Imagine working a good portion of your life as a nurse practitioner. You’re settled into your own practice, established in life. You have the latest BMW SUV out there, a beautiful home, the best dogs ever….and loving parents who are bursting with pride every time you come up north to visit. You would think that graduation day was just yesterday by the way they beam at you over the dinner table during every Sunday dinner.
The seasons come and go in a small northern Arizona town. The leaves are boldly beautiful in the fall, the snow sparkles in the winter. As you sit in a cozy living room having coffee and homemade cookies with your parents over a holiday weekend its hard not to breathe it all in…..this is your reality, your life. Everything is preciously simple, predictable…. and yet so peacefully, unbreakably, enduring. You take pride in the fact you can care for them, oversee things to make sure they are well provided for. There is nothing in this world you can’t give back to them after all they have done to help you through school.
Life. Is. Great.
Until it isn’t.
Until it won’t be anymore.
Until all that remains of your life are just fleeting embers floating away in the wind……
Such is the story of one nurse practitioner I began corresponding with in 2013. He had been following my case for quite some time and was frustrated with his counsel. It seemed to him that his attorney was more interested in placating the Arizona Board of Nursing than representing his interests. A short time later he would take his defense into his own hands by doing all the legal work himself in order to ensure that his own bests interests were being kept front and center.
He stayed up many days and nights at a time doing legal research, studying other nurse’s cases, emailing back and forth with me. The following are highlights of this nurse practitioner’s journey battling the Arizona Board of Nursing.
Valerie Smith: Special Consultant to the executive director
Joey Ridenour, Executive Director of the Arizona Board of Nursing
As most nurses know, it’s easy for virtually anyone to file a complaint against one’s license. In Nathan’s case this was no different. In August of 2011, a patient who became angered by a question Nathan had asked him during a psychiatric assessment, filed a complaint against his license. The patient would later contact the board to “quash” the complaint, advising the Board of Nursing that he did not want Nathan to be disciplined for no reason. Nathan recalls “The guy filed a rambling similar complaint on a NP co-worker at the same time. Hers disappeared… mine didn’t. The only difference I could see was an ASU connection. She was a grad and a preceptor and had good connections there.”
The complainant’s request fell on deaf ears…the Board of Nursing would continue their hunt into Nathan’s past…and into every private aspect of his life. Instead of dismissing the complaint against Nathan, they came up with 12 “Factual Allegations” UNRELATED TO THE INITIAL COMPLAINT to potentially charge him with.
For a period of 13 months Nathan’s case sat on a desk and was passed off from investigator to investigator until it landed on the desk of University of Phoenix Assistant Dean of Nursing and 2014 RN.com “Giving Excellence Meaning” Award Nominee—a Nurse Practitioner herself, Janeen Dahn. From the point she picked it up, Nathan recalls, everything went to hell—AND FAST.
As per usual for most nursing board investigations, (depending on who you know) the state uses all its time, technological, and financial resources to delve into the life of a nurse. Nathan’s case was one that required the “special knowledge and tactics” of Valerie Smith—the on again off again retired consultant that me and others believe is “brought out of retirement” for the more “problematic cases” such as Nathan’s and mine. The AZBON’s hired gun, Valerie Smith has a background primarily in psychiatric nursing (no general med surg. just psych.) and is notorious for “diagnosing on the spot.” (She did as much on the stand during my administrative hearing when I cross examined her)
The common denominator among nurses who come to me with their stories is their interaction with Valerie Smith. Nathan and I were similar in the sense that we fought the charges and sought to secure our constitutional and/or Civil Rights during a process that ceremoniously strips them away from a nurse. HIPPA does not apply to ANY NURSE under investigation. The Arizona Board of Nursing has within its grasp the ability to subpoena any and all legal, medical, and psychiatric/pharmacy records. They can, and will, use what they find within those records against a nurse whether it is relevant to a case or not.
It’s well known by now that a nurse’s personal life, their entire career, their physical and mental health history are all fair game. In many instances, the Board of Nursing pads its investigative reports with defamatory false “statements” from “coworkers” to further their case against a nurse. Sometimes—they go too far in their attempts to inflict harm–Most recently they made the mistake of publishing a nurse’s personal address, her email address, her social security number and date of birth on a public site. There is no maneuver that escapes them when they are in pursuit of a nurse’s livelihood. However, it should be noted once more–they apply the shock and awe approach to specific cases, and not all cases.
