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 hospital in Brownwood and had been working in the facility for two years already.
On or about February 1, 2018, through February 19, 2018, the LVN signed out thirteen (13) Lorcet 5/325mg tablets, six (6) Hydrocodone 7.5/325mg tablets, one (1) Tramadol 50mg tablet, one (1) Zolpidem Tartrate 10mg tablet and two (2) Hydrocodone 10/325mg tablets, from the individual control drug sheets for several patients, but failed to document the administration of the medications in the residents’ Medication Administration Records (MAR) and Nurses’ Notes.
Her conduct was likely to injure the patients, in that subsequent care givers would rely on her documentation to further medicate the patients, which could result in an overdose. Additionally, her conduct placed the hospital in violation of Chapter 481 (Controlled Substances Act) of the Texas Health and Safety Code.
The Texas Board of Nursing took action to the case, summoning the LVN to defend against the accusation. She denies the allegations and states she kept very specific and careful documentation. Furthermore, she relates she signed out each narcotic in accordance with policy and procedure and there was never a narcotic count discrepancy regarding her counts.
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 confidential consultation.