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. However, that is not entirely the case as there is still hope.
At the time of the incident, she was employed as an RN at a hospital in Garland, Texas, and had been in that position for six (6) months.
On or about April 4, 2020; April 18, 2020, and April 19, 2020, while employed as an RN at a hospital in Garland, Texas, RN was accused of the following:
- RN withdrew Morphine 2 mg, Hydrocodone 5/325 mg and Lorazepam 1mg from the medication dispensing system for five (5) different patients 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 Morphine 2 mg, Hydrocodone 5/325 mg and Lorazepam 1mg belonging to the facility and patients thereof or failed to take precautions to prevent such misappropriation.
In response, RN states she was a floater who was working in COVID-19 units at the time and as such, the workstation on wheels (WOW) could not be taken into the patients’ rooms. RN related nurses were expected to withdraw medications, don their PPE, administer the medications, and then document the administration at the nurse’s station. However, each nurse was left to develop their own system as there were no specific instructions on how to memorialize information, since nothing could be brought in/out of the patients’ rooms. RN states she kept track of medications on a handwritten list, but it proved ineffective due to varying circumstances such as when patients refused their meds and/or interruptions and logjams with nurses while waiting to manually document administrations at the nurse’s station. RN relates she did not divert or misappropriate any medications.
The above actions constitute grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Section 301.452(b)(10)&(13), Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.11(1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C)&(1)(D) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C),(4),(6)(G),(8),(10)(C),(10)(E)&(11)(B).
However, without enough evidence to prove she’s not guilty, the RN lost the case. This is the reason why the Texas Board of Nursing placed her RN license under disciplinary action.
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 is 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 willing to assist every nurse in need of immediate help for nurse licensing cases. He is an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for the past 16 years and represented over 300 nurses before the Texas BON. To contact him, please dial (832) 428-5679 for a confidential consultation or for more inquiries.