The practice of law is just like medicine in that there is a trend to more and more specialization. Criminal law is different than civil law which is different than administrative law. Facing the board of nursing isn't the same as a facing the criminal justice system in several ways. Two of the biggest differences is they can use "hear say" evidence and they don't have to read you your rights ("You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can, and will be used against you..."). I consult with an attorney who specializes in licensure defense. The board of nursing has one job, to protect the public from unsafe nurses. While some boards do have the impaired nurse's interests in mind, that's pretty unusual. Each state nurse practice act is similar but different than every other nurse practice act. The board of nursing will develop a "consent agreement" which is a contract that will determine your ability to practice nursing now and in the future. It will spell out how long your license will be suspended (if at all), how long before you may petition the board for reinstatement, what you must do before you can apply for reinstatement (have a psychiatric or chemical dependency assessment, how often and for how long you will have to provide urines for tox screens, how many support groups you have to attend in a week and for how long, how often your boss will have to provide reports to the board if/when you return to practice, controlled substances restrictions, if you have to have a backround check before applying for reinstatement, how long your license will be suspended, how long your license will have restrictions, etc. etc.).
As an example of how an attorney can be helpful, 2 CRNAs I'm working with both had clauses in their consent agreement stating they would have to seek permission from the board before they could accept a job as a nurse anesthetist...for 10 years! This was the first time their attorney had ever seen this. Before signing the agreement, the attorney worked with the board's attorney to get that down to 3 years. I guarantee you, the CRNAs would not have been able to get that reduced if they had represented themselves.
Your ability to practice as a nurse is resting in the hands of the board of nursing. Would you face criminal charges without an attorney? If you were facing civil action in the form of a law suit, would you go without an attorney? This is no different. That's the reason I recommend to every nurse facing the board of nursing, they should consider obtaining representation by an attorney who knows and understand the nurse practice act. That's exactly why I recommend nurse attorneys (The American Association of Nurse Attorneys is the link to their web site. I don't know if they have attorneys in your area who provide representation for free (pro bono), but it's certainly worth a phone call or email to find out).
Everything may go well. But if it doesn't, there may be little an attorney can do after the fact. I don't say any of this to frighten or discourage you. In an ideal world everyone struggling with substance abuse or chemical dependence would automatically enter treatment and the board of nursing would understand and do what's best for these nurses. Unfortunately that's not the way the real world operates. There is still a great deal of ignorance in the nursing profession about this disease and how to deal with nurses, doctors, pharmacists and other health care professionals who have it.
Here are some links that may be useful:
The American Nurses Association Impaired Nurse Resource Center
The Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program (HPRP)
Information regarding Michigan Board of Nursing
Feel free to send a private message.