No. Public Reprimands do not impact Compact licensure.
Nurses with encumbered licenses do not qualify for Compact licensure. If your license is currently encumbered by Probation or Suspension, you cannot apply for a Compact license. If you currently hold a Compact license and receive Probation, your multistate license will be deactivated, making you a single state licensee, until all encumbrances are satisfied. Once all encumbrances are satisfied, you will be able to apply for licensure under the Compact.
Options are:
- The total amount of the fee may be paid at Services, Fees, & Fines on the ABN website. You may use a credit or debit card. A $3.50 transaction fee will be added to the total.
- Cashier’s checks, money orders, certified checks, or corporate/business checks (in an amount not to exceed the total fine amount due) may be mailed or hand-delivered to the ABN office.
Include your nursing license number OR case number on all items you send to the Board.
No, you may not pay the fine before your Order is approved/issued by the Board following a regularly scheduled Board Meeting. Fines will be posted once your Order is approved by the Board. The Board meets every other month to review discipline.
You should maintain a copy of the Board/Consent Order in your permanent professional records in case a future employer requests to see it.
Board Orders are not currently available on the ABN website. However, once the Board approves your Order, anyone can request and pay for a copy of your Order.
You may voluntarily surrender your nursing license. Contact the Legal Division at 334.293.5222 and request the Voluntary Surrender form. A Voluntary Surrender is considered and reported as a revocation of your license.
There are four types of disciplinary action: Public Reprimand, Probation, Suspension, and Revocation.
Include your nursing license number OR case number on all items you send to the Board.
Options are:
- The total amount of the fee may be paid at Services, Fees, & Fines on the ABN website. You may use a credit or debit card. A $3.50 transaction fee will be added to the total.
- Cashier’s checks, money orders, certified checks, or corporate/business checks (in an amount not to exceed the total fine amount due) may be mailed or hand-delivered to the ABN office.
No. The ABN does not have authority to fine a license without assessing disciplinary action.
Disciplinary action is permanent and is never removed from your license history. However, although the disciplinary action is permanent, so, too, is successful completion of disciplinary action.
Yes. You should be aware that you may have to disclose that your license is currently subject to investigation on license renewals (Alabama, as well as other states) and employment applications.
The ABN has no jurisdiction over questions on an employment application; but you should be aware that fraudulent answers on employment applications may subject your license to disciplinary action.
Investigations are not a matter of public record.
You may voluntarily surrender your nursing license. Contact the Legal Division at 334.293.5222 and request the Voluntary Surrender form. A Voluntary Surrender is considered and reported as a revocation of your license.
License discipline requires Board action. This occurs either through approval and acceptance of a Consent Order that the nurse is aware of at a regularly scheduled Board Meeting; or, following an Administrative Hearing which the nurse would have been sent notification of its scheduled date and time, consistent with law.
Your investigation remains open until you are notified in writing of its resolution. If a case is to be closed, the nurse will receive a letter notifying him or her of such. However, if a Nurse Practice Act violation was identified during the investigation, the nurse will be contacted about resolving that through a Consent Order, Hearing, or Voluntary Surrender.
The Board makes every attempt to ensure the nurse is notified about a scheduled Hearing. However, it is ultimately the nurse’s responsibility to ensure that his or her contact information is current with the ABN. Contact information may be updated in My Profile.
Although you may call the Board, there are many factors that only you, the potential applicant know, so the Board will be unable to assist you regarding those issues. Before you call the Board, ask yourself these questions:
- Have I read all information on the Revoked Reinstatement section of the website?
- Have I read the Requirements (“Board Rules”) about Reinstatement of a Revoked License?
- Did I watch the Video about Reinstatement of a Revoked Nursing License?
- Have I read the entire Application for Reinstatement of a Revoked Nursing License?
- Have I read all of the Application Supporting Documents, Forms 1 – 4?
- Have I reviewed a copy of the Order which resulted in the revocation of my license?
- If there was no Order of the Board which revoked my license and I voluntarily surrendered, why did I surrender my license and have I addressed that issue?
- Has anything occurred since the revocation of my license (i.e., arrests, convictions, etc.) that I still need to address?
A Voluntary Surrender results in a license status of revocation. You must complete the reinstatement of a revoked nursing license process if you wish to have your nursing license reinstated.
The Board’s requirements are very specific. You must show a pattern of recovery, and ability to document such, in order to demonstrate that you are able to comply with any monitoring stipulations imposed if the license is reinstated.
