It is a nurse’s duty to ensure patients are getting the proper treatment they need in a timely manner. They should also follow the physician’s order and no order should be missed. A missed order could harm a patient. Some RNs tend to miss orders and resulting in unnecessary harm to a patient. If this happens, an RN should be prepared in having a nurse attorney in case he or she will be summoned by the Board for such conduct. An RN can hire a nurse attorney for this matter.
At the time of the incident, she was employed as an RN with a home healthcare services provider in Fort Hood, Texas, and had been in that position for five (5) months.
On or about March 4, 2019, while employed as an RN with a home healthcare services provider in Fort Hood, Texas, RN failed to notify the physician and/or clarify a physician order to place an antimicrobial disc on the insertion site for the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) of a patient, when no such antimicrobial disc was available during the patient’s PICC dressing change. Instead, RN utilized a piece of sterile gauze under the transparent dressing, which would necessitate a dressing change in forty-eight hours. Subsequently, on or about March 7, 2019, the patient’s daughter found the PICC dressing intact, but soiled. RN’s conduct unnecessarily exposed the patient to the risk of harm from a catheter-associated bloodstream infection.
In response, RN states that from the beginning of care for the patient, there were frequent complaints about supplies not being on hand. RN states that delays beyond the home health agency’s control occurred while awaiting approval from the patient’s insurance. RN states that each time she went to the home, she reorganized and grouped the supplies together in order to determine what was available and what might be needed later. RN states that the home health agency stocked the central line dressing change kit but did not routinely stock the bio-patches or any specific securement type of device for the PICC line. RN states that on the day in question, she performed the dressing change using a sterile procedure. RN states that she completed the dressing change and when she left the home, the dressing site was clean and dry.
The above action constitutes grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Section 301.452(b)(13), Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.11(1)(A),(1)(N)&(1)(O).
Unfortunately, the Texas Board of Nursing found her guilty of her deeds. Her RN license was subjected to disciplinary action. She did not hire a skilled Texas BON attorney to fully defend her case which led to this decision by the Texas Board of Nursing.
Do you have questions about the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process? Contact The Law Office of Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for a confidential consultation by call or text 24/7 at (832) 428-5679. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 200 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs for the past 16 years.
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