Discipline & Complaints - How to File a Complaint

The BON enforces the Nursing Practice Act and BON Rules and Regulations by setting minimum standards for nursing practice and nursing education, conducting investigations of complaints against nurses and adjudicating complaints. Complaints are received about nursing practice or conduct which could be violations of the Nursing Practice Act (NPA), and may include, but not limited to, the following:

Behaviors which likely expose a patient or other person unnecessarily to the risk of harm;
Unprofessional conduct by the nurse, as defined by 22 Tex. Admin. Code §217.12;
Failure to adequately care for a patient;
Failure to conform to the minimum standards of acceptable nursing practice, as defined by 22 Tex. Admin. Code §217.11; and/or
Impairment or likely impairment of the nurse's practice by chemical dependency, alcohol or mental illness.

The Board does not normally address complaints about rudeness of a nurse to co-workers, violations of hospital policies, and general employer-employee issues.

Filing a Complaint against a Nurse

Complaints may be filed at any time against a nurse by completing a:

All complaints can be submitted through the online complaint form. Nursing Peer Review Committees and employers who use the online complaint form will also be required to upload either their written report or a completed complaint form.

If you are unable to complete a complaint in writing or are a person with a disability and would like to file a complaint you may call (512) 305-7431 for further assistance. When a verbal complaint is made, the BON will document a person’s responses and complete a complaint intake form.

In addition, you may request a complaint form be sent to you by calling the Texas Board of Nursing at (512) 305-6838 or the Health Professions Council Complaint Line at 1-800-821-3205, or you may simply write out your complaint on plain paper. Your complaint can be emailed to [email protected], faxed to (512) 305-6870, or mailed to: Texas Board of Nursing, Enforcement, Suite 3-460, 333 Guadalupe St, Austin, Texas 78701.

When filing a complaint, please provide the identity of the nurse involved, including the correct spelling of the name, and the nurse 's license number or social security number, if known, to assist us in identifying the nurse in the event of a common name. Also, please provide a detailed summary of each alleged violation of the Nursing Practice Act (NPA), including dates of each alleged incident and the medical record number of the patient involved. Supplying the medical record number is not a violation of confidentiality. If the incident involves a medication, include the name of the medication. Be as specific as possible in describing the events, and include a list of any witnesses with first-hand observations and knowledge of the incident(s).

All complaint information submitted to the Texas Board of Nursing (BON or Board) is kept confidential throughout the entire process of the investigation. Even if the nurse is disciplined publicly, he/she never learns the source of the complaint from the BON. In addition, every effort is made to protect the identity of patients during the entire process of the investigation, and records have all identifying information changed to allow anonymity.

If you suspect chemical impairment or mental illness as an issue with a nurse, you may immediately report the matters to the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN), in lieu of reporting to the Board, by calling 1-800-288-5528, or by downloading a TPAPN referral form and either mailing it to TPAPN, 4807 Spicewood Springs Rd., Bldg. 3, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759 or faxing it to (512)467-2620.

Should you have further questions or are in need of clarification, please feel free to contact the Board.