Allegations and complaints while at work is a serious case, which is why a nurse attorney is needed if you get accused of this kind of scenario. However, some who thought they were guilty of the charges failed to hire the right nurse attorney just because they thought it’s the doom for their RN or LVN license already. But that is not entirely the case as there is still hope.
Unfortunately, a RN from Houston failed to do this, which resulted in a disciplinary action from the Texas Board of Nursing. Take note that the Board handles all of the cases that may affect the RN or LVN license from receiving the suspension, disciplinary action, or revocation. However, with a right nurse attorney for the case, rest assured that the case can go according to the nurse’s favor, especially if the nurse has a good defense against the case.
On or about April 22, 2016, while employed and while acting as the dual sign off verification nurse for a Heparin rate adjustment for a patient, the RN failed to verify that the medication was infusing at the correct rate. The physician’s orders were for a Heparin rate adjustment increase of 2 units/kg/hr, but she signed off on the medication rate change of increasing the rate by 2 mL/hr.
Subsequently, the Heparin infused to the patient and the incorrect rate for four hours. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failure to administer medications as ordered by the physician could have resulted in non-efficacious treatment.
On or about July 1, 2016, the RN failed to document in the medical record of a patient, a verbal physician’s order to not administer subcutaneous insulin to the patient prior to discontinuing the insulin drip.
When summoned by the Texas Board of Nursing, the RN states that when she was co-signing on the Heparin rate change for the patient, she received a phone call concerning one of her patients. She states that she forgot to go back and check the pump settings and that the primary nurse had mistakenly changed the infusion rate using 2 mL/hr instead of 2 units/kg/hr.
She further states that the physician ordered to discontinue the insulin drip and verbally ordered to not administer the long acting insulin since the patient’s anion gap had closed and the patient had renal impairment. The RN states that she did not document her communication with the physician in the patient’s medical record.
Her condition could have affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms or changes in conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate and appropriate assessments, judgments and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing patients in potential danger. Additionally, her conduct resulted in an incomplete medical record and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent care providers would not have complete or reliable information on which to base their care decisions.
This is the reason why the Texas Board of Nursing discipline and suspended her license.
Any negligence done by an RN or LVN may lead to further issues to the patients they are taking care of. Additionally, if you ever undergo cases such as this, it’s best to seek the assistance of a good nurse attorney as it could make the case better in your favor. Be sure to find a nurse attorney who’s experienced and knowledgeable in several nurse cases to ensure the best assistance possible.
If you also received a letter from the Texas Board of Nursing regarding a case or complaint filed on you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Texas nurse attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated nurse lawyers who helped various nurses in their cases since 2006. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.