The Texas Board of Nursing is known to be very strict when it comes to all actions of nurses, which is why a nurse attorney is needed when attending hearings before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing does not allow those who wish to exceed the scope of their practice as an RN or LVN. A certain LVN in Houston could’ve done this but failed to hire a good nurse attorney.
At the time of the incident, the LVN was employed in a medical facility in Houston and had been working in the facility for two years already.
On or about June 2014, through August 14, 2014, the LVN lacked fitness to practice professional nursing in that she exhibited odd and argumentative behavior, confusion, forgetfulness and slurred speech. Additionally, she unhooked the tubing from a patient while an antibiotic was infusing allowing the antibiotic to run out onto the floor and also tried to convince a patient who was on a clear liquid diet that it was fine to eat a bag of chips because they were baked.
The LVN’s condition could have affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms or changes in patients’ conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing the patients in potential danger,
The Texas Board of Nursing took action to the case, summoning the LVN to defend against the accusation.
During the hearing, the LVN admits that she was impaired during her employment due to some medications she had been prescribed while under the care of a physician.
The LVN further explains that she suffered extreme drowsiness when trying to perform her duties and began to take less of her medication which caused her to experience confusion, forgetfulness and slurred speech.
Additionally, she states that while she did not unlawfully possess Valium, she had taken it while at home and it may have been in her system prior to starting her shift the day she tested positive,
Unfortunately, the LVN failed to hire a good nurse attorney to help her defend her case.
The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction over all cases that may affect the RN license. The strictness of the Board also ensures that nurses will only commit to the duties they are assigned to in order to guarantee accurate and excellent performance in all hospitals throughout the state of Texas.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing decided to sentence her LVN license to disciplinary action to ensure that she will never commit such acts again.
The case would have yielded a different result if the LVN was able to hire a nurse attorney. So if you also have the same cases or concerns, it’s best to contact Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for further details. You may contact him at (832) 428-5679 to get a schedule for a confidential consultation.