The practice of the nursing profession can become challenging and demanding all at the same time. An RN in Texas needs to follow several rules and regulations in order to prevent the revocation of her nursing license. In the past, several cases were filed against different nurses for misconduct and gross negligence which may have put their license in danger if not properly defended by a nurse attorney.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital facility in Georgetown, Texas, and had been in that position for nine (9) months.
On or about January 31, 2017, while employed as a Registered Nurse, and caring for a Patient, who had persistent fevers, the RN failed to administer ibuprofen to the patient when the physician ordered a dose at 02:00. The RN’s conduct could have contributed to the injury of the patient in that failure to administer the ordered medication resulted in non-efficacious treatment and could have led to further health complications related to untreated fever.
On or about March 12, 2017, through March 13, 2017, while employed as a Registered Nurse and caring for a Patient, the RN failed to place the patient on continuous heart rate and respiratory rate monitoring, as ordered. Further, the RN failed to document progress notes and care plans for the aforementioned patient. Subsequently, the oncoming staff member charted alarm limits for continuous heart rate and respiratory rate monitoring at 07:15 and by 07:53 was in contact with the physician for abnormal vital signs. The patient was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after experiencing a Code Blue at 13:09. The RN’s conduct could have contributed to the injury of the patient by depriving caregivers of pertinent information that may have given an earlier indication of the patient’s deteriorating condition and prompted earlier medical interventions.
In response to the incident, the RN states that he was assigned to three (3) patients with high acuity, plus an additional patient as an admission later in his shift. The RN states that throughout the shift it is documented that the patient had multiple temperatures greater than 100 degrees and needed multiple increases in oxygen. The RN states that there was a miscommunication of orders as the doctor changed the medication order from an as-needed medication to a scheduled medication. The RN states that because the patient had just been given Tylenol, it was not apparent that the Ibuprofen medication was to be given immediately. Further, the RN states that at about the same time, he took his break and requested the Charge Nurse to cover his patients. The ordered Ibuprofen was not mentioned again until vital signs were retaken and the RN spoke with the doctor again. Ibuprofen was administered shortly thereafter.
In addition to the response, the RN states that he had many demands on his time due to his patient assignment and states that his documentation was not as complete as he would have liked it to be. The RN states that the patient was placed on a pulse oximeter. Though there were oxygen desaturations during the shift, the RN states that he checked on the patient every time, and each time the desaturation was due to the probe failing to capture an accurate reading because the baby was kicking or being held by the mother.
However, the Texas Board of Nursing disciplined her license because they think that her conduct was likely to injure the patient from a lack of appropriate nursing and medical care.
If you also received a complaint regarding a case or complaint filed against you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated lawyers who helped various RNs in their cases since 2006. You may contact him 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 for more information or if you want to schedule a private consultation.