Warning For Nurses ~ Texas Board of Nursing (BON)

The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) can issue a “warning” letter to nurses, which could include stipulations and/or a fine.

A warning is the lowest level of disciplinary sanction imposed by the nursing board, typically reserved for minor violations of the Nursing Practice Act (NPA), first-time offenses and/or allegations that the nursing board can not prove.

Warnings can be issued for many types of nursing violations, including:

• lying or falsifying documents
• practicing on an expired nursing license
• failure to complete required continuing education requirements (20 contact hours every two years)
• patient abandonment
• dereliction of duty (e.g. sleeping on the job)
• errors in administering care or medications
• incomplete or inaccurate medical records

The stipulations that accompany a warning from the board could include orders to:

• take specific courses and/or complete remedial education
• notify present and future employers
• only work (or not work) in specific healthcare settings
• completion of the KSTAR program (Knowledge, Skills, Training, Assessment, and Research)

Warnings are published in the BON’s newsletter and are available online, which makes them public. Disciplinary sanctions also can be accessed by other agencies and added to public nursing data banks, making it more difficult to find employment. In addition, the warning establishes a “history” with the BON, and if a second allegation were ever filed against you, the BON would take the first incident into consideration.

If you've been contacted by the board of nursing about an allegation and/or an investigation is underway, call our law office immediately. Even something that might seem minor could bring about major consequences.

You have a right to an attorney throughout the entire nurse license defense process, and it’s typically in your best interest to exercise that right.

We can be by your side throughout the entire investigation, and if disciplinary sanctions are proposed, we can help negotiate a more lenient settlement.

If you have questions about disciplinary sanctions (including warnings from the board), or if you would like to schedule a free legal consultation, please call (512) 829-5619, or e-mail contact@nursesattorneytexas.com. Note that the free consultation is ONLY for professional licensing matters.

Please note: Kevin Keaney has more than 30 years experience as an attorney. Before practicing law, he earned his BSN from UT Austin, and worked as a nurse for six years. He helps nurses in Texas with all types of disciplinary sanctions, including: reprimands, remedial education, limited license, license suspension and probation, voluntary surrender, license revocation, license reinstatement, and denial of licensure.

Located in the Austin area, our law office represents nurses from all across Texas, including: Houston, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Lubbock, and Amarillo.