During the course of his investigation Nathan was shocked to learn that his medical records had been subpoenaed by and reviewed by Investigator Dahn. During a meeting with her, Dahn (allegedly) quizzed him about his sexual preference and his sexual practices as per what was written in his primary care physician’s progress notes. The words “high risk behaviors” were (allegedly) used by Dahn. He described to me the “three religious medals she wore” on her clothing as she interrogated him and how he found it ridiculous.
You see, Nathan is gay. “I outed in the 80’s…” he recalls.
Within all the medical records reviewed, Investigator Dahn (allegedly) included in the investigative report a one page progress note from his physician that discussed his gay status and his negative HIV status as well as other personal particulars irrelevant to the initial complaint lodged against his license:
“She (Investigator Dahn) (allegedly) made a big deal out of a few things: that I graduated from a diploma RN program. That my medical record said ‘high risk behaviors’. The investigative interview was a sham, she wasn’t even listening to me…conclusions were drawn. It’s a kangaroo system with zero objectivity. I was sure I had the justification, the rational data, and expert emails to justify my actions in the complaint. Then she (Investigator Dahn) hits me: “Why did you quit this job without notice? Why were you given a written warning at ___________? (I’m an NP) Why did you write yourself 2 separate anti-biotics in 2011? And a few more totally unrelated to the initial complaint. The board meeting was last Monday. Four days before that, my lawyer called to say the original complaint had not even mentioned that there were 12 items stating unprofessional conduct and failing to maintain minimum standards. I was like WHAT? I didn’t even get to answer to them. I still don’t know what they all are-I have an idea. They are now trying to railroad me into a 12 month probation… I’m not sure I even want to remain in the profession-I’ve been in clinical practice for 15 years.”
Janeen DahnPhD, FNP-BC: 2014 Nurse.Com GEM Award Finalist and Assistant Dean of Nursing at University of Phoenix
Nathan felt strongly that they were using his sexual orientation as a basis to establish that he wasn’t a safe practitioner, that somehow his sexual orientation would translate to him providing unsafe care to patients. Over the past few years, Nathan has had to go back and forth with the Board. It was his full time work searching for jobs, strategizing and reading up on the law in order to find ways to secure his constitutional rights throughout the process. It hasn’t been easy to do, as there are blocks to Constitutional Rights when you are a nurse under investigation in Arizona:
“It’s in the 4th amendment to the Constitution, due process, searches of private matters, probable cause , double jeopardy all to protect our liberty=right to practice chosen profession from government action=AZBON. They claim they have to balance with public safety -no member of the public was at risk even if the crap they are claiming against me was true. There are checks in place so government or government agencies can’t make up things against you, to take your protected health information, to delve into personal private areas of your life. I was born and raised in Boston where all these crazy ideas began… it’s in my blood. I think around here people like to feel they can make up their own rules. I beg to differ, we’ll see. Odds are against me but I love a good fight.”
When Nathan requested discovery of all evidence the Board of Nursing had against him, they denied his requests. One would think that a nurse can appeal to other government agencies for another set of eyes, an impartial party—to take another look. In Arizona such an agency does not exist. Nurses, patients, and other attorneys have appealed to the State Ombudsmen’s office numerous times (without response or resolution), the Auditor General’s office, the State Attorney General’s office, and state legislators themselves. The media itself—will not investigate the Board of Nursing’s actions against licensed professionals. They will however—investigate the Medical Board and the Dental Board. Go figure.
Former House Representative Steve Gallardo “came out” in 2014.
As the years go on and Joey Ridenour continues her “Command” role over Arizona’s version of “B613”– the Arizona Board of Nursing soldiers on in its effort to impede upon the basic Civil Rights of nurses. In my case—freedom of speech (my social media accounts are still monitored by the state) and in Nathan’s case—his status as a gay man who happens to be a nurse practitioner. Other cases involve nurses who are older in age. Yet, nurses with multiple DUI’s or multiple drug offenses are gently set free from the proverbial investigative web of wonder to resume their careers unscathed. Their records fiercely protected from the public’s eyes like the B613 files in Scandal. At one point, Nathan took note of several cases against ASU nurses that were dismissed by AZBON officials, but he and I were too busy to investigate further. The question still lingers.
Nathan has experienced other challenges on his road to justice. He lost his home. He lost his vehicle. He was unable to secure a job, but was finally able to get Circle K to hire him. He had to quit after a short while due to his declining health. His health status has taken a significant hit throughout this process. He has also watched his parents’ health decline these past few years as a result of the ordeal that has impacted not just him—but all of his loved ones and friends who have been on this road with him.
