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 RN license. In the past, several cases were filed against different nurses for misconduct and gross negligence which may have put their RN licenses in danger. Without the help of a nurse attorney, an RN license can be put in great danger.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital facility in McAllen, Texas, and had been in that position for approximately one (1) month.
On or about February 25, 2019, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN failed to assess and intervene when a Patient experienced atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response thirty minutes after the RN started hemodialysis. Subsequently, the charge nurse called the rapid response team; when the team arrived, the RN was unable to recognize the patient’s heart rhythm on the telemetry monitor. A code was called, and the patient expired within the hour. The RN’s conduct may have contributed to a delay in the onset of medical interventions for atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response.
On or about April 3, 2019, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN failed to assess and intervene when a Patient experienced hypotension from the time the RN initiated hemodialysis at 11:59 PM until 2:55 PM. Subsequently, the patient became unresponsive, the Rapid Response Team was called, and the patient was revived and transferred to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit. The RN’s conduct contributed to the delay in the onset of interventions for hypotension.
On or about April 3, 2019, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN failed to appropriately administer an ordered blood transfusion for the Patient. Instead, repeatedly he punctured the bag of packed red blood cells (PBRCs) with a needle and a 60 ml syringe, drew the blood into the syringe, and administered it to the patient. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient from inefficacious treatment and exposed the patient to a risk of infection.
In response, the RN reports after fifteen to twenty minutes of the treatment, the monitor went on a unique alarm, he was called to check on the patient, and he saw an irregular rhythm on the monitor and immediately checked vital signs. The RN reports the patient’s blood pressure dropped and he decided to return back the blood to the patient. The patient remained awake and conscious. The charge nurse called for a rapid response team. Respondent reports, that when the team arrived, they asked him what was the rhythm on the monitor and he was not able to provide the answer. Additionally, the RN reports while he was spiking the bag and inserting the bloodline, he accidentally punctured the side of the bag and decided to get a 50cc syringe and blunt needle and transfer it to the syringe. He also added that he gave it through the arterial line and slowly pushed the blood in the line going to the machine; he constantly monitored the patient’s vital signs and no adverse reaction was noted.
The following incident and defense against the case caused the Texas Board of Nursing to place the RN 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 outside or 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.