Nurses are entrusted with the responsibility of providing timely and appropriate care to patients, including administering medications as per physician orders and accurately documenting patient information. However, sometimes, due to various factors, this duty may be compromised, as evidenced by an incident involving an LVN. These lapses in medication administration and documentation not only create a risk of patient harm but also result in an incomplete and inaccurate medical record, which can have far-reaching consequences for patient care. A nurse attorney is crucial for LVNs facing issues related to medication administration and documentation errors.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an LVN at a hospital in The Woodlands, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and eight (8) months.
On or about October 14, 2021, while employed as an LVN at a hospital in The Woodlands, Texas, LVN was accused of the following:
- LVN failed to timely administer Dilaudid 4mg tablet to a patient as per physician orders. LVN’s conduct may have caused the patient to suffer from pain for an unnecessary period of time.
- LVN failed to document in the medical record of a patient that the physician was paged on two (2) separate occasions after the patient experienced elevated blood glucose readings of 303 mg/dl and 291 mg/dl. LVN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent care givers would not have accurate and complete information on which to base their care decisions.
In response, LVN states 0.5mg of Dilaudid was administered to the patient at 2140. Furthermore, LVN states the physician was paged on two (2) separate occasions and states she did not document paging the physician in the medical record.
The above action constitutes grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Section 301.452(b)(10)&(13) Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX ADMIN. CODE §217.11(1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C),(1)(D),(1)(M)&(1)(P) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C)&(4).
The Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the LVN’s license to disciplinary action. The accusation would have been defended by an experienced and skilled nurse attorney, had the LVN hired one. Hiring a nurse attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
Always remember that anyone can file a complaint against an RN/LVN with the state board for any reason. When this happens, all complaints need to be taken seriously no matter how trivial or unfounded they may appear. A nurse attorney is someone who can help you defend your license when the state board summons you. Equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise you need for a successful outcome by consulting a knowledgeable and experienced Texas RN license attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for the past 17 years and represented over 500 nurses before the Texas BON. Contact the Law Office of Yong J. An 24/7 through text or call at (832) 428-5679.