Every administered medication of patients should be accurately and completely documented. Also, it is very important that all medications should be administered to the patients correctly. However, if an RN made a mistake in administering the medication and failed to document the administration of the medication, he/she will be facing disciplinary action from the Board. If this happens, an RN should seek help from a nurse attorney.
At the time of the incident, she was employed as an RN at a hospital in Temple, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years and five (5) months.
On or about March 6, 2020, while employed as an RN at a hospital in Temple, Texas, RN was accused of the following:
- RN failed to administer Ketamine Pain IV/IO 0.2mg and Etomidate IVP 6mg, to a patient, as ordered by a physician. Furthermore, RN advised staff to stop the patient’s drip because RN had mixed and administered an Etomidate drip instead of a Ketamine drip. RN’s conduct was likely to injure the resident in that failure to administer tube feedings, treatments and medications as ordered by a physician could have resulted in non-efficacious treatment.
- RN withdrew Ketamine-Pain IV/IO 0.2mg and Etomidate IVP 6mg from the medication dispensing system for a patient but failed to document and/or accurately and completely document the administration of the medication in the patient’s Medication Administration Record (MAR) and/or Nurses’ Notes. Additionally, RN failed to document an error that had occurred. RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient, in that subsequent care givers would rely on her documentation to further medicate the patient, which could result in an overdose. Additionally, RN’s conduct placed the hospital in violation of Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
In response, RN states the physician ordered the use of Ketamine and Etomidate and that she drew up the Ketamine, moved the patient into the procedure room, placed the patient on monitors, and then proceeded to administer what she thought was the Ketamine drip. RN states she left the room to pull the Etomidate and realized she had “made a huge mistake.” RN states she immediately told staff to stop the drip and then assessed the patient. RN states “I had made a mistake and I am the first to admit it.” RN relates that after the procedure, she charted all the vital signs and protocol charting for sedation under the appropriate template but did not post a note in the chart about the incident or ask the physician to change the ordered dose of the Etomidate so she could chart what was given, because she was distracted and in a hurry. RN declines she intentionally falsified a chart, but rather that she made a mistake, immediately reported it, and did not try to hide it.
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),(4),(10)(C)&(11)(B).
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing decided to place her RN license under disciplinary action. It’s too bad that she failed to hire a nurse attorney for assistance, knowing that she had every reason to defend herself in the first place. Her defense would have gotten better if she sought legal consultation from a Texas nurse attorney as well.
So, if you’re facing a complaint from the Board, it’s best to seek legal advice first. 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.