A nurse attorney should be hired at all times whenever you undergo a case whether a civil or a criminal case, that may affect your RN license. This is what an RN from Abilene should have done when facing a criminal case that is affecting her license and work. Take note that the Texas Board of Nursing can settle matters with a nurse attorney if one is present with the respondent during a case.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital facility in Odessa, Texas, and had been in that position for three (3) years and six (6) months.
On or about December 11, 2017, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the said RN discontinued the Propofol Infusion of the patient but failed to document the provider’s order to discontinue the sedation in the patient’s medication administration record. The conduct of the RN could have exposed the patient to an increased risk of injury in that an inaccurate medical record was created on which subsequent caregivers could have relied.
It was on or about February 25, 2018, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the said RN administered IV Cardizem at 100ml per hour to the patient, an incorrect rate per the physician’s orders, believing she was administering IV Potassium. The RN’s action could have exposed the patient to an increased risk of injury, in that the administration of Cardizem, without following the titration required in a valid physician’s order, could result in the patient suffering from adverse reactions.
On or about the 14th of April, 2018, while employed with United Regional Health Care System, Wichita Falls, Texas, the RN failed to notify the physician when radiology confirmed the feeding tube of the patient was located in the gastroesophageal junction but did not indicate it was inappropriately placed. The said RN started the patient’s tube feeding using the improperly placed feeding tube. The failure of the RN could have injured the patient from unknown or undetected changes in condition and exposed the patient to the risk of aspiration.
In terms of the incident that occurred, the RN states that the order to discontinue the propofol was a verbal order given at the bedside by the physician during morning rounds. The RN acknowledges that the order to discontinue the propofol was not charted by her in the medical administration record. However, it was further stated by the RN that she charted in the medical record that the propofol infusion was stopped and the new fentanyl infusion was started, as well as charted the new fentanyl order in the medical administration record.
In response to the incidents, it was mentioned by the RN that both medications in question were being prepared to order in the pharmacy at this point in time and being sent via tube system to the floors. Due to the pharmacy mixing both medications and sending them to the floor, both arrived in the same size bags with similar labels. At 0852, the RN states that she scanned medications, including potassium and Cardizem. In the patient’s bin of medications received from the pharmacy via the tube system, there were two identical bags placed on top of each other.
After verifying the correct patient, the RN took the bags to the patient’s room to administer. It was indicated by the RN that she experienced a scanning error while preparing the medication. As previously mentioned, the RN mentioned she recalls looking at the label and ensuring the name and medication were correct, and to her best knowledge they were. The RN states that she mentioned to the charge nurse that she still had not received the Cardizem drip and had to delay the current drip with the bag being empty. It was about that same time that the pharmacist informed her that the pharmacy sent up the bag some time ago and that the bag was the last bag currently available. The charge nurse on the floor went to the patient’s room to review the medications and found the supposed missing bag of Cardizem hanging where the potassium should be, running at the rate that the potassium should be. In addition, it appears when scanning the medications, the second dose of potassium was not available and she mistook the scan error to be this missing medication.
In light of the occurrence, the said RN states that it was noted by the patient’s family that the patient’s feeding tube was laying on the floor, completely dislodged from the patient. Furthermore, she measured the patient from the tip of the nose, to the tragus of the ear, to the bottom of the Xiphoid process. Audible air injection was heard at this point and states the patient continued to have a weak cough throughout the procedure, but it did not appear to increase compared to his cough since the beginning of the shift. The patient denied pain at this point. At 1155 a chest x-ray was completed at the bedside with the patient sitting upright in the chair. At 1206 chest x-ray was dictated by the radiologist starting tip of the feeding tube was at the gastroesophageal junction, but there was no indication that there was a problem with the placement, as the said RN was accustomed to reading if there was a misplacement.
As a result of the RN’s misconduct, she will be facing disciplinary action from the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) which is caused pursuant to Section 301.452(b)(10)&(13) of the Texas Occupations Code. The RN should have hired a nurse attorney for instances such as this.
It’s best to secure your career for a better life, which is why a knowledgeable nurse attorney is always present to assist you against accusations and false records. To receive the finest private consultation for your nurse case, be sure to hire Nurse Attorney Yong J. An – a knowledgeable professional in handling several nursing licenses and criminal cases since 2006. All you need is to contact him at (832)-428-5679 to begin.