Your nearest experienced nurse attorney can assist you even in any cases including negligence and misinformation. However, most nurses are not aware of this, which is why this particular RN from Brownwood faced disciplinary action for assisting other residents unnecessarily.
On or about January 23, 2017, while employed as a Charge Nurse in a hospital in Brownwood, the RN misappropriated chronic pain medication 2ml and one Hydrocodone 7.5/325 tablet belonging to the facility and patients thereof, or failed to take precautions to prevent such misappropriation.
Furthermore, when questioned by facility staff about the missing medications, facility staff observed she removed the chronic pain medication 10mg/ml, missing 2ml; one Hydrocodone 7.5/325 tab card, missing one tablet; and one (1) bottle of Diazepam, from her pocket. Her conduct was likely to defraud the facility and patients thereof of the cost of the medications.
Additionally, the RN also lacked fitness to practice nursing in that she exhibited signs of impaired behavior while on duty, including, but not limited to: unsteady gait, slurred speech, and drowsiness. Her condition could have affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms, or changes in patient’s conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing the patients in potential danger.
In addition, the RN got engaged in the intemperate use of controlled substances in that she produced a specimen for a drug screen that resulted positive for the said controlled substances. Unlawful possession of such drugs is prohibited by Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health & Safety Code. The use of controlled substances by a Nurse, while subject to call or duty, could impair the nurse’s ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms, or changes in a patient’s condition, and could impair the nurse’s ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing a patient in potential danger.
The Texas Board of Nursing took immediate notice of this serious matter and summoned the RN for a hearing against her case. She states she had an injury and returned to work on January 23, 2017. She relates she took one prescribed Hydrocodone 5/325mg tablet and one prescribed Xanax 0.25mg tablet before work that morning, which later made her feel very drowsy, dizzy, and nauseated.
The RN further relates she should not have gone to work that morning and that she should not have taken her prescribed medications before going to work. She denies misappropriating any controlled substances.
However, the Board does not allow such an excuse, which is why it was best for the RN to hire a nurse attorney in the first place.
The Texas Board of Nursing sentenced her RN license to disciplinary action to ensure that she will be able to perform the right ethics, as well as follow the guidelines of the hospital in the future. It is extremely important for all nurses to follow the rules of their hospital, and even simple errors like wearing civilian attire in the operating room must be strictly followed.
If you ever violated any guidelines in your hospital, but have a good reason for your defense, it’s best to seek legal consultation first with a nurse attorney. For the best counseling you can ever receive for your case, Attorney Yong J. An is here to help you out. You may contact him at (832)-428-5679 for further details.