Failure to reconcile prescribed medications to a patient can cause great harm not only to the patient but also to the nurses and physicians assigned to take care of the patient. It is therefore crucial to hire a nurse attorney to help defend your case when accused of this scenario. Such allegations happened to a particular RN from Bryan, Texas.
At the time of the incident, she was employed as an RN at a medical facility in Bryan, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and four (4) months.
On or about February 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020, while employed as an RN at a medical facility in Bryan, Texas, RN failed to completely and accurately reconcile medications prescribed to a patient, in that a physician order for Risperidone 4mg tablet to be administered every evening to the patient was not included on the patient’s pre-printed Medication Administration Record (MAR). Further, RN failed to clarify the change with the physician. Subsequently, the patient only received 2mg daily of the Risperidone, instead of 6mg as intended, and the patient experienced increased aggression, agitation, and hallucinations resulting in movement from community living to a more restrictive environment. RN’s conduct created an inaccurate medication record and exposed the patient to a risk of injury in that failure to administer medications as ordered could result in non-efficacious treatment of the patient’s condition.
In response, RN states she reconciled the pre-printed MAR against prescription bottles brought to her by the foster care provider and states the 4mg Risperidone bottle was not included with those medication bottles from the group home. RN further states the physician and psychiatrist saw the patient in the following weeks and reviewed the same MAR, noting to continue the current medication regimen. RN states, based on the provider notes, she believed the patient was receiving the proper medications.
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)(D)&(1)(M) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12(1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C)&(4).
A case was ultimately filed against her before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). The said allegation was fatal to the RN’s capability to perform the essential functions and duties. Sad to say, the nursing defense attorney who handled her case was not able to properly defend her interests and rights before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) found her guilty of the offense alleged in the complaint and decided to place her RN license under disciplinary action.
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 attorneys who helped represent more than 300 nurse cases for the past 16 years. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.