I am Special Agent.....

You just finished working 5 twelve hour shifts from 7pm to 7am and you are really exhausted. You sleep until 4pm that evening and jump up refreshed thinking of all the plans you have made for the next 6 days. That's right you have 6 days off from work and you have been looking forward to this.

The door bell rings and you answer the door. Its Special Agent A from State B Attorney General's office. Special Agent A wants to speak you regarding Situation C that occurred when you worked for Nursing Employer D.

What do you do? I don't know what YOU would do but I will tell you how the majority of nurses who contact my office handle this particular scenario.

1. Nurse E invites the Special Agent A into his and her room and agrees to be interviewed.

2. Nurse E agrees to be interviewed and also provides a written statement. Nurse E does not request or receive a copy of this written statement.

3. Nurse E does not inquire about the particulars surrounding the investigation. What is a special agent? What are you investigating? Am I the subject of the investigation? Is this a criminal investigation? Has a complaint been filed against with the State Board of Nursing? Will a complaint be filed against me?

4. Nurse E does not realize the implications of the meeting. Attorney General Office investigations can be administrative and/or criminal. The information provided at the meeting may be filed with the State of F Board of Nursing. Nurse E make incriminating statements (both verbally and in writing) that will most certainly be used against her in the future.

So the next time someone appears at your workplace or home and says I am Special Agent A, I am Investigator G, or I am Detective H; think before you speak. Think about your job, your license, your career, your freedom, and your family (and not necessarily in that particular order) before you speak. You are a licensed professional.

Oh and by the way, you may want to consider invoking your right to counsel, i.e., I'd be happy to meet with you regarding this situation however I need to speak with my attorney, "I" first.

Comments

[RehabRN]

Amen! I love this post!

I hope this never happens to me, but I see more and more (I'm still a new nurse) how this can happen.

Nurses are conditioned to take orders from doctors et al, but I think we forget that it is our responsibility to not follow an order that may cause harm, not just to our patients, but to our license as well.

Keep up the good work! I hope to find a lawyer like you in my state if I ever need one!