Few things can worry a nurse as much as learning about a compliant, especially if it has led to a threat against the nurse's license. Handling the process competently is critical, and here are five things a nursing license defense attorney will tell likely you to do.
Makes Copies of All Documents
Complaints are fundamentally administrative, and that means building a defense starts with maintaining excellent records. If you receive any correspondence in writing especially any formal complaint paperwork, then make several copies and store the originals safely. The same logic applies to electronic correspondence on the matter, except you'll want to lock the messages and make backups to a remote storage system.
Get Counsel
Presenting a nursing license defense is an incredibly specific task. It's best to not approach the situation without the benefit of a professional's perspective. You'll want to work with someone whose practice has worked on nursing license cases before because you'll want to have a lawyer who is versed in the nuances of the rules of your state and industry.
Respond to Inquiries in a Timely Fashion
Take every inquiry seriously. If you are asked to respond within a particular time frame, contact a nursing license defense attorney and ask them to review the request as soon as possible. You don't want to risk failing to respond to requests. If you do fail to respond, you might face a default judgment against you. However, you also don't want to respond to anything until you've hired a lawyer to represent your interests and dissect the meaning of the complaint.
Don't Speak to the Complaining Party
People often suffer from the temptation to iron things out by talking with whoever filed the complaint. This is an unwise move because it might be seen as tainting the case. Let the complaint unfold according to the procedure. If the complaining party tries to speak with you about the case, cut them off as soon as possible. If they insist upon a discussion, refer them to your attorney.
Only Speak to Investigators with a Lawyer Present
You have the right to not discuss the inquiry, and you should only speak with an investigator if you have the benefit of counsel. As you would with anyone else who wants to talk about the case, give them the phone number of your nursing license defense attorney. Even if they frame it as just a few questions to clear things up, stand your ground and insist upon only answering questions your lawyer has reviewed.
