Whether you have only been a licensed Arizona nurse for a few months or have been providing medical care and treatment for patients for decades, you can probably still recall the years of your life when you were struggling through nursing school. You no doubt encountered many of the same challenges that other post-secondary students face, such as financial debt, trying to keep up with class assignments and studying for final exams.
Once you made it and the Arizona Board of Nursing issued your license, you may have felt as if you were standing on top of the world! Becoming a licensed nurse is a great achievement and you may now be among those who find their nursing jobs both rewarding and trying at times. The same Board of Nursing that issued your license has the power to take it away. To avoid problems or address one that has already arisen, it helps to understand more about BONs.
A century of licensure
The current Board of Nursing system under operation in the United States has been active for more than 100 years. The following information includes basic facts about BONs, as well as information regarding support that is available if you face a license investigation:
- Licensure is meant to benefit you as a nurse, to protect your title and to establish legal authority for scope of practice.
- BONs oversee and assure safe practice in nursing.
- When you received your nursing license, you became bound to provisions set by the state or states in which you hold license.
- If someone accuses you of doing something that places the general Arizona public at risk, the Board of Nursing may take action against you. Depending on the results of an administrative investigation, you may be free and clear to return to your job or you may face reprimand, probation, restricted practice or license suspension or revocation.
- You are guaranteed an opportunity to provide information to the Board of Nursing to refute the allegations against you and defend your nursing license.
It’s understandably upsetting to think that you may have put all those long, hard years of study into obtaining a nursing license and then face the risk of losing it. The good news is that you do not have to go it alone if the BON places you under investigation. Many nurses and other licensed professionals seek legal support before going before board officials.