…..Just one day prior to his hearing before the Arizona Board of Nursing his father suffered a stroke and Nathan was unable to be with him because he was scheduled to do his own defense the following morning……
During the years we corresponded back and forth, supporting each other in the middle of the night as we struggled to put together our own cases and cope with our losses, he shared with me how he felt on one occasion he had gone out of state to visit his parents: “When I went back to MA for a job interview I saw my parents for the first time in 18 months and I couldn’t believe my eyes… they don’t even look the same. I think this has had an effect on them. They are both in their 80s. The last time I saw them they were vibrant and active, now they appear withdrawn, almost defeated.”
There is a lifelong guilt, the responsibility one bears upon their shoulders, when they choose to battle against the Board of Nursing’s injustice. It’s no longer about just you, everyone around you becomes a part of things. Everyone around you suffers with every hit you take. Your family, your friends, your significant others. In some way or another, to some degree….they are affected by the point of impact.
I have not yet heard back from Nathan about the outcome of his case. My guess is he is in MA caring for his ailing father and supporting his mother. I hope he triumphed. I hope he is able to recover what is left of his practice… more than that—I hope he is able to get back to living his life, one with peace and the self-realization that he is bigger, bolder and better than the process that has not just engulfed him spiritually, physically, and mentally—but has taken a good portion of his hard earned life from him.
I don’t know what I would have done without those emails back and forth in the middle of the night the past few years…..our experiences and feelings mirrored each other’s in so many ways. I consider him my friend, my colleague, and a brother in all this….and I am proud to finally tell his story. Because he was and is so brave where others are not. Because he chose to keep getting up no matter how many times he was knocked down. Because he wanted to set an example and establish a precedent for all gay nurses.
I believe Nathan has an important message to get out there—BEING GAY DOES NOT EQUATE WITH BEING A DANGEROUS NURSE. BEING GAY DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE ANY LESS OF A GOOD SOLID PRACTITIONER THAN THE NEXT NURSE. BEING GAY CANNOT BE USED AS A PREDICTOR OF FUTURE BEHAVIORS AS A NURSE PRACTITIONER, OR A NURSE FOR THAT MATTER. BEING GAY SHOULD NOT BE A PRECURSOR FOR LOSING ONES HARD EARNED NURSING LICENSE. BEING GAY DOES NOT GIVE THE STATE OF ARIZONA THE RIGHT TO USE THAT STATUS TO TAKE AWAY THE LIVLIHOOD AND STABILITY OF ANYONE. BEING GAY IS NOT A VIOLATION OF THE NURSE PRACTICE ACT.
THE DEFINITION OF A NURSE…..should not EXCLUDE people on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, or sexual preference. The question is, just how far will state lawmakers allow ANY STATE to go when it comes to persecuting nurses on the basis of these very factors? More importantly—how low will the profession allow itself to be taken down before making a stand that supports acceptance, tolerance, and the high standards we’re expected to uphold as touted within the Code of Ethics for Nurses?
Maybe—this case is a sign that our profession has arrived at a point in time that The Code, The Oath, and the very tenets that Nursing was built upon no longer matter…
NURSEINTERUPTED 
Its taken me a while to grasp all of it, as I am a skeptic about what all defendants say. Is it factual what respondents say about their cases? I was retired when the Board fucked me, so I was kind of on a phishing trip and wondering what these creeps would do next. Yeah, I cared, but I’d already seen a level of corruption and was curious just how low these creeps could go. I’ve already serviced my country and these punks are what we veterans die for?? I’m thinking we shot the wrong people. I’ve communicated with many respondents and coupling those interviews with my own it is easy to see these corrupt pricks for corrupt pricks. Lying is a way of life as they know most nurses don’t have the resources of say a neurosurgeon. Even though that neurosurgeon has destroyed more lives than cancer. What the Nathan files reveal is not unique to what these creeps do. The question is this,”Who is going to be the one stop it”? Is it going to be that guy who has nothing left to loose, the bankrupted nurse who did absolutely nothing but teach and advocate for a patient? The retired nurse with a chest full medals? The nurse whose wife was killed by a hack surgeon who falsely testifies against the nurse because the nurse called him the corrupt hack that he was? The nurses of the whole country are aware and their knowledge of the Az Board of Nursing will hopefully help the new nurses get rid of these creeps working for corporate America. Thanks Nathan and Amanda.
I can only relate this Az Bd of Nuring and the Nazi Death March. That nursing has come to some kind of Arbeitslager. The monsters that consider this their “work ” being led by the Lagerfuehrer. (J R )
How they decide who will be the next victim of their unfathomable cruelty, and inflict emotional anguish on another human being, for what? Just because they can.
Or can they ? . Nathan I hope you fight this to the supreme court. They have gotten away with murder too long, public safety? laughable.
