When the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has a complaint against you, you should seek the right nurse attorney. Any RN or LVN found guilty of violating the state laws and regulations may be subjected to a disciplinary case which may lead to revocation or suspension of her RN or LVN license. The trend is for employers to refer a case to the Texas BON to discipline a nurse and at the same time terminate your employment in most of the cases.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an RN at a hospital in Midland, Texas, and had been in that position for three (3) years.
On or about June 8, 2021, while employed as an RN at a hospital in Midland, Texas, RN was accused of the following:
- RN withdrew Hydrocodone from the medication dispensing system for a patient but failed to document, or accurately and completely document, the administration of the medications in the patient’s Medication Administration Record (MAR) and/or Nurse’s Notes. RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient, in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation to further medicate the patient which could result in an overdose. Additionally, the RN’s conduct placed the hospital in violation of Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
- RN withdrew Hydrocodone from the medication dispensing system for a patient but failed to follow the facility’s policy and procedure for wastage of the unused portions of the medications. RN’s conduct left medications unaccounted for, was likely to deceive the hospital pharmacy and placed the pharmacy in violation of Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
- RN misappropriated one (1) tablet of Hydrocodone 5/325 mg belonging to the facility and the above-mentioned patient or failed to take precautions to prevent such misappropriation. RN’s conduct was likely to defraud the facility and patients of the cost of the medications.
In response, the RN stated on June 7th, early morning hours she took out one Hydrocodone for a female patient who had been complaining of pain. She added that she did not scan this medication, but she did give this medication to her. The patient was confused throughout the night and she documented this. She did not have a CNA during that shift and had indeed made rounds. The RN mentioned that she did give this medication.
The evidence against the RN was strong. At the same time, she was not able to properly defend her case in court. As a result, her nursing license was placed under disciplinary action.
Get a capable defense counsel to represent you before the BON
Arm yourself with a credible and capable defense counsel before facing the BON and responding to an accusation thrown at you. Seeking the assistance of a skilled Texas nursing attorney for more details or a confidential consultation about allegations is crucial.
Texas nurse lawyer Yong J. An has represented RNs and LVNs in more than 300 malpractice litigation cases and has more than a decade of experience. Get a consultation now, reach him at (832) 428-5679.