BRN executive officer reports 56 IEC reviews, clarifies work and narcotics guidance for nurses in recovery

Loretta Melby, executive officer of the California Board of Registered Nursing, told the board on Aug. 21, 2025, that 56 Intervention Evaluation Committee (IEC) recommendations have been sent to her office for review, 19 have been approved and 31 have been returned to IECs for reconsideration.

The reviews grew out of a board motion to reassess IEC recommendations that required intervention participants to complete direct patient care hours and to be permitted to pass controlled substances. "Direct patient care is not required. Working as an RN may be required, but direct patient care is not required," Melby told the Board.

The clarification matters because IECs across the state had reached differing conclusions about whether nurses in recovery must return to the exact clinical setting where the conduct occurred. Melby said the…