I am sure that many nurses here will testify for you . the Hitlerites will pay for their actions.
Jo Ridenour Valerie Smith Janeen Dahn Randy Quinn Carolyn McCormies . and all of the ones who follow this group and do not do anything to correct the wrongs.
Looks to me like Valerie Smith and Janeen Dahn resemble a couple of lesbians. I am not against anyone who is homo or heter sexual, just sayin that dikey hairdo tells alot. More face than hair. (ew)
Imagine the what the bed will look like after their trip together in June to Indianapolis ? What is harder to imagine that the state is paying these to two to ‘teach ‘ others !!! NCSBN meeting. Of course they’ll just tell all their lies and B S !!
looks like Dahn gets paid to take training at a PAIN seminar then goes and teaches what she just learned.
Would love to see these two talk about some REAL nursing. oh thats right they dont know anything.
What ever happened to Justice with dignity. ?
The board tries to go into someones medical records is just NOT right. Where did this group of so called “investigators ‘ get there up bringing? mafia style up bringing.
This state has lost a lot of very good nurses because of this board. I had a good friend who was a nurse practitioner loose her license for the most stupidest thing I’d ever heard. I think its an organization that needs to meet a quota of disciplines to justify their own existence. I read further Nathans’ case that this Dahl Character was wearing the three pins of the religious cult so commonly well known in the valley of the righteous. When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts he was in office about 3 months before the general population realized a what prejudicial prick he was. He wasn’t, that they knew of a Warren Jeffs type, but certainly a gay-bashing racist who was forever known through out his term as “Mitt the Shit of Mormon Country”. That is not creative writing.
Wow, makes you wonder what teachings that this type of behavior is ‘righted ‘ by . IS this the only chance for these women can have their say so? Is this the area where they can act like the ‘men ‘ of this cult?
I suggest they look at their upbringing and really look at what the world and word of god is suppose to be. Certainly they are all told to “stick together” but at the cost of another human being , that is trying to make it in this life just like they are?
What kind of brain washing goes on? I saw on stream Carolyn Jo McCormies, talking so much at the board meeting like she was in charge and blah blah blah to the point of ad nausea.
How are these people raised and what is taught and under what scripture can they justify this bias. ?
These so called “investigations” where someone puts in a complaint, and then they go off in multiply directions searching for any dirt on a nurse needs to STOP now. Even in the criminal courts a person accused of something, you cannot bring up unrelated accusations.
The Arizona Board of Nursing needs to be cleaned out of the mind set that is their now. Seems to be an infiltration of something , something rotten and the disease has spread , an across the board mental enema stat!
Just eliminate all of them , I do not think you can undo the damage that has been done over the years between their ears. Someone holds the key to the chain that is wrapped around their heads, and it is not them .
Correct.
When nathan goes back to court please tell us the date , we need to have a couple of supporters there for him. I hope you do your own case, you dont need a lawyer, just get up there and tell the truth, Save your money for appeal. The Admin law judges are crooked and bought, but you can appeal take it all the way. Look at the set up administrtive law court with the Attorny General office across the street, cozy. The AG lies like crazy and brings up crazy stuff., all the while they are collecting a paycheck and bolstering their retirement, at your expense. Dont worry about it Nathan, your true freinds will be there for you and who cares about the rest? ?
Seriously, fight them to the end, and turn the tables on them.
The board deserves for every nurse to hold them to the limit . Save your money for Superior court. You will prevail, the board has made too many mistakes.
I’ve been alerting the media right and left but no one seems to care
Nathan has the decks stacked against him as he did poorly in the first hearing and has judge Diane mihalsky who is the boards rubber stamp judge. The only thing o can do to help is to publicize his ordeal and attend the next hearing with other nurses….
Mandy love ya baby but please don’t judge, If you call standing up for yourself by refusing to participate in an illegal tribunal where you are forced to sit and listen to lies slander and insults from a two bit community college LPN with a bogus advanced degree hack explain antimicrobial resistance as a function of an antibody response by a person’s immune system as a poor performance,shame on you. I was being treated as POW at the Hanoi Hilton. I informed the conspirators participating in active Obstruction of Justice that pride would not allow me to actively participate in Sicherheitspolizei matter . I walked out with my head held high. Remember this; it aint over till its over I will take credit for the Superior Court Order in case LC2014-000524 .where I did quite well. Stay tunes for LC2015-000528 and a filing in United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. I don’t want money I want jail time.
Nathan Hang in there, you will prevail. No one wants their dirty laundry aired, but the Board is showing their fanny more than those they are intentionally humiliating. Believe me better days are coming.
