How to Complain to the Nursing Board About a Nurse or MIdwife
The Georgia Board of Nursing is a regulatory board that oversees the licenses of nurses, including midwives, in Georgia. They can publicly sanction a nurse for violations of their code of ethics. If the violation is severe enough, they can even revoke the nurse’s license, removing their right to continue practicing nursing.
If a midwife or other nurse commits a serious violation, it’s important to report them to the Georgia Board of Nursing. This creates a record of the maltreatment, and can help protect other patients.
When to Complain to the Nursing Board
The Georgia Board of Nursing will not hear complaints about minor customer service issues or personality clashes. A nurse who is merely unfriendly or unkind is unlikely to draw their interest. Instead, the Board hears serious complaints. Those include:
Complaints of unsafe or incompetent care
Complaints of unethical behavior, such as performing a medical procedure to which you did not consent
Providing care while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or mentally unfit to provide care
Violating the Georgia Nurse Practice Act, which includes rules about who can practice nursing, scope of practice, and quality of care
How to Write Your Complaint
You can submit a written complaint to the nursing board, but it’s easiest to use the online complaint form. While it’s common for people suffering from birth trauma to have experienced trauma from many sources, it is critically important that your complaint highlight only the abuse you received from the nurse. Don’t include unnecessary details or opinions. Stick to the facts. Some tips that can make your complaint as strong as possible include:
Identify the specific behavior that you are complaining about. Be clear and brief. For example, “Nurse Jones cut my perineum without my consent, while I told her no and tried to stop her.”
If you have evidence documenting your complaint, be sure to note this in the complaint. “For example, I have a video of Nurse Jones verbally abusing me.”
If you believe the nurse violated a specific law, reference that law and explain clearly and plainly how the nurse violated the law.
The Board will only be able to investigate your complaint based on the information you give. So don’t make assumptions about what the Board knows or does not know. Instead, provide complete and clear details in easy-to-read language. Consider having someone proofread or edit your complaint before submitting it.
What to Expect
You might be contacted by the Board for more information or details, or you might not. Sometimes the Board investigates complaints quickly. Sometimes an investigation takes many weeks or months. If you have questions about your complaint or the complaint process, contact the Board at 844-753-7825.