The Texas Board of Nursing is known to be very strict when it comes to all actions of nurses, which is why a nurse attorney is needed when attending hearings before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing does not allow those who wish to exceed the scope of their practice as an RN or LVN. A certain LVN in Austin could’ve done this but failed to hire a good nurse attorney.
At the time of the incident, the LVN was employed in a hospital in Austin and had been working in the facility for a year and a half.
On or about August 31, 2015, the LVN in a medical facility in Austin, the LVN lacked fitness to practice professional nursing in that while she was on duty, she contacted her supervisor and disclosed feeling suicidal.
The LVN was subsequently referred to the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN) and was later diagnosed with major depression. On or about October 15, 2015, she enrolled in the TPAPN but later elected to withdraw from the TPAPN, on or about February 14, 2017, before completing the program. Her condition could have affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms or changes in patients’ conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing the patients in potential danger.
The Texas Board of Nursing took action to the case, summoning the LVN to defend against the accusation. The LVN states she withdrew from the TPAPN because her therapist cleared her to return to work.
However, without the experienced nurse attorney to defend her side, the LVN was disciplined and suspended by the Texas Board of Nursing.
The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction over all cases that may affect the RN license. The strictness of the Board also ensures that nurses will only commit to the duties they are assigned to in order to guarantee accurate and excellent performance in all hospitals throughout the state of Texas.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing decided to sentence her LVN license to disciplinary action to ensure that she will never commit such acts again. It may be okay to get close to a patient or student. But make sure that it’s within the scope of your own practices, as it can cause problems and may cause further harm an issue to anyone.
The case would have yielded a different result if the LVN was able to hire a nurse attorney. So if you also have the same cases or concerns, it’s best to contact Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for further details. You may contact him at (832) 428-5679 to get a schedule for a confidential consultation.