Whenever someone filed a complaint against you involving negligence while at work, your license could be put in danger if not defended by a nurse attorney. An RN from Houston, Texas is just one of the many examples of nurses who were found to be negligent while working.
At the time of the initial incident, she was employed as an RN at a medical facility in Houston, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and ten (10) months.
On or about January 28, 2020, through January 29, 2020, while employed as an RN at a medical facility in Houston, Texas, RN failed to timely discontinue an infusion of peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN) to a patient when he reported pain with infusion. In addition, RN failed to timely notify the patient’s physician of his continuous left forearm pain after possible intravenous (IV) infiltration, with arm swelling and hand numbness, which continued for approximately four (4) hours after he reported increased pain and swelling. On the next shift, the patient was diagnosed with a thrombosed left brachial and distal axillary vein and required excisional debridement surgery to treat the infiltrated tissue. RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient from a delay in treatment for the pain experienced, and from a delay in notifying the physician in order to institute timely medical interventions to stabilize the patient’s condition.
In response, RN states that she informed the on-call nurse practitioner of the patient’s complaints of pain in the affected area around 8pm, and again at midnight, and she administered a one-time dose of Fentanyl. RN denies that she infused PPN into the patient’s left forearm IV site but was using his right arm sites to infuse PPN and amiodarone. RN states that the left forearm catheter was unused during her shift, and she tried to get the patient to remove the left IV. RN states that the patient also had fungemia which originated from the left upper extremity peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), and no other IVs should have been started on that arm to begin with, which was beyond RN’s control. RN adds that she asked for help from the relief charge nurse, the shift charge nurse/assistant nurse manager, and another experienced staff nurse in response to the patient’s complaints of pain.
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)(M),(1)(P)&(3)(A) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12(1)(A),(1)(B)&(4).
The Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the RN’s license to disciplinary action. The accusation would have been defended by an experienced and skilled nurse attorney, had the RN hired one. Hiring a nurse attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
Always remember that anyone can file a complaint against an RN/LVN with the state board for any reason. When this happens, all complaints need to be taken seriously no matter how trivial or unfounded they may appear. A nurse attorney is someone who can help you defend your license when the state board summons you. Equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise you need for a successful outcome by consulting a knowledgeable and experienced Texas RN license attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for the past 16 years and represented over 300 nurses before the Texas BON. Contact the Law Office of Yong J. An 24/7 through text or call at (832) 428-5679.