Proceeding "Pro Se" in a Board of Nursing Investigation

What is pro se? It means representing, counseling, and advising yourself, i.e. not having an attorney. You have the right to self-representation in our justice system; this includes representing yourself in any civil (for example as a plaintiff or defendant in a medical malpractice, nursing negligence, defamation, wrongful discharge claim, etc.), criminal (where you charged with violating a federal, state, or local law), and administrative (workers compensation, unemployment, licensure matters, etc) action.

You can hire an attorney to represent you in a Board of Nursing matter at any point in the investigative and adjudicative process. You can hire an attorney before the actual complaint is filed with the Board of Nursing if you know a complaint will be filed or you can wait until a month before a scheduled evidentiary hearing to retain an attorney.

I have noticed a trend in my law practice. Nurses are representing themselves before the Board of Nursing in disciplinary investigations and later seeking attorney representation if the matter isn't proceeding how the nurse assumed it would. This is RISKY behavior. Consider retaining an attorney at the BEGINNING of a disciplinary investigation related to a complaint filed against your nursing license.

You can retain an attorney at any time but why not do it in the beginning so that your attorney can properly represent, counsel, advise you in the matter from the beginning.