The nasty winches at the Board , Ag , Judges, will be exposed for what they are.
Look at how the entire legislature made total nationwide shame of themselves even thinking about refusing service to people based on sexual preference. That is how back wards the state is . They are breaking the law, and going against the constituion.
Janeen Dahn, thinks she can get away with this, I would imagine any man would need a 5th of whiskey , a double bag over her fat face, and a bottle of cialis AND viagra, to want to be within a 10 foot pole of her. Im sure even with all that she d have to be in doggy position to tolerate it.
Im sure every man can relate to this , and get a real visual , think about that when you go back to court. She wants to humilate you, well that is exactly what I think of and picture when I think of her.
We Need A Day Raid, During A Meeting Day,
Randy At first Ithought oh my, Then I thought you know this board and Janeen Dahn are trying to humiliate Nathan and embarrass, shame or what ever sick game they are up to. So with that , your comment is PERFECT. . No one can look at Janeen Dahn without visualizing , that scene. And the discust of whoever is with her. Your right, they think they have the upper hand, only at the board, and they are skating on thin ice at that. Absolutely, this is right on, and well deserved.
My friends that read it fell on the floor laughing, especially since you,ve got the picture right there, and cant believe a board of nursing can/ would do somthing so carzy as this.
What was the original complaint? It’s hard to assess with knowing what actually started this whole thing.
I wrote what the original complaint was. A patient got mad about a question during a psych assessment and filed a complaint and later felt bad and retracted the complaint
Not necessarily the dirty details, but how about the category of the question that ticked the patient off. Guns, sexual orientation, psych, etc.
I see that you’ve done a lot of checking on the AZ BON and have listed a ton of these. How many of them have orientation as a basis of complaint or involved in the outcome?
whoever wrote this please leave me your email I have info.
Fyrhoneybsn@yahoo.com please leave the world BLOGINFO in the subject field….
They took a false allegation (the details not published to protect the complainant.) lacking any foundation in truth and categorized it as Sexual Misconduct, a faulty probable cause determination arrived at with BON staff embellishment, Constitutional violation #1.:
what ever you nathan does, dont go to dr gray, he is bought and paid for.
everyone who walks out of his office is a sexual predator.
Apparently there is a link between Joey Ridenour’s husband’s law firm and the Alliance Defense Fund. This organization, as you well know, is anti gay.
When Florence, and the only Florence I know, made great advancements in nursing, it was 75 yrs before ‘Nursing Boards’ were ever created. The government comes in and screws it up by over stepping their boundaries. Throw the tea overboard. Now we need a nurse to come forward in the modern day to back these cult members off of an already well, self governed group of nurses. Nurses govern themselves, always have. The AZBON has absolutely no idea what is going on in the real world of nursing. We don’t need them.
Amanda Diogenes sounds like a troll?
“how many of them have orientation as a basis of complaint or involved in the outcome?”
That is the whole point. If a complaint goes in on anyone to any agency, say for instance police, so and so did ________________fill in the blank , you find that the person who complained was up to no good, so you continue on your witch hunt? to find something ? And why is it the board if seaching for dirt on people? they dont have enough law breakers with real complaints? Seems to me they do . All they get is letter of concern. If a person is on trial for rape , you cannot even bring up they were accused of it before. But with the board , they dont find anything , they start making stuff up.
I have a huge concerned citizen for the board and more that just a letter OF CONCERN. Many questions, when the arizona board of nursing does NOT operate like any other board.
Diogenes is veritas, look how she comes on with her questions,
one of those “psych O ” nurses from the BD . who like to play little analyse doctor.
well you are as sick as Janeen your partner in crime.
Get your jollies while you can. What teaching is telling you that the only people who are important are the ones who believe in the nonsence you are taught. You are in the wrong profession , for that one sided thinking. Shame on all of you responsible for this pain and suffering you have caused , is that what is taught ?
There are many cases that are now coming forwarded to reveal this governmental agency as prejudicial. There was another case, and there are several, in Bullhead City where a spinal surgeon had severely injured a patient and altered the documentation to cover up the crime. A nurse discovered it, tried to report it, and Western Az Regional Medical Center brought charges against the nurse who complained. The same physician went on to cause other injuries and death of patients whilst the nurse was criminally prosecuted under fraudulently produced evidence by both the neurospine surgeon and Western Az Regional Medical Ctr. All of which this Board backed up and pulled the nurses’ license. The nurse was a dedicated nurse and veteran, with a chest full of medals, to which he claims never to have threatened anybody. this Board is in bed with corrupt organizations like Western Az Regional Medical Center and the theory is ‘you can buy justice’ at this Board.
