You devoted a substantial amount of time, money and effort to earning your nursing license. Now that you work in nursing, you should receive the full benefit of your efforts. Still, if someone complains to the Minnesota Board of Nursing, you may face disciplinary action or even lose your license to work as a nurse.
While you probably have some options for defending yourself during a Board of Nursing investigation or disciplinary hearing, you are better off avoiding complaints altogether. Here are three steps you can take to protect your nursing license from complaints.
1. Communicate early and often
Even though the Board of Nursing accepts complaints for many different infractions, individuals often complain about improper practices and unprofessional conduct. You can minimize your chances of facing these types of accusations by communicating effectively with doctors, other nurses, administrators and patients.
2. Follow the rules
As a nurse, you may occasionally or regularly feel you have more work to do than your shift permits. Nevertheless, you should understand the rules of your facility and follow them to the letter. Shortcutting processes and skipping steps are sure-fire ways to end up with a Board of Nursing investigation.
3. Do your job yourself
Finally, you must accept full responsibility for the performance of your job duties. Whether your job requires you to distribute medication, complete patient charts, collaborate with a primary physician or do anything else, you should not hand off your work. After all, if one of your coworkers makes a mistake, you may be responsible for it.
With a bit of effort, you may be able to avoid a Minnesota Board of Nursing complaint for your entire career. On the other hand, because you may have little control over the actions of others, you should have a plan for promptly and diligently addressing any complaint you receive.