File a Complaint

The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) regulates nurse licenses, nursing education programs, and nursing assistant training programs in Washington state.

File a complaint

Nursing education complaint

Visit Nursing Program Complaints to file a complaint about:

Nursing education program
Nursing faculty member
Nursing Assistant training program

You filed a complaint. Now what?

If you filed the complaint and the commission decides to close the complaint without an investigation, you will be notified by mail. You may ask the commission to reconsider its decision. This is a one-time option to submit additional, relevant information that indicates a violation of nursing law occurred (see RCW 18.130). Without additional relevant information, the case will remain closed.

If the commission decides to investigate your complaint, the investigator may need you to:

to determine if you are considered a whistleblower see WAC 246-15
write a statement regarding the incident

A complaint has been filed against your nursing license. Now what?

You may not know a complaint has been filed until you receive either a letter telling you a complaint was filed and closed, or a letter advising you an investigation has been initiated. These letters are usually sent out within five days of the decision.

A note about nurse disciplinary action and self-care for the nurse

Nurses report facing a complaint against their professional license is often one of the more stressful experiences in their careers. The commission understands nurses enter the profession to save lives and to provide excellent care, and no nurse sets out to make mistakes. Especially when there has been a negative patient outcome, the nurse may experience a rush of emotions. The commission urges nurses to engage their support systems and seek professional help if stress becomes a problem.

The commission's legal duty is to protect the public and remediate nurses' practice, not to punish. Furthermore, the commission supports the concept of "just culture." Keep in mind the majority of cases do not require license suspension.