Consumer Protection

In order to protect the public, the General Assembly of Kentucky mandates that the practice of nursing be regulated and controlled according to the Kentucky Nursing Laws.  Nurses, by virtue of their state license, have intimate, physical and emotional contact with residents, clients and patients as well as access to personal property in some settings.  In this capacity, nurses are placed in a position of public trust.  Nurses are afforded free access to rooms, homes and intimate body parts of patients, residents or clients who are sick, disabled or dependent on others.  These individuals may be vulnerable in that they may be unable to protect themselves, voice objections to actions, or provide accurate accounts of events at a later time.

Individuals in need of a nursing service rely on the existence of state licensure to assure that those nurses who are providing nursing care are worthy of this extraordinary trust and are held in high standard.  KBN is charged with protecting the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The Board, through enforcement of statutes and regulations, has a duty to exclude nurses who pose a risk to the public health and safety.

The Consumer Protection Branch is comprised of the Compliance Section and the Investigation and Discipline Section. 

The Compliance Section monitors nurses through the Kentucky Alternative Recovery Effort (KARE) for Nurses Program, as well as nurses disciplined by KBN whose license has been placed on a limited/probated status.  Monitoring nurses through regulation helps to ensure public health and protection.

The Investigation and Discipline Section investigates complaints submitted to KBN.  The role of the Investigation and Discipline Section is to gather the facts in the complaint from the nurse and the complainant to determine if there has been a violation of the Kentucky Nursing Laws and, if so, to seek resolution of the complaint.