It’s best to seek the help of a nurse attorney when facing charges related to any cases. However, some nurses tend to face these results instead without thinking that a nurse attorney is always reliable for matters such as these.
At the time of the initial incident, an LVN was employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse at a hospital in Frisco, Texas, and had been in that position for four (4) months.
On or about December 26, 201 8, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse, the LVN failed to accurately and completely document on the Yellow Medication List during her home visits with the patient. In addition, the LVN failed to document the Flowsheets in the home. The LVN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient, in that, subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation to provide further care.
On or about December 26, 2018, and January 1, 2019, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse, the LVN falsely documented and reported that the patient, was anxious and crying when the LVN attempted to teach the patient to set up her own medication planner. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient from subsequent care decisions made without the benefit of reliable information.
On or about January 18, 2019, the LVN violated the professional boundaries of the nurse-client relationship when she sent a text message to the patient requesting that the patient act helpless and anxious when a supervisor came to evaluate the LVN’s care of the patient. The LVN’s conduct resulted in the patient’s distrust of the agency and may have delayed the patient’s progress toward treatment goals.
On or about January 18, 2019, the LVN filled the medication planner of the patient with Potassium 20meq for four (4) days and Potassium 10meq for three (3) days, instead of Potassium 10meq per day, as indicated by the physician’ s order. The LVN’s conduct put the patient at risk for hyper/hypokalemia, cardiac arrhythmias, and/or complications related to fluid imbalance.
In response, the LVN states she failed to write in the patient folders because she spent too much time talking with patients. Additionally, the LVN states she documented and reported that the patient was anxious and crying during teaching because the patient was upset that she would have to fill her own pill box once discharged from home health services. The LVN states she sent a text and asked the patient to act anxious with the Registered Nurse (RN) because the LVN hoped the RN would keep the patient on service for at least one more certification period.
Furthermore, the LVN states she placed Potassium 1mg in each morning slot during her Tuesday visit, so the slots for Wednesday through Friday would have been empty when the RN went to educate the patient on Friday afternoon. In addition, the LVN reports she had access to Potassium 1mg that was kept in an overnight bag, but only the patient has access to other doses.
However, she was not able to provide a good defense for herself, especially when the incidents were brought up to her. Therefore, theTexas Board of Nursing (BON) placed her license to a disciplinary action instead.
If you also received a letter from the Texas Board of Nursing regarding a case or complaint filed against you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Texas nurse attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated nurse lawyers who helped various nurses in their cases since 2006. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.