Select Page

Nurses are somewhat considered by some patients as their heroes. As they are the ones who are there to take care of them during their admission at a hospital or whenever there is no family to care for them. But a patient’s life can also be put in danger if an RN is negligent in providing care for a patient. If an RN makes such a mistake, a nurse attorney can greatly help you with the case.

At the time of the initial incident, an RN was employed as a Registered Nurse at a hospital in Houston, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years and eleven (11) months.

The incident took place and happened on or about April 28, 2018, when the RN engaged in unprofessional conduct in that she was found in an unoccupied patient room tending to personal matters rather than attending to her duties. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure patients in that it adversely affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms, or changes in the patient’s conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing patients in potential danger.

And on or about April 28, 2018, the RN also lacked the fitness to practice nursing in that she exhibited signs of impaired behavior while on duty, including signs of fatigue. The RN’s conduct was likely to injure patients in that it adversely affected her ability to recognize subtle signs, symptoms or changes in the patient’s conditions, and could have affected her ability to make rational, accurate, and appropriate assessments, judgments, and decisions regarding patient care, thereby placing patients in potential danger.

Then on or about April 28, 2018, the RN left her assignment without notifying a supervisor and reporting off to another nurse. Subsequently, the RN was missing for a period of time and was found in an empty patient room attending to a personal matter rather than attending to her duties. The RN’s conduct exposed the patients unnecessarily to risk of harm in that leaving the nursing assignment could have resulted in the patients not getting the care needed.

In response, the RN states she was experiencing a migraine and before the shift, she took two Excedrin Migraines. She states between feeding rounds (0700-1000) nurses typically take a breakfast break stating they alternate their breaks to ensure the pod is safely staffed and all patients can be looked after. The RN states as she was completing charting and working on tasks for the discharge committee, all three nurses took their breakfast break. Due to light sensitivity and mild pain from her headache still, she chose to spend her break in a dark, quiet room to decrease these symptoms while the Excedrin was beginning to work. She states all three nurses were in the pod, one at the front desk, and two at the desk in the middle of the hall. The RN states she told the other nurse that she was going to take her break but just in the pod and she would just be in the empty patient room. She states she went into the dark quiet room to relieve her symptoms.

Due to the RN’s unprofessional conduct, the Board has decided to set disciplinary action against the RN. Having to deal with such matter is never easy if you are alone fighting the case. It will be easy and surely will have a different result that is in favor of you, if you have hired a nurse attorney prior to facing the Texas Board of Nursing and before the hearing starts.

Do you have questions about the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process; you can 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 attorney Yong.