In nursing care, obtaining the correct diagnosis or result is very important. By doing so, the patient can receive the right treatment he/she needs. If an RN fails to do it correctly and if something bad happens to the patient due to the RN’s misconduct, the RN will be subjected to disciplinary action by the Board. The RN involved with such a case can ask for help from a nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an RN at a medical facility in El Paso, Texas, and had been in that position for three (3) years and six (6) months.
On or about July 14, 2020, through October 4, 2020, while employed as an RN at a medical facility in El Paso, Texas, RN may not have adequately assessed and monitored the patient while treating the patient for complaints of hormonal imbalance. On July 14, 2020, RN ordered thyroid medication for the patient prior to thyroid labs being completed. The patient’s lab results then revealed thyroid hormones within normal limits. On September 4, 2020, the patient reported she doubled her use of the prescribed thyroid medication. Subsequently, RN ordered an additional thyroid medication, Cytomel, for the patient to add to the increased dose of NP Thyroid, without assessing the patient or checking the patient’s thyroid labs. The patient was admitted to the hospital on October 4, 2020 and diagnosed with iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis. RN’s conduct may have exposed the patient to a risk of harm.
In response, RN states that lab values are not the best indicator to diagnose thyroid dysfunction; rather the patient’s reaction to the medication is a critical factor. In this case, the patient reported the best she felt in a long time. RN states prior to the medication the patient experienced symptoms such as difficulty losing weight, diminished concentration, changes in short term memory, skin changes, increased hair loss, and thinning eyebrows. RN states that she started the patient on 30 mg of NP Thyroid and then increased it to 60 mg at the next visit. RN states the patient reported increasing the dose to 120 mg on her own accord but reported no ill side effects and increasingly better. RN did not prescribe the patient thyroid medication for weight loss. RN spent a considerable amount of time educating the patient on how to put her body back in balance by focusing on diet, education, vitamin and mineral supplementation, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, and exercise. RN opined that the patient self-increased her dose and added an unregulated caffeine supplement, which she was not instructed to take, likely causing her palpitations and increased heart rate.
The above action constitutes 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)(M)&(4)(B) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(B)&(4).
The Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the RN and her license into disciplinary action. The accusation would have been defended by an experienced and skilled Texas Nursing Law Attorney, had the RN hired one. Hiring a Texas Nursing Law Attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
For more details and to schedule a confidential consultation, you must approach one of the most experienced Texas Nurse Attorney, Yong J. An. He is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 300 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs for the past 16 years. You can call him at (832)-428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.