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As a nurse, it is their responsibility to provide the best care in a flawless way possible. An RN in Austin had made a mistake in administering a unit packed with red blood cells. This is clearly a huge mistake on the part of the RN, such mistake has a consequence. If being a complaint about it, it is best to have a nurse attorney around when facing the Board.

At the time of the incident, the RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Austin, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and (1) month.

An incident happened on or about August 31, 2019, the RN erroneously administered one (1) unit of packed red blood cells to the patient, when there was not an order for the transfusion and the blood product was intended for and matched to another patient. The transfusion reaction protocol was initiated and the patient required additional medications and monitoring. The RN’s conduct unnecessarily exposed the patient to the risk of harm from non-efficacious administration of blood products.

In response to the incident, the RN states that he did everything correctly in this situation. The RN reports that his supervisor assured him that he, the supervisor, had received the order and would put it in the system. The RN states that he was given no choice by his supervisor but to administer the blood to the patient. The RN also states that he called to the supervisor’s attention that there was no physician order in the computer for the patient. He also reported that the supervisor repeatedly assured him that he had received the transfusion order from both the physician and the day shift supervisor. The RN states that he was pressured by the supervisor to proceed with the infusion immediately because the blood had been opened. The RN states that he stood up to his supervisor as much as possible, insisting that the supervisor personally accompany him to administer the blood and that they perform all of the verifications together before administering the blood to the patient. The RN states that the supervisor insisted to the RN that he would enter the order into the system immediately following the transfusion, yet the RN had to remind him again after the transfusion to put the order into the system. The RN states that he was unaware of the mislabeling error by the day shift nurse that resulted in the blood being labeled with the patient’s name.

As a result of the RN’s mistake that is likely to cause harm to the patient, he was subject to disciplined and he will receive a sanction from the Board.

Failure to hire a nurse attorney to fully defend your case can lead to this decision by the Texas Board of Nursing. Hiring a nurse attorney could have changed the outcome of the case.

If you have questions regarding the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process, you can contact The Law Office of RN License Attorney Yong J. An for a confidential consultation by calling or texting 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 and ask for attorney Yong.