Nurses do their jobs objectively. Patients need someone they can rely on during their journey to recovery, someone who they can entrust their safety during their stay at a hospital. But for a slight mistake for RNs can be a big impact on their career and their license. That is why every RN who is facing the consequences of their mistake needs a nurse attorney for help and defense.
At the time of the incidents, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in, Brownsville, Texas, and had been in that position for six (6) months.
On or about February 13, 2019, an RN failed to titrate Precedex as ordered to a patient. Specifically, the RN started the infusion at the ordered starting dose of 0.2 micrograms per kilogram, per hour. Two hours later the oncoming nurse arrived and noted that the dose had increased to 0.7 micrograms per kilogram, per hour. There was no documentation of the medication being titrated, as ordered. The Precedex order stated to titrate every thirty (30) minutes by 0.1 micrograms per kilogram, per hour to keep the patient’s Richmond-Agitation Sedation Score (RASS) between -2 and +1. The RN’s conduct exposed the patient to a risk of harm in that failure to administer medications as ordered by the physician could have resulted in the non-efficacious treatment of the patient’s condition.
In response to the incident in Finding of Fact Number Eight (8), the RN states that it took himself and the attending Physician Assistant (PA) forty-five (45) minutes to get the patient clothed and in bed. The RN states that as soon as he could, he started the Precedex drip at the prescribed starting dose. The RN states that the PA then ordered him to advance to the maximum dose prescribed without titration. The RN states that this was evidently not entered in the medical record by the PA as required.
Because of this, the RN was summoned by the Texas Board of Nursing. However, she failed to hire an experienced nurse attorney to help her defend her side of the story.
The RN failed to properly present and defend her case against the court. She was disciplined warning to suspension of her RN license by violating Texas Board of Nursing regulation.
Avoid a similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right nurse attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON).
Consult with Texas nurse attorney Yong J. An today if you have any questions about your disciplinary process by calling or texting him at (832) 428-5679 day, night or weekends.