Any charges filed against an RN or an LVN could badly affect their license and their career as a nurse. This is why a nurse should never neglect the need to hire a nurse attorney for defense when such a circumstance happens.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed at a hospital in Galveston, Texas, and had been in that position for approximately one (1) month.
On or about November 11, 2019, an RN was assigned to provide nursing care to a pediatric patient; the RN forged the caregiver’s signature for this visit on November 13, 2019, at 8:06 p.m. The RN’s behavior constitutes unprofessional conduct.
On or about November 14, 2019, the RN was assigned to provide nursing care to a pediatric patient, the RN documented that her assignment ended at 3:30 p.m., but falsely documented that she performed nursing care until 5:45 p.m.
Additionally, the RN forged the caregiver’s signature for this visit at 11:31 p.m. after she had left the patient’s home. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patients in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation for further care.
In response to the incident, the RN explains that on November 11, 2019, she took a report at 8:00 am, and was involved in patient care until 6:30 pm when the patient left the house, and she charted until 7:00 pm when her husband picked her up. And additionally explains that when she got to the patient’s house on November 14, 2019, she told the patient’s mom that she wanted to leave at 6:00 pm instead of 8:00 pm because she was sore from her fall during the previous shift. The RN states that the patient’s mom left the house at 10:00 am for a doctor’s appointment, and when she came home at 3:15 pm she told the RN that she could leave. The RN states that the patient’s mom refused to sign her note, but another household member signed it. The RN states that she completed her last patient assessment, pulled the patient’s 5:00 pm NJ feeding tube, finished her last entry at 5:45 pm, and left. The RN states that as she attempted to send her nursing note through their documentation system, and had to scribble a mark on the caregiver’s signature space for it to go through. She also states that she did not attempt to forge the caregiver’s signature and that she was not at the patient’s house at 11:30 pm. The RN states that it’s her belief that the signature she obtained from another household member earlier in the day did not accept or save. The RN states that she had adopted a bad habit of charting ahead and going back and editing. The RN states that it’s her belief that this could be the reason for her charting errors.
Every violation has its consequence and as a result of the RN’s actions, the Texas BON sanctioned the RN and been subjected to disciplinary action. The RN could have received a different result if only he had hired or consulted a nurse attorney for this matter.
A nurse attorney is the one who can help an RN or an LVN with cases such as this. An RN should look for a skilled, reliable, and with lots of experience in handling and dealing with nurse cases. No one can beat a nurse attorney who is an expert in nurse cases.
Do you have questions about the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process? Contact The Law Office of Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for a confidential consultation by calling or texting 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 and ask for nurse attorney Yong.