The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has the jurisdiction to hear and decide cases involving the practice of professional nursing in Texas. Any RN or LVN found guilty for violating the state laws and regulations as well as charged with an administrative case may be subjected to a disciplinary case if not properly defended by a nurse attorney.
On or about October 6, 2019, through October 7, 2019, while employed as a Registered
Nurse in a hospital in Kingwood, the RN failed to ensure that a patient was turned every two hours, as ordered.
Her conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failure to follow the physician’s order to turn the patient every two (2) hours could have resulted in complications related to skin breakdown.
During the same date, the RN also failed to accurately and completely document the cardiovascular status of a patient in that she failed to document that the aforementioned patient had a pacemaker. Her conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would not have accurate information upon which to base their decisions for further care.
On or about October 7, 2019, the RN failed to recognize the change in condition for the patient in that vital signs taken at approximately 06:00 indicated a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, as well as a decreased oxygen saturation level, that She failed to report to the physician, as ordered. Subsequently, the aforementioned patient went into cardiac arrest at approximately 07:35 and expired at 08:08. Her conduct was likely to injure the patient by depriving caregivers of pertinent information that may have prompted earlier medical interventions and may have contributed to the patient’s demise.
In response to the incident, the RN states that she never failed to turn the patient every two hours and did her hourly rounding as documented on the logs. In response to the other incident, the RN states that she did not work on a telemetry unit and that the patient’s physicians and the team involved in the patient’s care knew that the patient had a pacemaker, but did not include this in his plan of care since they were planning to put him on palliative care since his prognosis was poor.
The RN also states that she never neglected her duty as the patient’s primary nurse and made sure that his needs were always taken care of. She states that the patient was very ill with a history of a cerebrovascular accident with right-sided weakness, nonverbal, on continuous tube feedings, and oxygen-dependent with tracheostomy collar. She states that the patient’s vital signs were checked after she and the patient care technician changed the patient’s diaper and the patient was always alert, awake, and responsive. She states that everything was well documented.
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.