In nursing, a nurse is in charge of a patient’s well-being during a patient’s admittance to a hospital. A nurse help patients cope with illness and they are expected to give the best care and is also expected to immediately attend to patient’s needs, especially during urgent or emergency times but what if a nurse fails to attend to a patient’s need during those times of emergencies, will the nurse be accountable to whatever the outcome of such negligence? If such a thing happens, a nurse attorney is reliable and can help RNs in defending themselves to the Board.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Grapevine, Texas, and had been in that position for eight (8) months.
On or about July 1, 2019, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN inappropriately administered two 0.5mg Dilaudid boluses to a patient via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump connected to the patient via hemodialysis tunneled catheter, without training and/or a documented competency in hemodialysis catheters. The RN’s conduct may have exposed the patient to an increased risk of injury in that she had not demonstrated competency with hemodialysis tunneled catheters at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
On or about August 2, 2019, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN incorrectly documented that she administered Zyprexa 2.5mg to a patient at 0504 in the patient’s medication administration record (MAR). The RN’s conduct created an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would not have accurate information to base their decisions for further care.
On or about November 7, 201 9, the RN removed a 100mcg Fentanyl patch from a patient without a physician’s order. Additionally, the RN incorrectly documented that she removed a 50mcg Fentanyl patch. The RN’s conduct unnecessarily exposed the patient to increased pain and created an inaccurate medical record.
In regards to the incidents regarding the patient, the RN acknowledges that she gave the two boluses. Though the RN had not been assessed at UT Southwestern for competency with a hemodialysis tunneled catheter, she had years of experience as a hemodialysis nurse, during which she had experience with this type of catheter. The RN further states that there were two competent and duly licensed physicians at the bedside with her when she followed their orders to access the hemodialysis tunneled catheter.
Additionally, the RN further states that the tunneled catheter was the only access site possible for this patient. The RN admits she accidentally charted that she gave the “as needed” Zyprexa when she meant to chart that the patient refused the medication. The RN further states that in the medication administration record, if a medication was refused it had the nurse’s name, but no scanned package number, which is exactly like the RN’s entry at 0504. The RN also states that due to the change in orders for the Fentanyl patch on the day shift prior to her night shift, the RN thinks that she saw the discontinue order for the 50mg patch and thought she was removing the 50mg patch but accidentally removed the 100mg patch.
As a result, of the RN’s misconduct, the RN has to face disciplinary action from the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) gave the RN the chance to defend herself. However, she was not able to provide a good defense for herself like hiring the right nurse attorney.
It’s best to seek the help of a nurse attorney when facing charges related to drug use. However, some nurses tend to face these results instead without thinking that nurse attorneys are always reliable for matters such as these.
You may contact Nurse Attorney Yong J. An 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.