Accusations are a must to be observed properly not only by the Board but by a nurse attorney. Any type of accusations can be defended, as long as there is a skilled nurse attorney ready to assist you during the hearing before the Board of Nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction regarding cases that may affect an RN or LVN’s license from suspension, disciplinary action or revocation.
One such incident happened to an LVN. During the time of the initial incident, the RN was employed in a medical center in Dallas and had been in that position for one year and two months already.
On or about October 14, 2016, the LVN failed to assess the vital signs of a patient prior to transferring the patient from the Emergency Department to the Medical Unit. Instead, she documented vital signs reported to her in report from the off-going nurse in the patient’s medical record. Her conduct was likely to injure the patient from undetected changes of condition and from subsequent care givers who would be relying on his documentation to provide ongoing medical care for the patient.
In response to the accusations filed against her, the LVN states that she received report on the patient but was unable to assess the patient before transfer to the medical surgical floor. Therefore, she states she was instructed by the charge nurse to note that she was transferring patient based on the previous nurse and doctor’s assessment since she had not seen the patient. Unfortunately, the Texas BON suspended her LVN license due to lack of appropriate defense from a nurse attorney.
Another accusations against an LVN happened on or about February 20, 2007 through January 29. An LVN practiced as a Registered Nurse in the State of Texas without a valid Texas license. Specifically, Respondent worked without a valid Texas license. Her conduct deceived patients, their families, fellow care givers, and the public in that they believed the LVN’s nursing practice was in compliance with all Board Rules and Regulations.
On or about August 3, 2016, the LVN falsely documented nursing notes for a patient. Specifically, the LVN documented that she provided nursing care to the patient; however, she left the patient’s home two hours into her shift.
The LVN’s conduct created inaccurate medical records and was likely to defraud and deceive the facility of money paid to the LVN for hours not actually worked. In addition, her conduct was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent care givers would rely on her documentation for further care.
In response to all the accusations against her, the LVN states that at the time of her hiring, she was informed by personnel at the hospital that California was a compact state and no further action was needed in regards to her licensure as a LVN. She states that during her employment with the hospital, she provided all required documentation requested by the hospital for employment and at no time was she ever informed there was any discrepancy with her licensure as an LV.
The LVN further states that upon being notified that she would no longer be caring for the patient, the patient’s mother began to scream and shout at her to immediately leave the premises. She states she feared for her safety at the time and was forced to leave the premises with very short notice. She believes the documentation of assessments was data she was transcribing from an old flow sheet to a new flow sheet.
As to the documentation regarding medications and treatments, the LVN states that under the pressure of being rushed out of the home, she erroneously signed the medication administration record under the wrong date. She states she made some critical errors in regards to her documentation and should have carefully reviewed the nursing note that was hastily given to her by the patient’s mother prior to being being forced to leave. The LVN accepts full responsibility for her actions and the care she provided to the patient.
The Texas Board of Nursing then decided to subject the LVN and her license into disciplinary proceedings. The said proceedings shall ensure the safety of the patient, along with a better future for the LVN’s career. However, she should contact a nurse attorney in order to receive assistance regarding the case, especially if the LVN sincerely thinks of it as an accusation.
For more details or for a confidential consultation regarding accusations, it’s best to contact an experienced nurse attorney. Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney which helped RNs and LVNs defend against many cases since 2006. You can call him at (832)-428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.