An experienced and skilled nurse attorney has surely helped a lot of RNs and LVNs when it comes to cases that may lead to disciplinary action. Unfortunately, not all nurses were able to hire a nurse attorney as they underwent such cases. This incident that an RN committed on January 3, 2014, was one of those examples.
On or about January 3, 2014, through June 6, 2014, while employed as a Registered Nurse in a hospital in San Antonio, Texas, the RN withdrew controlled substances on five occasions and failed to accurately and completely document the administration and withdrawal of the medications in patients’ medical records. Failure to fully and completely document the administration resulted in inaccurate medical records that could have exposed the patients to an overdose of pain medication as other staff would rely on the records to care for the patients.
The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction over all cases regarding errors committed by an RN or LVN. Thus, she was called by the Board to defend against the case.
In response to the complaints filed against her, the RN states that she was unaccustomed to the computerized charting system that had just gone live and was not aware that medications scanned at the bedside may not have been captured in the computerized system. The RN also submitted to a drug screen, which was negative.
However, due to the lack of an experienced nurse attorney, the following incident and defense against the case caused the Texas Board of Nursing to place the RN and her license into disciplinary proceedings. She would have sought assistance from a good nurse attorney to provide clarifications towards the case.
If you’ve ever done any errors during your shift as an RN or LVN, and you wish to preserve your career and your license, an experienced nurse attorney is what you need. Nurse Attorney Yong J. An, an experienced nurse lawyer for various licensing cases for 14 years, can assist you by contacting him at (832) 428-5679.