There are times when mistakes at work could be inevitable, which is why a nurse attorney can assure full assistance over such errors. Incomplete or inaccurate documentation is just one of the common mistakes an RN or an LVN commits. Disciplinary actions could have been thought about by the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) if this particular RN from Pearland, Texas hired a nurse attorney over her case.
At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Copperas Cove, Texas, and had been in that position for one (1) year and eight (8) months.
On or about February 27, 2020, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN withdrew a 25mg capsule of chlordiazepoxide (Librium) from the medication dispensing system for a patient, in excess of the physician’s order, and documented administration of an 10mg capsule in the patient’s medication administration record, even though the pharmacy was unable to supply a 10 mg capsule and the RN cut the pill herself as best she could. The RN’s conduct resulted in an inaccurate medical record and exposed the patient to a risk of harm in that the administration of medication in excess dosage of the physician’s order could result in the patient suffering from adverse reactions.
On or about March 19, 2020, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN inaccurately documented in the patient’s Medication Administration Record (MAR) that she administered lorazepam (Ativan) to Patient 1 and pregabalin (Lyrica) to Patient 2, in that the medication dispensing system did not reflect an associated pull prior to the time of either administration, The RN’s conduct created inaccurate medical records and failure to administer medication as ordered by the physician could have resulted in non-efficacious treatment.
On or about March 22, 2020, while employed as a Registered Nurse, the RN incorrectly increased a heparin drip from 8 units/kg/hr to 18 units/kg[hr, instead of 10 units/kg/hr per Protocol when the PTT result came back as 30 on an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failing to administer heparin per protocol could result in the patient suffering from adverse reactions.
In response to the incidents, the states that the above incidents occurred during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pharmacy did not have any more 10mg or 5mg chlordiazepoxide (Librium) capsules. Therefore, the RN was advised by the pharmacy to cut the capsule as best she could.
And then, the RN additionally states that she did pull and administer the medication for both patients and the administrations were documented in the patient’s medical records. The inaccuracy in her documentation came from the time in which she documented the medications that were administered. The RN stated that the pharmacy would tell ICU nurses to adjust the time of administration in order to avoid the pharmacy having to go back and readjust all the medication times. The RN, therefore, adjusted her documentation in order to avoid the pharmacy having to take such action. When she adjusted her administration times it created a medical record (or each patient that looked like she had administered the medication prior to pulling the medication. When in fact, she had not, she had just readjusted the time of administration. The difference in time was less than 15 minutes.
Furthermore, the RN was working with an LVN that she believed to be an RN. By law, the hospital was not supposed to send an LVN to the ICU. She understands that she still should have verified the LVN’s actions before the increase and she should have caught her mistake. Had the RN known that she was an LVN, she would have watched her more carefully and probably caught her mistake before it happened.
However, without the help of an experienced nurse attorney, the RN’s defense led to the suspension of her license.
The Texas Board of Nursing (BON) found her guilty of the complaint against her. She lost the case simply because the RN failed to find an effective and efficient nurse attorney.
Avoid committing the same mistake that the RN did. Find the right nurse attorney in Texas to help you with your needs. Contact nurse attorney Yong J. An directly by calling or texting him at (832) 428-5679 for a discreet consultation.