Can Past Discipline from the Arizona Nursing Board be Removed from Nursys? | Disciplinary Case
So, can past discipline from the Arizona Nursing Board be removed from NURSYS?
No, under current Arizona Board of Nursing (“Board”) laws, the Board cannot remove past discipline from NURSYS (the national database for verification of nurse licensure).
In 2018, the Board moved license verification from the Board’s website to NURSYS. Previous Board policy removed all disciplinary actions from a nurse’s record after five years. It is no longer the policy.
Links of Interest:
- 2 Ways to Overcome a Summary Suspension with the Arizona Nursing Board
- Can You Work Registry While on Probation with The Arizona Nursing Board?
Disciplinary Actions Imposed by the Arizona Board of Nursing
- Revocation
- Suspension
- Voluntary Surrender
- Probation (Consent Agreement)
- Civil Penalty
- Decree of Censure
Two Options for Discipline Case Removal
Per Nursys rules, there are effectively only two ways for a discipline case to be removed or deleted from the database:
- Board Error: If discipline has been attached to your license by error, the Board can correct this and delete the incorrect report.
- Expungement of Case: Arizona Board of Nursing currently does not offer any past disciplinary case expungement. There would need to be a change in Arizona law for this to become an option.
Formal Disciplinary Action
A voluntary surrender will place a permanent mark on a nurse’s record.
Thus, a nurse must make sure they are making an informed decision. Voluntary surrender is when a licensee voluntarily surrenders a professional license or voluntarily agrees not to renew one’s license, usually to resolve an outstanding complaint instead of going through the investigatory process that could lead to discipline, suspension, or revocation.
Voluntary surrender is considered formal discipline. Any formal disciplinary action from the Arizona Nursing Board is reported to NURSYS and the National Practitioner Database.
What is NURSYS?
NURSYS is a comprehensive national database that enables nurses to gain access to information about their practice privileges and the state board they registered with. Employers can also use this service because it helps them verify whether someone meets the necessary requirements on licensing, discipline history, and past employment records from one source.
Under current Arizona law, once a disciplinary action is reported to NURSYS from the Arizona Nursing Board, one can never remove it. They used to remove the disciplinary actions from the Board’s website after five years. However, that policy has changed now that the Board no longer hosts its own license verification.
Legal Help with Arizona Nursing Board Discipline and Nursys Records
For direct legal help, contact us today or see our Nursing License Defense Attorney page.