There are three essential components to traditional and full-scale legal representation:
a. representation and advocacy in a formal legal matter;
b. counseling a Client on the legal process and procedures involved in a legal matter; and
c. advising a Client of his/her options so the Client can make informed decisions on how to proceed in his/her case, matter, or situation.
There is nothing wrong with making an informed decision to REPRESENT yourself before the State Nursing Board. It saves you money (you don't have to retain or pay an attorney) and you can have it your way, like at Burger King.
What is representing yourself before the State Nursing Board? This means you do not have an attorney who has entered a Letter of Representation or Notice of Appearance of Counsel which is the formal way of letting the State Nursing Board know you are represented by counsel. This means that State Nursing Board staff including investigators, attorneys, and others may contact you directly about the State Nursing Board complaint to interview you, schedule a meeting with you, ask you additional questions about a statement or information you submitted to the Board, etc.
You are also COUNSELING & ADVISING yourself with respect to the decisions, actions, and tasks to be undertaken in your case and implications those decisions, actions, and tasks have for your nursing practice, the Board of Nursing case against you, and your current and future employment in nursing.
How do you "counsel and advise" yourself? You ask your peers, neighbors, colleagues, nursing professor, church pastor, and others for advise on what you should or should not do in your situation. You join a nursing chatroom and you look for answers to your questions or you do your own research. Again there is nothing wrong with counseling and advising yourself before the State Nursing Board.
I would dare to say it is very American and Billy Bad A// to take on the establishment and prove a point after all you are "not guilty" of anything, you didn't do anything wrong, and once the Board hears your version of events, the Board will send you a letter of apology for wasting your time. You tried it!!!
I received a lot of "counsel and advice" from friends, family, colleagues, peers, and others during my divorce in the summer of 2011. I received the WORST advice and counsel from the MAJORITY of people with respect to dealing with the trauma associated with the failure of my marriage. Failure was something I was not accustomed to dealing with in my personal life (or professional life) and the failure of my marriage brought me to my knees.
At the time when I needed it most, I received what I know now (and I knew then) was super duper and just plain bad advice. Thank God, I did not follow the majority of the advice given to me by the majority. But these folks of course meant well.
I received some good advice but it was from professionals who were objective and a few others lay folks. I joined a Divorce Support Group at a local church, I started attending a small group for "the divorced", and I began the long tedious process of healing from the inside out; actually being transformed is more appropriate.
I am Type A, B, C, D, and E. I am the person who gave myself 6-8 weeks in my schedule in the Summer of 2011 for divorce healing, recovery, and rebuilding. What type of nut job calendars emotional healing? I can laugh about it now because my divorce was the best thing (right after attending nursing and law school, Walmart selling 1.5 liters of Pepsi, and my purchase of a three-wheel bike last summer) that has happened to me. I had in 2011:
a. my divorce in May;
b. my "I am 40?" mid-life crisis in July;
c. my retrospective childhood "I didn't get the dog I asked for in the 1st grade" tirade and temper tantrum over a few months witnessed by both sets of my grandparents. I love my grandparents; they observed in disbelief and prayed without ceasing for me as I festered in a funky furnace of fire only after bathing in my own milky mess of self-centeredness and applied lastly lotion lavishly; and
d. my life changed by the effectual call from Christ in December. Busy year.
W hy am I telling you this?
1. Because your White Swan and your Black Swan can meet and really be FB friends; and
2. The advice and counsel of professionals is INVALUABLE when faced with a life event. A State Nursing Board complaint is a life event and if someone tells you it isn't smack his/her face and then call, text, fax, and email me (from jail); I can defend you before the State Nursing Board. Anytime you are involved in legal matter which impacts your education, employment, license, credentialing, AND identity it is a life event. Professionals help you navigate life events and you have a retain and pay professionals, sometimes out of the pocket.
If you are involved in a State Nursing Board case, take the time and consult with an attorney. It may cost you a few hundred dollars but at least have a nurse license defense attorney take a look at your matter for a "fresh set of eyes" of your case. I routinely send my cases for review by a nurse expert prior to a hearing so I can get a different perspective on the case. You should consider doing the same with your case.
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