The nursing profession is not an easy journey. Every practicing RN or LVN license holder in the state of Texas is required to follow certain rules and regulations imposed by the government. Failure to follow those rules can lead to disciplinary actions. These laws and statutes were implemented to ensure that the safety of the patients is protected by the state. A nurse attorney is the one responsible for defending the case filed against a RN or LVN.
A RN who commits any violation can place her RN License in jeopardy. The Texas Board of Nursing has the authority to revoke or suspend an RN license in the country for as long as there is a justifiable reason.
One perfect example of this happened to a RN who, at that time of the incident, was employed as a Field Nurse in a healthcare facility in El Paso, Texas, and had been in that position for nine months.
On or about August 17, 2017; August 25, 2017; and September 1, 2017, while employed as field nurse, the RN falsely documented nursing notes and visits, that were not made, in the medical records for a patient.
Furthermore, after facility staff informed the RN that a certain patient passed away on August 15, 2017, she admitted that she “really screwed up” and requested that she not see the patient anymore.
The RN defends herself by saying that she made a clerical error due to completing nursing notes on two different online systems which had been recently updated and she was still learning. The RN further relates she admitted her documentation mistakes to facility leadership after she learned that the patient was deceased.
However, the Texas BON found that the conduct exhibited by the RN created an inaccurate medical record and was likely to defraud and deceive the facility of money paid to the RN for hours not actually worked.
In addition, her conduct was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent caregivers would rely on her documentation for further care.
Because of this, her RN license was disciplined.
She did not have a nurse attorney to fully defend her case led to this decision by the Texas BON.
Do you have questions about the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process? Contact The Law Office of nurse attorney Yong J. An for a confidential consultation by calling or texting 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 and ask for nurse attorney Yong.