Yes, if the license is reinstated on probation. Probation includes a minimum work requirement in a licensed nursing capacity of 96 hours per month. If you do not plan to work as a nurse, you may need to carefully consider your plans to apply to reinstate your license.
It depends on the circumstances of the events which lead up to and following the revocation of your license. Currently, the maximum amount of time that a license is placed on probation is sixty months.
Common monitoring stipulations include: monthly reporting to the Board, quarterly reporting by the nursing employer, quarterly reporting by the continuing care counselor (if required and not yet complete), quarterly reporting by the individual therapist (if required and not yet complete), attendance of at least three abstinence-based support group meetings (e.g., AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery, etc.) weekly (if required), nursing employment for a minimum period of time, random drug screening (if required), and prescription verification. You should carefully review your Order if your license is reinstated for your specific requirements.
A written request is required and may be submitted to the Board via email (abn@abn.alabama.gov), mail (Alabama Board of Nursing, P.O. Box 303900, Montgomery, AL 36130-3900), or fax (334-293-5201). Copies of records are five (5) dollars search fee and 0.25 cents per page. The fees must be paid to the Board prior to the records being released. You will be sent a bill or you may pay the bill online if you request it as a licensee of the Alabama Board of Nursing.
No. You must hold an active, unencumbered Alabama nursing license to qualify for Compact licensure in this state. Nurses with revoked licenses must reinstate and satisfy any encumbrances or conditions of reinstatement, prior to applying for multistate licenses.
You should submit detailed testing results and the missed call report from the Board-recognized program of random drug screening.
The Board has no control over the costs of the drug screens. However, screens typically cost approximately $60-$80 each.
An evaluation conducted in an inpatient setting over a period of four (4) to seven (7) days by a multidisciplinary team that includes assessment of the applicant or licensed nurse’s physical health, substance use, psychological and psychiatric functioning, family and social assessment, and legal and occupational history. Neuropsychological and cognitive testing, drug testing, and any other testing deemed appropriate by the evaluation team may also be included.
What one must do to satisfy the court and possibly stay out of jail differs from what one must do to satisfy the Board and demonstrate that he or she is able to provide safe nursing care. Although you may submit whatever documentation you have regarding what you completed to satisfy the court or some other entity, in order to apply for reinstatement of your nursing license, you must comply with the requirements defined by the Board.
You should contact one of the identified Board-recognized providers who have a Health Professions Tract to schedule the Evaluation identified on the Treatment Provider: Comprehensive Evaluation list.
The Board has no control over the costs of the Evaluation performed by healthcare agencies. However, the Board is aware that costs are usually about $4000. Some specialized assessments, such as a professional sexual misconduct assessment, usually incur additional costs. You should check for costs when you contact the provider.
No, insurance rarely pays, unless the individual is still actively seeking treatment for the condition. Even then, payment of services is dependent upon the individual health plan.
No, you do not need a referral. You just need to call your selected provider to schedule the Comprehensive Evaluation. However, if you intend to use the results of the Comprehensive Evaluation toward reinstatement of your revoked nursing license, you should complete and submit the General Release & Authorization to Disclose (Form 3). Board rules require the sharing of information between healthcare providers and Board staff. You should submit this form at least two weeks prior to your scheduled Evaluation.
Yes, unless your selected provider is willing to submit required documentation in order to become a Board-recognized provider. Your provider should contact the Board if they desire to become recognized by the ABN.
Yes, if the circumstances that resulted in the revocation of the license involved allegations of:
- Substance abuse;
- Substance dependence;
- Drug diversion; or
- The license was revoked while encumbered by an order requiring a program of random drug screening.
Board rules require that the Comprehensive Evaluation be performed within the twelve months prior to submitting an application for Reinstatement of a Revoked Nursing License.
Board rules require that applicants whose license revocation circumstances involved allegations of physical or mental impairment shall provide documented evidence of current neuropsychological and physiological evaluations.
Often, yes. But you should contact the Board prior to seeking an evaluation from your psychiatrist to ensure that appropriate releases are signed by all parties, and that the psychiatrist is willing and able to perform all necessary components of the evaluation. *Note: A sole psychiatrist evaluation is insufficient for purposes of a substance use Comprehensive Evaluation. Further, the Board will not accept attempts to “piecemeal” the required substance use Comprehensive Evaluation.