Who we represent
- Registered nurses (RN)
- Licensed practical nurses (LPN)
- Advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) and nurse practitioners
- Certified nursing assistants (CNA)
- Nursing students and new graduates with application problems
Common allegations against Florida nurses
- Medication errors and documentation problems
- Drug diversion and positive drug screens
- Practicing below the standard of care
- Patient abuse, neglect or boundary complaints
- Falsifying records or time entries
- Criminal arrests and failure to report them
- Working on a lapsed or inactive license
- Impairment and Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) referrals
How a nursing complaint moves through the Department of Health
- Complaint and investigationThe Department of Health notifies you of the investigation and invites a written response. What you say here matters; many nurses hurt their cases by explaining too much too soon.
- Probable cause panelTwo members of the Board of Nursing review the investigative file and decide whether to file formal charges.
- Administrative complaintYou receive the complaint with an Election of Rights form and a short deadline to choose a formal hearing, an informal hearing or a settlement.
- Hearing or settlementFormal hearings are tried before an administrative law judge at DOAH; informal hearings and settlements go before the Board itself.
- Final orderThe Board imposes discipline, which becomes public and is reported to Nursys and national databanks.
IPN and impairment cases
When a complaint involves alcohol, drugs or mental health, the Department may push a referral to the Intervention Project for Nurses (IPN) as an alternative to discipline. IPN can save a license, but it is a multi-year monitoring contract with real costs and consequences. Do not sign one without understanding exactly what it requires and whether the Department can prove its case without it.
Why early help matters
Nursing discipline in Florida is public and permanent. It appears on the Department's license lookup, in Nursys, and often in the National Practitioner Data Bank, and it follows you to every future employer and every other state where you hold or seek a license. The strongest outcomes come from cases handled before probable cause is found.
Frequently asked questions
I got a letter from a Department of Health investigator. Do I have to respond?
You are not required to give a statement, and anything you write becomes part of the file the probable cause panel reads. Talk to a lawyer before responding. A carefully prepared response can get a case closed; an unprepared one can supply the evidence that charges it.
Will my employer find out about the complaint?
The investigation itself is confidential until probable cause is found. After that, the administrative complaint is public, and most hospitals and staffing agencies check the Department's license verification site.
Can I keep working while the case is pending?
Usually yes, unless the Department issues an emergency suspension or restriction order. Those orders are reserved for cases the Department believes present an immediate danger and can be challenged quickly in court.
Complaints against nurses are handled by the Department of Health. That page explains the agency's process in more detail.
This page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by case and change over time.