In every proceeding before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON), the first thing that you need to remember is to get the assistance of a nurse attorney. At this point, it is important to note that exercising your right to legal counsel will be beneficial on your part. Keep in mind that even if a nurse attorney does not represent you, the proceeding or hearing of your case will continue. When this happens, there is a high probability that you will eventually lose in the case.
At the time of the incident, an RN was employed as a School Nurse in Irving, Texas, and had been in that position for four (4) years and six (6) months.
On or about September 26, 2019, through October 4, 2019, while enrolled as a Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner student and concurrently employed as a School Nurse, the RN submitted a log of clinical hours to her preceptor for signature; however, the clinical hour’s log did not contain any clinical hours conducted with her preceptor, and instead coincided with dates and patient contacts Respondent made while employed as a school nurse, and not as a precepted nurse practitioner student. Additionally, the said RN submitted Pediatric SOAP notes in support of her clinical requirements for her coursework that contained fabricated elements of her clinical experience including vital signs, assessments, administered testing and results, and prescribed medications. The conduct of the RN resulted in inaccurate clinical logs and was likely to deceive the school regarding her completion of supervised clinical hours requirements which would also affect her qualifications for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure.
In regards to the incident, the said RN states that the incident was the result of miscommunication between the staff and herself. The RN added that she had discussions with her clinical coordinator regarding the use of her workplace as her clinical site and the location was approved in writing. It was mentioned by the RN that with this written approval, she believed that she was following the University’s policy. Additionally, she knew she was in violation of any policy, she would have immediately remedied the situation by choosing another clinical location and preceptor. According to the RN, she discussed the arrangement with her preceptor where she would be seeing students in her Robinson clinic for her course assignments and that she and her preceptor would get together weekly and as needed to discuss patient cases, assessment findings, diseases, treatment plans, and proper documentation. The said RN also stated that her preceptor would then advise her on her work and offer constructive feedback on her documentation and treatment decisions. The RN stated that her preceptor signed the Preceptor Agreement and responded to her email correspondence in agreement.
But due to what had happened, the Board, therefore, decided to put the RN into discipline. Putting the RN into disciplinary proceedings will ensure that she will perform even better in the future or will do the right things.
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.