Arizona State Board of Nursing

The Arizona State Board of Nursing (Board) emphasizes protecting the public by focusing on the most serious complaint cases and conducting thorough investigations. However, despite its efforts, the Board processes some complaints in an untimely manner. To improve timeliness, three factors should be addressed. First, the Legislature should consider revising statute to enable the Board to obtain substance abuse and other evaluations earlier. Second, the Board should expand its practice of negotiating consent agreements and have the nurse/certified nursing assistant sign it before presenting it to the Board for its review and approval. Third, the Board should improve the accuracy and consistency of information in its database and use the database to enhance its monitoring and tracking of complaint-processing timeliness.