The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) has the jurisdiction to hear and decide cases involving the practice of professional nursing in Texas. Any RN or LVN found guilty of violating the state laws and regulations may be subjected to a disciplinary case if not properly defended by a nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Weatherford, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) months.
On or about February 21, 2020, through April 15, 2020, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN falsified her timesheets when she changed the clock-out times and added dates for hours not worked, and subsequently submitted the timesheets for compensation. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate record and was likely to defraud and deceive the facility of money paid to the for hours not actually worked.
In response to the incident, the RN states the following, in pertinent part: “I began working at the hospital in February through Medical Solutions. I was shortly briefed on turning in timesheets. I would fill in the dates and times at the beginning of every new week as they would be the same days and times. I was asked to pick up some extra days to work so I put them at the beginning of the week as well. I would also change the time if I came in early to help or left late due to a patient or circumstance while working. In closing, MercyOne accepted my timesheet week after week and I wish to say they never corrected me or advised me differently. As a new traveler within my practice and never having to do handwritten time in timeout, it would have been a good measure ensuring my timesheet was being accurately inputted on a weekly basis.”
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing placed her RN license in disciplinary action. It’s too bad that she failed to hire a nurse attorney for assistance, knowing that she had every reason to defend herself in the first place. Her defense would have gotten better if she actually sought legal consultation from a Texas nurse attorney as well.
So if you’re facing a complaint from the Board, it’s best to seek legal advice first. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is willing to assist every nurse in need of immediate help for nurse licensing cases. To contact him, please dial (832)-428-5679 for a confidential consultation or for more inquiries.