You need to have a nursing license to practice as a nurse in Minnesota, but certain actions have the potential to endanger that license – and your professional career. Finding out that you are the subject of a Minnesota Board of Nursing complaint may have you feeling understandable trepidation and anxiety. However, not all nursing board complaints lead to loss of licensure or other serious sanctions.
Per the Minnesota Board of Nursing, once the nursing board receives a complaint about you, it investigates further to determine if the matter described in the complaint is a violation of the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act.
Investigative methods
If the state nursing board decides that the conduct outlined in the complaint is, in fact, a violation of the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act, it typically moves forward with a more thorough investigation. The board then gathers documentation relating to your case, which might include patient records if the person who filed a complaint against you was a patient. Other relevant documents might include employment records. You may then have to attend a meeting with a review panel where you have an opportunity to respond to the complaint.
Complaint outcomes
After the meeting with the review panel, the panel may decide to close the case if it determines there was not a real violation of the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act. If you took steps to remedy the matter described in the complaint, the board may also decide to close the case. In other cases, the panel may recommend that you take educational classes or take disciplinary measures when it comes to your nursing license.
Unless the conduct described in the complaint made against you suggests that you pose a threat to patients, you may be able to continue to practice throughout the investigative period.