Allegations and complaints while at work is a serious case, which is why a nurse attorney is needed if you get accused of this kind of scenario. However, there are some nurses who thought they were guilty of the charges failed to hire a nurse attorney just because they thought it’s the doom for their license already. But that is not entirely the case as there is still hope.
Unfortunately, an RN from Houston failed to do this. This results in disciplinary action from the Texas Board of Nursing. Always keep in mind that the Texas Board of Nursing handles all of the cases that may affect the license from receiving the suspension, disciplinary action, or revocation. However, with a right nurse attorney for the case, rest assured that the case can go according to the nurse’s favor, especially if the RN or LVN has a good defense against the case.
On or about March 7, 2016, through March 14, 2016, while employed in a hospital in Fort Worth, the RN withdrew five vials of 2 mg Dilaudid from the Medication Dispensing System for a patient, but failed to document the administration of the medication in the patient’s Medication Administration Records and Nurse’s Notes.
She also withdrew twelve vials of 2 mg Dilaudid from the Medication Dispensing System for three patients but failed to follow the facility’s policy and procedures for wastage of the unused portions of the medications.
Her conduct was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation to further medicate the patient, which could result in an overdose. Additionally, her conduct placed the hospital in violation of Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
As a response to the incidents, the RN states that she did not knowingly or intentionally fail to comply with the policies and procedures at the facility, though there is a possibility that she may have unintentionally failed to document administration or wasting. She states that in January or February 2016 she was promoted to charge nurse, and it was her first time in a supervisory role and she was eager to assist all the other nurses on the floor.
The RN states that “I believe it is possible that in my eagerness to help multiple nurses with multiple patients, I may have at times become unorganized, leading to my failure to properly document medication administration and waste unused portions of medications.” She adds that she denies misappropriation or any attempt to divert narcotics and that she had a negative urine drug screen.
Therefore, the Board decided to extend her disciplinary proceedings for several more years to ensure that she will perform even better in the future.
If you’re facing cases such as this, be sure to hire a nurse attorney who can fully assist you. Texas nurse attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney for more than 14 years. To contact him for inquiries or to schedule a confidential consultation, dial (832) 428-5679 to proceed.