse and find yourself in a difficult situation, you might need legal representation from a nursing license defense attorney.
Who can report a complaint?
Anyone can report a formal complaint to the BON, including:
- The nurse’s patients
- Family of the nurse’s patients
- The nurse’s employer
- Other nurses or co-workers
The Texas BON Process
The Texas Board Of Nursing has a standard disciplinary procedure they follow in all of the complaints they receive. The process goes like this:
Communicate Alligations with the Nurse
The first step is to communicate the allegations made with the nurse directly. Occasionally, this step is not carried out if informing the nurse would interfere with the investigation, but that isn’t common.
The BON Opens An Investigation
The BON will begin an investigation into the allegations. This investigation may involve interviewing witnesses, looking at the nurse’s records, and collecting any other relevant evidence for the case. Once the investigation is finished, the BON will determine whether the complaint is legitimate and the nurse’s actions violate the Nursing Practice Act (NPA).
Actions that Constitute an are generally violations of the Nursing Practice Act (NPA). “Patient care” is the number one complaint. Here are a few of the many offenses a nurse may commit that could result in disciplinary actions:
- Failure to report
- Standard of Care Violations
- Violation of Boundaries or Inappropriate relationship with patient
- Medication errors
- Malpractice suits
- Wrongful death cases
- Violation of HIPPA
- Fraud or theft
- Substance abuse
- Committing a felony
Disciplinary Action
If the nurse has violated the NPA, the BON will work toward determining the necessary disciplinary actions. These may include:
- Remedial education
- Fine
- Warning
- Reprimand
- Suspension
- Probation
- Revocation
The Board Of Nursing will propose a set of orders (disciplinary actions) that the nurse must agree to. The nurse may also suggest revisions which will be evaluated by the Licensing Board. When an agreement is reached, the nurse, most recent employer, and complainant will each be notified about the outcome of the case. If no agreement is reached, the Board will file formal charges against the nurse and a hearing with the Board staff will be scheduled.
Usually, the complaint is resolved without an administrative hearing in Austin, TX, where the BON is located. However, if one is required, our Nursing Attorneys in Texas will meet with you at our Austin, TX firm and walk you through the process. They will attend the hearing with you and fight in your defense.
How Our Nurse Attorneys Can Help You
Our Professional License Defense Attorneys can help protect your medical career, clear your record, and keep your nursing license. Our Texas Nurse Attorneys have extensive experience working with registered nurses like you facing disciplinary actions from the BON.
We will thoroughly investigate the complaint, defend you before the nursing board, and work toward the best possible resolution. We are happy to evaluate your case with you, explain the medical defense process, and submit a statement on your behalf to the Austin Board of Nursing.
Real Strategies We’ve Used To Defend Our Clients
Occasionally, in an attempt at vindicating themselves, nurses may respond with a statement that is actually self-incriminating. That’s why clients entrust their case to Ladd Law Firm, PLLC. We can craft a statement for them that will stand up before the Texas Board of Nursing.
We typically begin by sending a statement on your behalf by mail to the Board of Nursing in Austin. If the nursing board isn’t satisfied, we’ll meet with you from our office in Austin, TX and attend a conference with the board. We can also do mediation when necessary or defend you in trial if your case goes to civil court.
Our approach is to perform an in-depth investigation on the allegation. First, we’ll examine the clinical records to make sure it’s accurate. We’ve had medical cases dismissed for numerous nurses by attacking the record.
Meet with a Texas Nursing Defense Attorney Today!
If you would like to meet with a Nursing License Lawyer, we would be happy to meet with you and do a full case evaluation of your Board of Nursing complaint. We have offices in Tyler, TX, Houston, TX, and Austin, TX where we can meet you in person. We are also available to meet with you via video conferencing.