Accusation cases have been a signature specialty of a nurse attorney when handling cases for some nurses. However, some nurses tend to forget this fact because they really felt like they should be responsible even if they never intended to commit such an error.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Private Duty Registered Nurse (RN) at a hospital facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, and had been in that position for nine (9) months.
On or about January 24, 2019, while employed as a Private Duty Registered Nurse (RN), the RN failed to provide nursing services/patient care as ordered and as scheduled for the patient in that the RN stayed at the patient’s home while the patient was at school. Additionally, the RN falsely documented vitals, intake, and output for the patient on her nursing visit note. The RN’s conduct was deceptive, created an inaccurate medical record, and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation to base their future care decisions.
On or about February 9, 2019, while employed as a Private Duty Registered Nurse (RN), the RN failed to initiate Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) overnight for the patient as ordered by the physician. The patient was discovered the following morning by his parents and the oncoming shift nurse to be limp, lethargic, unresponsive to verbal commands, and had a glucose reading of 54 mg/dl. The RN’s conduct unnecessarily exposed the patient to a risk of harm from complications associated with hypoglycemia and may have contributed to the patient’s subsequent change in condition.
On or about February 9, 2019, while employed as a Private Duty Registered Nurse (RN), the RN left the central line of the patient unclamped for the duration of her shift. The RN’s conduct unnecessarily exposed the patient to a risk of harm from clotting and may have compromised the patient’s central line.
In response to the incident on January 24, 2019, the RN states when she arrived at the patient’s home, the mother updated her on the patient’s condition at the school and informed her that she wanted her to help clean and iron around her house until the patient returned from school. Further, the RN states she cannot confirm false charting and states she never intentionally or maliciously falsely charted. Regarding the incidents on February 9, 2019, the RN states she hooked up the TPN to infuse, but later turned off the pump because the patient became anxious and was concerned about air in the line. The RN admits she forgot to turn the pump back on to begin the infusion. The RN denies that the patient was unresponsive or sluggish, and states the patient was answering all questions appropriately when the dad and oncoming shift nurse showed up. The RN further states that she can’t say for certain that the tubing was unclamped, but adds that the tubing stayed connected the entire time so a closed system was maintained at all times.
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.