The Board's Investigations Division receives allegations of potential violations of Mississippi's Nurse Practice Act. Those allegations come from a variety of sources, including self-reports, coworkers, supervisors, patients and patients' families, law enforcement, other regulatory agencies, other state boards of nursing, and anonymous reporters.
The Investigations Division reviews each allegation to determine whether the Board has jurisdiction and whether there is sufficient evidence to support an investigation. The investigation includes interviews of the alleged violator and any witnesses and reviews of medical records, court documents, and facility investigation reports along with document requests made through the Board's power to issue subpoenas.
Upon conclusion of each investigation, Board staff reviews all the investigative data and determines whether or not a violation of the Nurse Practice Law occurred. The Board staff then makes a decision whether to close the case, move to informal proceedings to settle the case, or proceed to filing formal charges and presenting evidence at a formal hearing. An important part of the disciplinary process is providing the alleged violator an opportunity to respond to the complaint and present her or his side of the case.
Investigation Files Are Confidential
Pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated 73-15-31(3), all records of any Board investigation are confidential and are not subject to discovery or subpoena.
