Authority and scope
Check the professional and concern
The Board investigates nursing practice concerns involving RNs and LPNs, including nurses practicing in North Carolina under another state’s multistate license. CNS and CRNA investigations follow its nursing process; nurse practitioner cases involve joint regulation with the Medical Board, and nurse-midwife matters involve the Midwifery Joint Committee.
Supporting guidance: Complaints FAQ ↗Investigation process ↗
Choose the right licensing authority
Licensed nurses and advanced practice concerns
Board of Nursing intake; advanced practice cases may involve joint oversight.
Open this official route ↗Nurse Aide I / Nurse Aide II
DHHS Health Service Regulation complaint intake, separate from the Nursing Board.
Open this official route ↗How the official source says to file
- Open the Board complaint portal and choose the public complaint route; employer complaints and self-reports have separate choices.
- Identify who was involved, what happened, where and when it happened, and how you learned about it. Supply contact details and supporting information when available so investigators can follow up.
- For a Nurse Aide I or II, use the DHHS complaint route identified separately below.
Supporting guidance: Public complaints ↗Complaints FAQ ↗Board complaint portal ↗
What this route may not provide
The Board does not handle compensation claims, fee disputes, routine employment grievances, or complaints against nursing assistants. Its FAQ directs both Nurse Aide I and Nurse Aide II complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services. Facilities and physicians have separate regulators.
Supporting guidance: Complaints FAQ ↗
Do not guess about confidentiality
The Board accepts anonymous complaints, but missing contact information can hinder investigation. It cannot guarantee anonymity; a contested case may require testimony. Named complainants receive notification of the final outcome.
Supporting guidance: Public complaints ↗Complaints FAQ ↗
Board FAQ permits older complaints; report promptly.
The Board FAQ says it reviews complaints regardless of how long ago the incident occurred. It recommends timely reporting because evidence and witnesses become harder to obtain. That statement is about Nursing Board complaints; it does not establish deadlines for DHHS, other agencies, or other claims.
Supporting guidance: Complaints FAQ ↗Public complaints ↗
What may happen after filing
The Board screens jurisdiction, risk, and whether allegations could violate nursing law. If it investigates, staff gather records and interviews, usually notify the nurse, and obtain the nurse’s response. An investigation may take weeks or months depending on complexity and access to people and records.
Supporting guidance: Investigation process ↗
Prepare a reviewable submission
State the concern you want reviewed, then add a short chronology, best supporting records, factual consequences, and a specific request for review.
Sources and scope
Public complaints ↗
Public filing guidance, anonymity, jurisdiction exclusions, and timely reporting.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Complaints FAQ ↗
Aide I/II routing, employment and fee exclusions, multistate practice, anonymity, and age of complaints.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Investigation process ↗
RN/LPN and advanced practice handling, interviews and records, investigation duration.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Board complaint portal ↗
Public, employer, and self-report entry choices.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
DHHS: File a complaint ↗
Separate health service regulation complaint route.
Source checked: September 19, 2026
Source check: September 19, 2026. This records a review of the linked material, not a decision about your case. No clinical or legal reviewer is identified for this guide. Confirm current instructions with the receiving authority.