It’s best to seek the help of a nurse attorney when facing any charge. However, some nurses tend to face these results instead without thinking that nurse attorneys are always reliable for matters such as these.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Plano, Texas, and had been in that position for three (3) months.
On or about November 1, 2018, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN failed to ensure the intravenous catheter of a Patient was properly functioning and patent, and incorrectly documented that the catheter was patent. Additionally, the RN failed to administer intravenous antibiotics to the patient at 1600 and failed to assess the patient’s vital signs while assigned to the patient. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure the patient from the ineffective treatment of a time-critical antibiotic.
On or about November 11, 2018, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN incorrectly administered a suppository to a Patient vaginally. The suppository was ordered to be administered rectally. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failure to administer medications as ordered by the physician could have resulted in non-efficacious treatment.
On or about November 27, 2018, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN failed to complete the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for the Patient, after the RN informed the charge nurse that the patient was having difficulty communicating and appeared weaker than the day before. Additionally, the RN falsely documented that he performed the NIHSS at 0830 when the RN had not yet completed the assessment. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and was likely to injure from possibly undetected changes of condition.
In response to the incident, the RN states that during the shift change he reported to the oncoming nurse that he did not have time to address the nonfunctioning intravenous assessment of the patient. And also, the RN states that the patient was having a difficult time with pain and nausea, and refused all oral medications. The RN also states that the physician was notified and an order was received for a suppository. The RN states that the suppository report was corrected and a new suppository rectally administered, as ordered. The RN states that the patient seemed to be confused and was talking nonsense. The RN states that when the patient was asked questions, the patient answered all questions appropriately. The RN reports to the manager and the charge nurse that something just doesn’t seem right with the patient. The RN states that the patient seemed to be having increased difficulty with verbal communication and seemed weaker in his motor skills assessment. The RN states that the nurse manager asked him to complete a National Institute of Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on the patient. The RN states that the stroke scale has eleven (11) items on it, he reports that nine (9) of these were performed around 0830. The RN states that the patient showed no deficits in these nine (9) items. The RN states that the other two flashcards, and that the flashcards were not available in the unit to which he was assigned. The RN states that the clinical educator brought the flashcards, and after that, the manager asked him about the NIHSS scale, the RN states that after speaking to the manager, he went into the electronic medical record and documented the stroke scale as being done at 0830.
However, he was not able to provide a good defense for himself, especially when the evidence was brought up to her. Therefore, the Board placed his license to a disciplinary action instead.
If you also received a letter from the Texas Board of Nursing regarding a case or complaint filed against you, you should hire a nurse attorney immediately before it’s too late. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is one of those dedicated nurse lawyers who helped various nurses 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.