Experiences of Registered Nurses involved in regulatory disciplinary processes: Scoping review protocol

The objective of this scoping review is to explore available literature on the experiences of Registered Nurses (RNs), Nurse Practitioners (NPs), and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs), who have been through the disciplinary process by the regulatory body.

Nursing is a regulated profession. Professions are regulated when there is significant risk of harm to the public if the practice is performed incorrectly. Empowered by legislation, regulatory bodies have a mandate to protect the public. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing high standards of practice and intervening when a nurse's conduct is deemed unacceptable. Existing research on disciplinary action against RNs has primarily focused on regulatory processes, predictors of misconduct, characteristics of disciplined nurses, and case outcomes across jurisdictions. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding the experiences of RNs have been through disciplinary proceedings. A deeper understanding of these experiences is essential to inform supportive measures for nurses during the disciplinary process and to guide improvements in regulatory policy and procedures.

This review will consider literature that includes the experiences of nurses who have gone through any component of the disciplinary process by the regulatory body. Gray literature, non-empirical, and social media (e.g., blogs) searches will be included as these sources may provide genuine and unsolicited insights into the lived experiences of nurses. Research related to the mental health of nurses, specific to disciplinary action, will be included. RNs who are regulated by entities other than a nursing regulatory body will be excluded. Research focused only on nursing disciplinary policy, procedure, outcomes or document review will be excluded, as the focus is on the lived experiences of RNs.

The JBI methodology for scoping reviews will guide the review process. A 3-step search strategy will be followed to identify published and unpublished literature in English or French with no time limit placed on the search. Data extracted from eligible literature will align with the review protocol, objectives, and research question. The results will be reported in tabular and/or diagrammatic format, accompanied by a narrative summary. OSF Review registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/N3SCZ.