During every Arizona State Board of Nursing regular meeting there are several cases on the agenda where the Board is seeking to impose disciplinary action, including revocation of a nursing license, for the nurse’s failure to respond to a Board Notice.
I can only assume that the vast majority of these cases are for nurses who have simply given up. They feel beat down by the process and have decided to stop responding to notices and exit the nursing field or accept any disciplinary action recommended by the Board. This is a mistake. You have worked hard for your career and you should not give up on it because you are overwhelmed with the legal process of facing a nursing board complaint from the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
Sometimes I will receive a phone call from an Arizona nurse who truly did not want to give up but his/her license was revoked or disciplined for failing to respond to the complaint or notice of charges. In these situations, it is imperative that you contact an attorney experienced with the Arizona State Board of Nursing. There may be legal options to help you get your license back and respond to the complaint.
All nurses are required to update their mailing address with the Board so that the Board has a way to communicate with you. Once a complaint is opened it will not go away and you will need to communicate with the Board and respond to notices issued by the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
If you do not receive notices from the Arizona State Board of Nursing because of your failure to update your mailing address then you have very little chance of reversing a Board order to impose discipline on your license.