Although I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I’m not Veritas and I’m not a BON flunky. I’m pretty sure the BON would lock the doors and post snipers if it looked like I was going to grace their hallowed grounds.
As to being a troll. Yeah, I probably fit that category. I do however like to think that I’m an honest troll. Just like Amanda and the rest of you, I get an ego boost when I get a response from you. The more emotional and irrational appearing response, the greater the boost. But what I really enjoy is someone who can patiently but civilly discuss an issue.
I feel compelled to point out things that are wrong and misleading, I’ve seen to many being lead astray by things they remembered from the internet.
Since the late 90’s there have been a steady stream of studies and articles on the psychology of the internet and public forums. One of the latest was by a psychologist named John Suler, Ph.D. He coined the term Online Disinhibition. Even when posting by name there is a feeling of protection and anonymity online that kind of by passes the social filters that we all have. I’m not sure many of you would publicly say the things you do if you had to face the people your commenting on when you said them.
“Abstract
While online, some people self-disclose or act out more frequently or intensely than they would in person. This article explores six factors that interact with each other in creating this online disinhibition effect: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of authority. Personality variables also will influence the extent of this disinhibition. Rather than thinking of disinhibition as the revealing of an underlying “true self,” we can conceptualize it as a shift to a constellation within self-structure, involving clusters of affect and cognition that differ from the in-person constellation.In this specific case, comments about the members of the BON move the level of the conversation into nothing but a bitch session. It should be possible to support a nurse, without attacking the BON. I always hesitate to support unconditional things I hear and read about online. We are always getting just part of the information. We subconsciously don’t disclose anything that might make us look bad when we’re posting. I do. I want people to agree with me and take my side. Realizing this I try to use the same critical thinking skills that I use daily in taking care of patients when I read blog posts, Facebook timelines and twitter feeds.”
Does calling the members of the BON names really advance the cause? The problem isn’t the BON it’s choices, but informed and misinformed that our elected legislators made when they established the BON. Despite the earlier commenter, we HAVEN”T done a very good job of controlling/policing our own profession. The boards where established to correct some of those problems. Now some do a better job at than others. In my current BON investigations are done by a investigator that is assigned to the BON from the Attorney Generals office. Sometimes a police officer, sometimes a lawyer. You better believe that if you walk or fart in public, they will find it. It is a basic principe of administrative law, Makes no difference if it’s with the BON, or the cashier at Walmart suing for missed wages, or whatever. Administrative law is completely different than what you see on TV about criminal law.
A better Amanda’s post might have been. “BON discriminates against A gay nurse? Not gay nurses. I have no problem believing that an investigator with a specific religions leaning would prejudice their investigation when looking into the sexual orientation and it’s supposed discriminating against all gays. As a gay male myself, I have enough to deal with and don’t need anyone stoking the flames with sensationalism.
I”m well aware that these posts are really meant to foster discussion, they are meant for a place for like minded people to vent their frustration. So though my frustration is different than yours, I”m venting or getting really high on my horse or standing on a pile of soap boxes.
So here it goes? What other information would be useful in that litter by Nathan to really give you the data you need to critically evaluate the response.
Well I only have 8 hours off and the weather is great, so I”m going to go up on deck and act like a passenger and enjoy the sun.
p.s. to the nurse who walked in and put their license on the desk. 2 things. Your license isn’t that piece of paper. You don’t need the piece of paper to have a nursing license. I don’t. The state I”m licenses in doesn’t issue paper licenses. 2. Most states laws don’t allow you to voluntarily surrender your license, when your under investigation unless the BON says you can. That goes for just about every professional license include MD’s and beauticians. At best it’s a psychological thing plopping a piece of paper on the desk, but it has no legal basis.
Hello Diogenes. I do appreciate your feedback and candor and am no way offended or put out by your contribution on this posting….A.
Just hope it never happens to you Diogenes. Its ok to be a Cynic as long as you are still able to recognize Truth. When I was coming up Gay men adopted a similar credo as did Regan republicans, to support and never question its how genocide was halted in its tracks. I’ve buried many close friends and 2 Sos all accused of High Risk Sexual Behaviors, 30 years ago I took a bat to the head helping a older fellow beat to shreds in a gbar parking lot, I’ve seen and overcome all kinds of hate, this yet just another. My life has prepared me for this.
When I am no longer facing jeopardy my name address and phone will be available for all to see. Perhaps lunch?
diogenes, so if someone walks in and puts a license on a desk, who cares if it makes them feel better?
if someone has their career ended by a bunch of crazy board members in arizona and they want to recognize them for what they did, they what is that your concern? seriously.
what did you contribute to in your long winded reply?
