Law Office of John Hutto
PO Box 113
Florence, AL 35631
United States
ph: 256-335-4425
fax: 888-897-4082
johnhutt
Providing legal guidance to Georgia Nurses throughout the investigation, hearing and appeal process.
When allegations are made that against a nurse licensed in Georgia, those allegations are investigated by the Georgia Board of Nursing. It is important to remember that nurses who are being investigated have a right to be represented by an attorney.
The Georgia State Board of Nursing regulates:
If allegations have been made about the quality of your nursing or any other issue that could cause you to lose your nursing license, it is important to retain a Georgia Nursing Licensure Defense Lawyer right away.
Even the most informal investigations, such as questioning by telephone by a Georgia Board of Nursing Investigator can have serious consequences later on. You should not speak to any nursing board investigators or board members without an attorney present.
Contact John Hutto, Georgia Nursing Licensure Defense Lawyer.
If you've been given notice of an investigation into your nursing license, don't hesitate to John Hutto, Georgia Nursing Licensure Defense Attorney at (256) 335-4425 or email at johnhuttoattorney@yahoo.com for a free consultation.
You Should Call John Hutto, Georgia Nursing Defense Attorney if:
If any of these situations apply, you need to discuss your case with an attorney familiar with the investigative and disciplinary process of the Georgia Board of Nursing as soon as possible. Contact John Hutto, Georgia Nursing Licensure Defense Attorney at (256) 335-4425 to discuss your case or fill out the contact form and Mr. Hutto will be in touch with you soon.
The Georgia Board of Nursing Investigation Process:
The process usually begins with the Georgia Board of Nursing receiving a complaint. The complaint may be filed by anyone. Sometimes it is a co-worker, the nurse’s employer, a patient, or a family member of a patient. It is not unheard of for even a spouse involved in a divorce or custody battle to file an anonymous complaint in an attempt to gain leverage.
Once the Georgia Board of Nursing receives a complaint, an investigator is assigned to review the complaint. Often times the investigator is not a nurse. The Nurse will receive a letter from the Georgia Board of Nursing notifying the Nurse that a complaint has been filed. The letter may contain a case number that references your case and may give you some instructions such as to notify the Board of Nursing if your nursing employment or address changes. It may also ask you to contact the investigator to discuss the case. In my opinion, before calling the investigator you need to discuss your case with an attorney who handles nursing licensure defense. Often investigators for the Board of Nursing will ask seemingly innocent questions and or will appear to be friendly and understanding in an effort to get you to open up to them. It is important to remember that anything you say can later be used against you. Many times, a nurse will call the investigator in an effort to resolve the matter and inadvertently end up saying something that is detrimental to their case. Other nurses will simply ignore the letter and hope the situation will resolve itself. Neither approach is recommended. If you choose to ignore the letter, weeks or months may go by, but odds are you will eventually receive a notice that a formal complaint will be filed and a hearing scheduled. Usually, the Board of Nursing will at the same time offer a consent agreement, basically stating that the nurse admits the allegations and accepts whatever disciplinary actions are offered in the consent agreement. If you have not already done so, you definitely should consult an attorney at this point. Often nurses will accept the consent agreement as offered just to resolve the matter and avoid a hearing. Afterwards many nurses regret the decision and request a hearing, only to find out that by agreeing to the consent order, they effectively admitted the "finding of facts" contained therein and more importantly waived their right to appeal the matter. Remember, even if you are willing to accept a consent order, you still need an attorney to represent you. Often an attorney can negotiate a better deal than you could on your own.
The Georgia Board of Nursing Disciplinary Hearing:
If an agreement cannot be reached, the Board of Nursing will issue a formal complaint and notify the nurse that a hearing has been set. It is important at this stage to retain an attorney, if you have not already done so. You have the right to represent yourself at the hearing, but I do not recommend it. The hearing is an adversarial by nature and you need legal counsel to protect your rights. The hearing usually is held at the Georgia Board of Nursing which is located at Macon, Georgia. The hearing usually takes place in a large conference room at the Board of Nursing. Usually several hearings are held on the same day. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who is usually a local attorney presides over the hearing. The hearing begins by having the formal complaint read. Then the Georgia Board of Nursing presents it case through its Attorneys. They usually have the person who made the complaint testify then call witnesses. You may, through your attorney or own your on cross-examine the Board's Witnesses. After the Board of Nursing presents its case, the nurse can then present their case by introducing their evidence and calling witnesses. Afterwards, both sides present a summation of the parties (closing argument) then the AOJ consider the evidence and makes a ruling and submits findings to the Board of Nursing. If the nurse does not agree with the decision, they may file an appeal within the time frame allowed by law.
Protect Your Rights:
Have you been contacted by the Georgia Board of Nursing notifying you that a complaint has been filed against you? If so, you need to call John Hutto, Nursing Licensure Defense Attorney. Mr. Hutto is a Nurse Attorney. He represents nurses across Georgia in actions involving the Georgia Board of Nursing. For Nurses, professionally speaking, there's hardly anything RN’ s LPN’s and APN's fear more than a disciplinary notice from the Georgia Board of Nursing. After all, most nurses are hard-working dedicated professionals performing demanding jobs often under demanding working conditions who are simply trying to do the best job possible for the patients while providing for their family.
Contact Us
With your livelihood and reputation at stake, don’t enter into an investigation without the representation of an experienced nursing license defense attorney. John Hutto is prepared to provide sound legal advice and assistance throughout your case so that you are backed by the best defense possible. To learn more about how he can provide you with the legal counsel that you need to get through this difficult time, contact the Law Office of John Hutto today at 256-335-4425, email johnhuttoattorney@yahoo.com or fill out and submit the Free Nursing License Defense Consult Request form and Mr. Hutto will be in touch with you soon to discuss your matter.
Who We Are:
John Hutto is an attorney and counselor of law. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. In addition, Mr. Hutto holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Alabama, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual major in Finance and Economics from the University of North Alabama. As such, Mr. Hutto is uniquely qualified to understand and defend you in allegations against your nursing license. He has healthcare experience from the inside having worked as a registered nurse in the hospital setting. He has also taught nursing students as a clinical nursing instructor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He understands the health care system and administrative law process and will put his knowledge and skills to work to advocate you in a zealous, understanding and professional manner.
Mr. Hutto is admitted to practice before:
Please fill out the below free consult request form and press submit. Mr. Hutto will contact you soon.
Copyright 2009 Law Office of John Hutto. All rights reserved.
Law Office of John Hutto
PO Box 113
Florence, AL 35631
United States
ph: 256-335-4425
fax: 888-897-4082
johnhutt