The Texas Board of Nursing is known to be very strict when it comes to all actions of nurses, which is why a nurse attorney is needed when attending hearings before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing does not allow those who wish to exceed the scope of their practice as an RN or LVN. This is what exactly happened to a certain RN in Lubbock, but failed to hire a good nurse attorney.
On or about November 11, 2017, the RN inappropriately bypassed the positive patient identification (PPID) process by overriding the required scanning of the patient ID band for a patient while drawing a blood specimen for a type and screen test. As a result, the lab rejected the blood specimen and a second specimen needed to be redrawn. Her conduct delayed the lab results and caused the patient to undergo a second blood draw.
Subsequently, the RN inappropriately combined two (2) blood specimens belonging to two different patients, and from two unlabeled tubes, and submitted it as the required second specimen for the aforementioned patient. Additionally, the RN falsified the specimen’s integrity by labeling it, although she did not actually draw it, and scanning it per PPID guidelines. Her conduct deceived the lab and was likely to injure the patient from inappropriate treatments due to incorrect lab results.
The Texas Board of Nursing took action to the case, summoning the RN to defend against the accusation. During the hearing, the RN states that since the patient did not have an ID bracelet, she verbally verified the patient’s ID by asking her name and date of birth. She admits she overrode the patient’s ID scan but states she was not aware that this was not an option for a type and screen. She states that had she known, she would have waited until the patient’s ID bracelet was ready. The RN further admits she combined the two blood specimens but attributes that to a miscommunication with another nurse.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing decided to sentence her RN license to disciplinary action to ensure that she will never commit such acts again. The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction over all cases that may affect the RN license. The strictness of the Board also ensures that nurses will only commit to the duties they are assigned to in order to guarantee accurate and excellent performance in all hospitals throughout the state of Texas.
The case would have yielded a different result if the RN was able to hire a nurse attorney. So if you also have the same cases or concerns, it’s best to contact Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for further details. You may contact him at (832) 428-5679 to get a schedule for a confidential consultation.