Accurate and thorough documentation is essential for every medication administered to patients. It is crucial to ensure that medications are administered correctly. However, if an RN makes an error in medication administration and fails to document it, disciplinary action from the Board may be imminent. In such cases, it is advisable for the RN to seek assistance from a nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an RN at a hospital in Beaumont, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year.
On or about October 8, 2020, while employed as an RN at a hospital in Beaumont, Texas, RN was accused of the following:
- RN failed to notify the physician when the family of a patient refused insertion of a second intravenous line so that RN could administer an antibiotic, Merrem 500mg, intravenously every eight (8) hours, as ordered by the physician. As a result, RN did not administer the Merrem and documented in the medical record that administration was not appropriate at 0929 because a blood transfusion was ongoing. RN’s conduct could have harmed the patient from ineffective treatment of infection and resulted in an inaccurate medical record.
- RN twice failed to administer Metoprolol 25mg orally every six (6) hours to a patient as ordered by the physician. In addition, RN failed to assess the patient and notify the physician that the Metoprolol was not administered. Instead, RN documented in the medical record that both administrations were not appropriate. RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and could have injured the patient from ineffective treatment.
In response, RN states she was a new nurse and was learning the tasks required and time management. She points out that her errors were determined by the hospital to be part of a new nurse’s learning curve and the hospital stated she had learned from her mistakes.
The above actions constitute 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)(N),(1)(P)&(3)(A) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12(1)(A),(1)(B)&(4).
The evidence against the RN was strong. At the same time, she was not able to properly defend her case in court. As a result, her nursing license was placed under disciplinary action.
Avoid the similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right defense attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). For more details or for a confidential consultation regarding accusations, it’s best to contact an experienced Texas nurse attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 300 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs for the past 16 years. You can call him at (832) 428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.