The Texas Board of Nursing is known to be very strict when it comes to all actions of nurses, which is why a nurse attorney is needed when attending hearings before the Board. The Texas Board of Nursing does not allow those who wish to exceed the scope of their practice as an RN or LVN. A certain LVN in Houston could’ve done this but failed to hire a good nurse attorney.
At the time of the incident, the LVN was employed in a university in Houston and had been working in the facility for two years already.
On or about February 11, 2009, the LVN left her nursing assignment four hours prior to the end of her shift without notification to her supervisor. The RN’s conduct failed to promote a safe environment for patients in that leaving a nursing assignment without adequate coverage by licensed nurse placed that patient at risk of not receiving the care that they needed.
On or about February 11, 2009, the LVN falsely documented in patients’ treatment records that she had checked blood sugars and administered insulin to patients, after she had left the facility. Her conduct above was likely to injure the patients in that subsequent care givers would rely on her documentation to further assess and medicate the patient which could result in an overdose or failure to administer insulin.
The Texas Board of Nursing took action to the case, summoning the LVN to defend against the accusation. During the hearing, the LVN states that she tried to call her supervisor to tell her she was leaving. The LVN states that all she got was her voice mail. She states she told the other charge nurse that she was leaving. The LVN further states that she always checks her diabetic residents’ blood sugars and administers insulin, as ordered. She states that the gleucometer that was assigned to her had no batteries, and she had to find a gleucometer that was working.
Unfortunately, the LVN failed to hire a good nurse attorney to help her defend her case.
The Texas Board of Nursing has full jurisdiction over all cases that may affect the RN license. The strictness of the Board also ensures that nurses will only commit to the duties they are assigned to in order to guarantee accurate and excellent performance in all hospitals throughout the state of Texas.
As a result, the Texas Board of Nursing decided to sentence her LVN license to disciplinary action to ensure that she will never commit such acts again. It may be okay to get close to a patient or student. But make sure that it’s within the scope of your own practices, as it can cause problems and may cause further harm and issue to anyone.
The case would have yielded a different result if the LVN was able to hire a nurse attorney. So if you also have the same cases or concerns, it’s best to contact Nurse Attorney Yong J. An for further details. You may contact him at (832) 428-5679 to get a schedule for confidential consultation.