MAYBE people say what they want anonymously because they are in litigation and dont want it out there? if your admin law can find a fart, you dont think they can find this blog.
get real. if your not part of the solution, your part of the problem .
Sorry that the truth and correctness bothers you. I spent years teach and fall into lecture mode at a drop of a hat.
Your right though, people who are under litigation shouldn’t be posting things publicly. The people I’m talking about are the responders to posts, myself included.
By Amanda’s accounts there are new nurses and nursing students who read this blog,and they deserve/need to hear the reality of things to counter act the emotional responses.Retiring and not needing a nursing license any more is a nice place to be. A young nurse that might stil need their license, might not be aware of the legalities of “turning” your license in or laying it on the table. They might be surprised if they go somewhere else and find that their license was actually suspended.
I stand by my thoughts that personal attacks on the board members on public forums like this isn’t appropriate. If you want to do it offline via email or something like that, go for it. Again I go back to the reported new nurses and younger nurses that read this blog.
Any changes to nurse practice acts should also require that nursing students be taught the legal side of things better than they are now. To many nurses are blindsided by these issues because they haven’t been taught.
A captured email to the Corruption page is very interesting.
Any BON you ask say, as did this ad advice, “Depends upon what the violation is”. Were not talking drug diversion or some other crime involving moral turpitude.If you’re not criminally liable on a violation you can still practice. I wonder how many complaints are minor and frivolous? I think that we take these issues seriously, and I guess we should as its effected our careers. Its so vindictive, these complaints. When you think about the nursing industry, as an industry, its truly a mess. I know of so many disgusted nurses wanting out. The only good part is that the money was fairly good. And I never went into it for that in the first place. Corporate control over nursing has destroyed the profession, at least in critical care. You can still do home health care without a license, you just can’t advertise as an RN or Nurse. You may not make as much but if your on your own its cash. There are plenty of people wanting to stay out of skilled nursing homes and want in home assistance. I was a nurse in home private duty in D.C. for over two years, and never got my license there. Confidence in yourself and patient compassion is all you need. Some of nursing board complaints and actions are a joke, Florence is rolling over in her grave. I had a long run as a critical care nurse, now there are no more fucked up doctors, Beth Campbells, Valeri Smiths or other ambitious assholes chasing the buck, that I have to deal with. Its not how I planned it, but I am a decorated veteran that served my country and my community honestly. I am now at the point of understanding what many veterans believe but keep quite about, civilian governmental agencies are useless and a waste of tax payers money. I did nothing wrong and neither did you. PB
You can post this where ever you like.
uh Nathan you have a really good chance. Did you happen to catch the board meeting 3/26, wow the cases . Case after case of DUI’s extreme dui’s shop lifting, bad check writers, = Letter of concern.
JO ridenour is the head of all this, shows up coughing and hacking without covering her mouth, it was so annoying. The board needs an infection control nurse that would tell her, (she needed to be told something!) to go home or put on a mask . ! very hard of the ear with all that coughing and hacking, she does absolutely nothing at the board meetings. Selfish to sit there and spread germs, maybe she has TB?
who knows, Just amazing what Ducey has working down there.
a real mean looking one is Herrell, she is one you cannot trust that is for sure.
While Dalton chewing gum and texting during the meeting, Post late.
NO professionalism at all.
If you think the most recent meeting Is bad do a search on my blog by typing in “letters of no concern” — you will then have ten years worth of Arizona board of nursing rulings in which some nurses have killed people and the board gave them a letter of concern and the incident remains concealed from the public eye. Thanks for responding!
The Bad Board member for March is Herrell. What a surly look, rolling eyes, looking at the clock. So bored and making it known , like a child. Couldnt wait to get her ,”second it” in. I m a pretty good judge of someone just by a short observance, and Herrell is a nasty , ugly soul. So bored with hearing about it, and not wanting the nurse to get her side told, even the very limited time, before the Board stops you. What’s the biggee ? they are just taking away your livelyhood. You would think a psych nurse would have more sensitivety, knowing the affect it has on the nurse. Very evident, she does not care. How can she be in a caring profession?
. The eyes have a threatening, look about them, and squint, threatening tone, more than what your mother did in church if you were noisy. Then “the look,” “we gave you punishment and damn it dont argue.” Of course she is not in a position to judge anyone, it is obvious she has been abused at some point in her life, and will dish it out to whoever comes before her.
I just can not imagine this hateful being at a bedside, with any compassion in her bones. Of course I’ve worked with psych nurses before and they beat to a different drummer.
