Under the Ohio Nurse Practice Act, R.C. 4723.28, the Nursing Board can deny, revoke, suspend, reprimand, impose a fine or place limitations on a nursing license.

To take disciplinary action against a nurse, the Nursing Board first must  charge the nurse with violating some provision of the Ohio Nurse Practice Act. Notice is usually provided to the nurse in a citation letter, entitled, “Notice of Opportunity for Hearing.”  The Notice letter outlines the alleged misconduct (the basis for the action), specifies the section of the Nurse Practice Act that the nurse has allegedly violated, and provides the nurse with an opportunity to request a hearing before the Nursing Board concerning the allegations.

However, in some instances, the Nursing Board will send a nurse a document called a “Consent Agreement” without issuing a Notice.  The Consent Agreement is a contract between the nurse and the Nursing Board in which the nurse agrees that the specified violations of the Nurse Practice Act occurred, agrees to accept a specified discipline, and waives his or her right to a hearing. While signing a Consent Agreement may be the best route for the nurse, there are issues that should be considered before entering into a Consent Agreement with the Nursing Board.

A Consent Agreement is a formal disciplinary action of the Nursing Board and is a public document under the Ohio Public Records law (R.C. 149). As a public record, the Nursing Board must make the document available to the public and may post the actual agreement on their website. The Board will also list the name of the nurse and the discipline imposed in the Board ‘s quarterly Momentum magazine in the Disciplinary Actions section.

Negotiating the terms and condition of the Consent Agreement can result in changes and/or clarifications.  As with any legal, binding agreement, prior to signing the Consent Agreement, it is recommended to have it reviewed by experienced legal counsel so that you clearly understand what you are agreeing to in the document.

In addition, even after you complete any discipline imposed by the Consent Agreement, the Consent Agreement will always remain as a part of your professional record with the Nursing Board. Unlike some criminal cases, there is no way to seal or expunge a disciplinary action taken by the Nursing Board. Therefore,  it is important that you understand and agree to all the terms in the Consent Agreement and that the Consent Agreement accurately reflects the facts in your case.

As always, if you have any questions about this post or about the Ohio Board of Nursing in general, please feel free to email me at beth@collislaw.com or call me at 614-486-3909.