Being a registered or a licensed nurse in the state of Texas can be highly rewarding. It feels good for every RN nurse or LVN nurse to attend to the varying needs of several patients. However, the nursing profession is also equally challenging. There is a need for possessors of nursing licenses to observe the administrative rules laid down by the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). And that a lot of nurses are experiencing trouble and their licenses are at risk. It is necessary for nurses to know when is the time to need the help of a nurse attorney.
An incident took place and happened on or about October 30, 2015, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse at a hospital in Edinburg, Texas, the LVN violated the professional boundaries of the nurse/client relationship in that she listed herself as the ‘Responsible Party’ on the admission paperwork of a patient to a Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The LVN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that it could have resulted in confusion between the needs of the nurse and those of the patient. Formal Charges were filed against the LVN on December 3, 2018.
In response, the LVN states the patient came into the facility on or about October 15, 2015. The LVN states she was the patient’s admitting nurse and the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) at the time, she did not know the patient upon admission. The LVN states immediately after the patient was admitted the patient informed her that she was being taken advantage of and abused. The LVN states she immediately notified her Director of Nursing and Administration, as well as the Police Department and the facility social worker. The LVN states the patient explained they did not have any living family and several weeks after being at the facility the patient was evaluated and had begun to show signs of dementia. The LVN states as more time passed, she continued to help the patient with personal matters. The LVN states in December she was offered a position at another facility and relinquished her duties as the ADON, but stayed on to help train the new ADON, her final day being December 22, 2015. The LVN states she continued to visit the patient, wanting to be there to support the patient, knowing there was not any family or friends visiting. She also states that at the beginning of February 2016 she was approached by the admissions coordinator, knowing the LVN was the only person consistently visiting the patient, regarding the patient’s admission paperwork, and asked the VLN to sign admission paperwork as the “Responsible Party”. The LVN states that she and the patient agreed that she would sign paperwork to be the patient’s “Responsible Party” so the facility could call the LVN if the patient needed anything, however, the LVN states when signing the paperwork, she did not write in the date and also did not notice the pre-printed date on the paperwork of October 30, 2015, which is when the patient’s previous caregiver was removed.
The LVN failed to properly present and defend her case against the court. She was disciplined warning to suspension of her LVN license by violating Texas Board of Nursing regulation.
Avoid a similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right nurse attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON).
If you have questions about the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process, you may consult with Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An, by calling or texting him at (832) 428-5679 day, night, or on weekends. He is available 24/7.