Effective and ethical healthcare practice, especially within the role of a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), relies heavily on established protocols and proper documentation to ensure patient safety and compliance with professional standards. In situations where nurse practitioners face allegations related to the lack of protocols and documentation, the assistance of a nurse attorney becomes invaluable. They assist in formulating a robust defense strategy to mitigate potential professional and legal consequences, contributing to accountability within the healthcare profession while safeguarding the nurse’s rights and professional reputation.
At the time of the initial incident, the RN was employed as a Family Nurse Practitioner at a medical facility in Lubbock, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years and ten (10) months.
On or about July 6, 2021, through July 29, 2021, while employed as a Family Nurse Practitioner at a medical facility in Lubbock, Texas, the RN failed to have and maintain protocols or other written authorization to provide medical aspects of care, including prescriptive authority agreement documentation, as agreed upon with a delegating physician, containing all required elements of applicable Board Rule, as well as any annual review and revision signature pages. RN’s conduct was likely to injure patients from care provided without the proper guidance and oversight from the delegating physician.
Without asking for advice from an experienced nurse attorney, the RN responded to the above incident and stated she and the physician signed off together on the online supervision and prescription delegation agreement required by the Texas Medical Board, so the RN believed she had the authority to provide all medical aspects of care and prescriptive delegation as delegated by the physician. RN stated she is unable to log on to the Texas Medical Board site to retrieve a copy of that signed agreement because she is no longer licensed in Texas.
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)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C),(1)(M),(1)(P),(1)(T),(4)(A)&(4)(B) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(E)&(4).
The evidence against the RN was strong. At the same time, without the help of a nurse attorney, she was not able to properly defend her case in court. As a result, her nursing license was placed under disciplinary action.
Avoid a similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right defense attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). For more details or for a confidential consultation regarding accusations, it’s best to contact an experienced Texas nurse attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 600 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs for the past 18 years. You can call him at (832) 428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.