Allegations and complaints at work are serious cases, which is why a nurse attorney is needed if you get accused of this kind of scenario. However, there are some nurses who thought they were guilty of the charges and failed to hire a nurse attorney just because they thought it was the doom for their license already. But that is not entirely the case as there is still hope.
At the time of the incidents, an RN was employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse at a medical facility in Harlingen, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years and nine (9) months.
On or about July 2, 2019, and July 3, 2019, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse the said LVN failed to intervene when the patient reported that she had not had a bowel movement, no bowel movement since June 28th prior to coming to the hospital. The patient had as-needed stool softeners and suppositories available for constipation. Additionally, the LVN failed to document urine output in the patient’s medical record. The conduct of the LVN resulted in an incomplete medical record and exposed the patient to a risk of harm in that failure to administer medications as ordered could result in non-efficacious treatment of the patient’s condition.
It was on or about July 3, 2019, and July 4, 2019, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse, the LVN failed to intervene when the aforementioned patient experienced high blood pressure readings with systolic blood pressure above 150mmHg. The LVN also failed to request that a Registered Nurse (RN) administer as-needed IV hydralazine for the high blood pressure, and failed to notify the RN and/or physician of the continued abnormal readings. The said LVN’s actions exposed the patient to a risk of harm in that failure to administer medications as ordered by the physician could have resulted in the non-efficacious treatment of the patient’s high blood pressure.
As a result of the incident, the LVN states that the patient had surgery for a fractured hip on July 2, 2019, and received opioid pain medications prior to and after surgery. It was mentioned by the LVN, that she did intervene on July 4th when the patient’s family said that the patient was constipated, which was not unexpected given her recent history of surgery and opioid medications. The LVN added that she administered a laxative suppository to the patient on July 4th. It was also mentioned by the LVN that she inserted a Foley catheter on July 2nd for urinary retention and that it was removed and reinserted on July 4th. Furthermore, while the patient was on a Foley catheter, urine output was measured and documented by the nursing staff when the collection bag was emptied.
In regards to the incident that happened, the LVN indicated that she addressed the patient’s hypertension and tachycardia with the cardiologist on July 3rd, and he increased the patient’s scheduled metoprolol dose from 25 mg twice a day, to 50 mg twice a day. The LVN adds that the increased dosage of Metoprolol was to begin that evening, that the cardiologist did not order any immediate treatment of the patient’s blood pressure at the time he saw the patient on July 3rd, and by 13:37 that day, the patient’s systolic blood pressure had decreased to 149 mmHg with no additional medication. The said LVN further adds the patient’s systolic blood pressure did fluctuate during the afternoon and evening, but that LVN knew she would be given the increased dose of Metoprolol that evening and expected it to decrease her systolic blood pressure, and at the time the first dose of 50 mg of Metoprolol was administered to the patient on July 3, 2019, at 21:48, her systolic blood pressure had decreased to 135 mmHg. The LVN further adds that, on July 3 and 4, 2019, the progress notes of the patient’s cardiologists and the Nurse Practitioner indicate that they were all aware of the patient’s blood pressure and were monitoring it; they further noted that the patient’s blood pressure would improve as she got better and that the patient’s blood pressure looked better on July 4, 2019.The LVN further states that she would have had to ask an RN to administer the medication, as she was not qualified to do so. According to the LVN, in her nursing judgment, and knowing that the patient’s physicians and the mid-level provider had addressed the systolic blood pressure with an increase in her Metoprolol and expected it to help control her systolic blood pressure, she did not believe the patient needed a dose of the hydralazine while she was caring for the patient on July 3 and 4, 2019.
The following incident and defense against the case caused the Texas Board of Nursing to place the LVN and her license into disciplinary proceedings. She could have sought assistance from a good nurse attorney to provide clarifications for the case.
If you’ve ever done any errors or misdemeanors during your shift as an RN or LVN, and you wish to preserve your career and your license, an experienced nurse attorney is what you need. Nurse Attorney Yong J. An, an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for 14 years, can assist you by contacting him at (832) 428-5679.