If you received a letter from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing or got a call from a board investigator, your first instinct may be to panic, and your second might be to wonder whether you can still go to work.
What you need to know right away is that an investigation alone does not automatically suspend your license. However, the situation can change quickly, and the decisions you make right now matter more than you realize.
An investigation does not mean you are automatically suspended
When a complaint is filed, the board opens an investigation. During that period, your license remains active unless the board takes a specific action to restrict or suspend it. In most cases, you can continue working.
Many nurses assume the worst the moment they hear from the board, but you are not suspended. You are under investigation. Those are two very different things, and how you respond can determine whether they stay that way.
When the board can pull you off the floor immediately
Under Pennsylvania law, the board can issue an immediate temporary suspension, without a hearing, if it determines that your continued practice constitutes an immediate and clear danger to public health and safety. The situations most likely to trigger that action include:
- Drug diversion or theft of controlled substances
- Active impairment affecting your ability to practice safely
- A criminal arrest or conviction related to your nursing practice
- A pattern of serious patient safety violations
If your situation involves any of these, the risk of an emergency suspension is real, and moving quickly to get the right legal counsel matters.
Why your license needs its own attorney before you do anything else
Your criminal defense and your license defense attorney need to be two different people. The board does not operate like a criminal court. It follows administrative law with its own procedures and a lower standard of proof, and a lawyer who handles criminal cases may have no idea how to navigate a licensing board investigation.
This distinction matters most when decisions like entering ARD come up. ARD or Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition is a Pennsylvania pretrial diversion program for first-time offenders that can lead to dismissed charges, but it must be reported to the board. How that disclosure is handled can affect your disciplinary case.
Before you respond to the board, speak to an investigator or make any decisions about your criminal case, please reach out to The Law Offices of Brian E. Quinn to discuss your options. Every decision you make from here affects your license. Make sure someone who knows this process is guiding you.