As a registered nurse, you will be exposed to thousands of people over your career. The chance of upsetting at least one person is fairly high. Especially when you consider that hospitals are full of people who are sick, anxious, stressed, tired, emotional or not fully with it due to medications. It can be a challenging environment to work in.
It may happen that someone makes a complaint about you. It could be for something you did, something you did not do, something you said, or even something you posted on your social media. It does not even need to be true for someone to complain. Many complaints against nurses are found to have no grounds when investigated.
If told that someone has filed a complaint to the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) about you, it is only natural to worry. After all, the board has the power to revoke your license. However, it is important to understand that they do not deal with all types of complaints. These are some complaints that are outside the BRN’s jurisdiction:
- Problems with colleagues
- Problems with your boss
- Complaints about rude behavior
Most other things someone could accuse you of do fall under their jurisdiction. Even if accused of something not covered by the BRN, you may want to seek legal advice from a license defense attorney. Minor complaints can grow into something more serious. For instance, a colleague complains about your behavior, and when questioned further on the topic expands and accuses you of drinking at work, or something else that is within the BRN’s jurisdiction. Tackling the issue early could save a challenge to your license.