In fact over the years it is pretty much, on every blog and talked about by nurses , how odd the psych nurses are. Just the the Docs, they got into it for a reason, and never find the answer. You can also bet 100% have some family member with a mental disorder. That got their interest. I mean a real mental disorder , not the BS the bd comes up with. And the family member is themselves, never to be admitted, because all fingers point to everyone else. Never admit anything wrong with them.
Diogenes, this IS the proper place. Why send a few emails when you can reach so many here. If you dont like it go send emails. They work for the public, the public has a right to know.
Nathen let us know what date is your trial date. I would like to be there to show my support for you. I do not live in Phoenix so I will need some notice.
I believe it is the first week of June
It takes a few backwards Attorneys to focus on the Board supporters that truly think they know something about nursing. I say they know nothing about bedside nursing and their abuse is in need of getting to the rest of the country.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beth-A-Campbell/1400944513563962
The BON eats its own! Had a license for 14 yrs., spotless- no complaints against me by facilities or patients. However, I failed to report a DUI to the board- and came under investigation in a state that I hadn’t ever practiced in. I was good at what I did; but they tried to find as much evidence as they could- to bolster their case. By the time they were done with me, I was roadkill. Amazing, how easily a career can be destroyed; even if your great at what you do. It’s all about the fear of liability. NO actual mistakes made on the job- just the fear of what MIGHT happen. WOW! If after 14 years they’re not convinced, I don’t know that there is anything anyone could say to sway them. This is an unfair tack to take. Now I have a public ‘disciplinary’ action on the ‘world wide web’ FOREVER. They say they are ‘protecting the public’ but they have it posted to the BON site as well; anyone can look it up. Additionally, criminal records are public record. And as ‘background-check crazy’ as most employers seem to be today, people can find out anything they want. If it was my responsibility to ‘tell on myself’- and lose my livelihood- than perhaps the public should educate themselves. Why put my name on the Internet indefinitely?! During the investigation, they even contacted my employer (the city)- though I was not working in the healthcare industry at the time. They suggested in my psych. eval. that I had lied on my city application, because I didn’t disclose my ‘deferred prosecution’ DUI; which I was actually within my right to do- for a ‘non-licensing’ city agency (they also only asked for ‘convictions’). I also talked about it to the city employee that interviewed me. Because of this investigation, conducted by the BON, the city won’t hire me again. Though I did nothing wrong during my employment w/ the city. The BON gave me the opportunity to secure my license, ‘if’ I agreed to the terms of the contract; drawn up by the BON (after paying 500.00 dollars for a psych. eval). I decided to let my license go. Let’s face it folks- after receiving a discipline on your license for an undisclosed misd. record, good luck finding a job. I also didn’t have the $$ for all the stipulations that the BON made. It was just a set up for failure. Well, if nothing else, I found out that I was sane (and had an official IQ of 139). So, went back to school, received a STEM Scholarship, and a BS degree in Env. Science; Bio minor- w/ honors. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get a job when I have a pubic Board of Nursing disciplinary action on the internet; “Criminal Record” and “Unprofessional Conduct.” Just type in my name- and there it is…on 2 websites. Doesn’t say what the ‘criminal’ record is- just CRIMINAL record ….FOREVER! I didn’t disclose it, because I needed an income that might support me; not a vacation to the Fiji Islands or a Coach purse- I needed a roof over my head! Not because I’m a monster; as I wrote above- NEVER hurt a patient- EVER. I wish I had never worked in the healthcare industry; not because of the patients I met, and the lives I helped, the people that touched my life- but because of the devastation that the BON is capable of. I have a hard time ‘feeling’ for an industry that is entrusted to care for patients, but would so easily eat their own. By the way, those who would say that a licensed healthcare worker, w/ an ‘outside’ alcohol problem, who has not behaved incompetently on the job, is somehow ‘unethical’ are full of manure. How can they say that ‘alcoholism’ is a disease, and treat it in a medical/treatment environment, then use it to destroy members of the healthcare industry?! Aren’t they just as human as any one else?! Even law enforcement has a confidential line to assist officers in addressing addiction issues- even addiction to illegal drugs. And perhaps the medical profession does. But why is it that one can have an addiction; as long as you aren’t arrested?! You can call a ‘anonymous’ line if you’re addicted to illegal drugs; but you better not get a DUI! So, if it becomes a matter of ‘public record’, you’re no longer just an addicted person, but now you’re an addicted person that the public knows about. Do you believe that people change? Should they be saddled w/ this kind of thing forever?! Should Occupational licenses focus more on what ‘could’ happen- instead of what did//has happen(ed)?!