Being under investigation for anything can be scary, but a Texas Board of Nursing / TBON investigation is very serious. It is very important to have a nursing license attorney that understands the ins-and-outs of nursing law.
The TBON / Texas Board of Nursing can investigate a nurse for multiple reasons such as:
- issues with patient care
- controlled substance distribution errors
- mistakes in documentation
- issues in personal life such as substance abuse
- arrests or criminal charges.
If you are a nurse and you have received a vague letter notifying you of a TBON investigation, you are going to want to consult a Texas BON attorney. The letter asks you to respond in a short amount of time. At this point the letter from TxBON is private. If you do not respond to them by the deadline given, the board of nursing will file formal charges. Once TBON files charges, they become public. To learn more about this process of a board investigation, see our Board Investigations.
Sometimes complaints are filed regarding patient care. This can be the patient or a family member of a patient. These complaints about nurses can also be filed to TxBON by the hospital or facility supervising the nurse.
Substance abuse TBON investigations
Another common issue the Texas Board of Nursing will investigate is controlled substance distribution. This is a serious matter and can affect your ability to perform your job. It is very important to ensure you are following protocol and taking your time with dispensing medications and documenting the distribution.
Mistakes in documentation can affect patient care and can be dangerous. If an error is made it is common that it will trigger a TBON investigation. If you know you have made an error and there is a possibility of a complaint being filed, you should contact Texas Nursing Lawyers as soon as possible. It is better to be prepared prior to the BON contacting you.
Substance abuse, DWI and other criminal charges are another serious reason the Texas BON will investigate a nurse. If you are arrested, contact Buck Johnson immediately for representation on your criminal case and your TBON investigation. He and Deborah Goodall work together to ensure nurses have the best possible outcome on their criminal case and the board investigation. They are experienced in both areas. To learn more about nurse criminal defense cases go here.
It is critical to fully understand every aspect of your case with the Tx BON and your criminal case if you have one. You need to make sure you aren’t agreeing to something you don’t want to agree to do. Having a nursing license attorney familiar with TBON cases gives an advantage because they already know how to handle cases similar to yours. Buck Johnson and Deborah Goodall are experience nursing license attorneys who are there to help.
You can reach Texas Nursing Lawyers, Buck Johnson and Deborah Goodall via our contact us form or by calling us at (214) 623-6015.