Whenever someone filed a complaint against you, your license could be put in danger if not defended by a nurse attorney. An RN from Houston, Texas is just one of the many examples of nurses who have been disciplined by the Texas Board of Nursing.
At the time of the initial incident, the RN was employed as a Registered Nurse in a medical facility in Houston Northwest and had been in that position for three months
On or about May 2, 2019, the RN exceeded her scope of practice by attaching a Passy-Muir Valve (PMV) to the tracheostomy of a patient, when facility policy allowed only a respiratory therapist or speech therapist to do so since the patient was on PMV trials.
Subsequently, the patient’s blood oxygen level declined, the Rapid Response team was called, and the patient had to be placed back on the ventilator.
On the same day, the RN failed to accurately and completely document the attachment of Passy-Muir Valve (PMV) to the tracheostomy of the aforementioned patient in the medical record, before emergency intervention by other medical staff. Her conduct resulted in an incomplete medical record and was likely to injure the resident in that subsequent caregivers did not have accurate and complete information on which to base their decisions for further care.
In response to the incident, the RN states the record shows that the patient had been on an off of PMV trials and the ventilator for several weeks due to recurring oxygen desaturation. Her preceptor had instructed her to place a PMV on a different patient the previous day, so she was unaware that Kindred’s policy dictated a respiratory or speech therapist must place PMVs, and she was not told of this policy until after-the-fact.
Additionally, the RN’s preceptor, the attending physician, and respiratory therapist documented the incident, so she did not enter duplicate documentation.
However, without the proper help from a good defense nurse attorney, the RN lost the case and she was disciplined and suspended.
The Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the RN and her license to disciplinary action. The accusation would have been defended by an experienced and skilled nurse attorney, had the RN hired one. Hiring a nurse attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
Do not fret if you find yourself in a similar situation same as that of the RN mentioned above. All you need to do is to find the right criminal nurse attorney who can help you in the case. Equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise you need for a successful outcome by consulting a knowledgeable and experienced Texas nurse attorney. Contact the Law Office of Yong J. An and text or call attorney Yong 24/7 at (832) 428-4579