Any accusations of medical negligence should never be taken lightly. Even if you are certain that you have done nothing to such allegations, do not face the charges alone. You might end up leaving unprepared to answer questions which could eventually lead to you being deemed culpable. Find the right Houston BON lawyer to defend your case.
On or about September 8, 2018, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in Houston, the LVN allegedly failed to appropriately and timely intervene when a patient had a fall with a visible abnormality to the left leg.
Specifically, the LVN discovered the patient on the floor in her room and left the patient on the floor for approximately two hours, supported with pillows, until the hospice nurse arrived and instructed her to transfer the patient to the hospital.
Additionally, the LVN failed to notify her nursing supervisor or the physician of the patient’s change of condition. Subsequently, the patient was transferred to the hospital and diagnosed with a fracture. Her conduct was likely to injure the patient from a delay in treatment for the fracture and pain experienced.
On or about December 2018, through July 2019, the LVN allegedly practiced vocational nursing in the position of Resident Care Director without having an appropriate clinical supervisor to continuously direct her practice, as required. Her conduct was likely to injure patients from possibly inappropriate and/or inadequate nursing care.
On or about June 1, 2019, through June 16, 2019, the LVN failed to ensure the patient had the correct dose of Lamictal available for administration as it was being titrated from 150 milligrams daily to 50 milligrams daily, as ordered by her physician. Specifically, when the dose was ordered to be titrated the LVN discarded the bottle of 150 milligram tablets before ensuring the new dose was available and failed to notify the physician of the unavailable medication and missed doses. Subsequently, the patient did not receive her ordered doses of medication on five occasions. Her conduct exposed the patient to a risk of harm from unavailability of her ordered seizure medication.
On or about June 3, 2019, through June 14, 2019, the LVN failed to notify the family of a patient in advance of when the Physician would be scheduled to visit the patient in the facility, as the family had requested. The patient’s daughters are the designated Medical Power of Attorneys for the patient. Her conduct was likely to injure the patient from clinical care decisions based upon incomplete information, as the patient was not able to accurately relay all of her needs and concerns.
In response to the incident, the LVN states that upon entering the room and assessing the resident, she noted there was a visible abnormality to the left leg and instructed the staff not to move her leg. She states that she instructed the Certified Nursing Assistants to make the resident as comfortable as possible while she went to get her laptop and portable phone.
The LVN states that she called the hospice on call service again as well as a call to the family. She states that she left messages at both places. She states that when she did not hear back from hospice, she called again and this time received a call back from the Registered Nurse. The LVN states that she informed him of the resident’s condition and that she was unable to get a hold of the family at this time.
The LVN further states that the hospice nurse let her know that he was on his way. She states that she remained with the resident in her room until the hospice nurse arrived a long time later from what she recalls. The LVN states that the resident made multiple attempts to get up off the floor at this time, but was not in severe pain. The LVN further states that she remained in the room and chatted with a resident whose head was supported by a pillow and she had a blanket available to which she declined.
The LVN states that at the time, she had no physician’s orders to transfer the resident to the hospital, the resident was on hospice services, and she was unable to get a hold of any family. She states that after the hospice nurse arrived, he assessed the resident and then continued to attempt to reach the family.
The LVN states that after reaching the family, the hospice nurse instructed her to send the resident out. In response to the other incident, the LVN states she received an order to lower the Lamictal dose from one hundred and fifty (150) milligrams to fifty (50) milligrams and then discontinue. She states that the form of medication on hand at the facility was not consistent with that order so the medication was pulled and set for destruction and the physician was made aware of the need for a new prescription as ordered.
The LVN states that the new order was received, implemented, and medication was administered. She states that she spoke with the daughter to inform her of such and notified her of the timeline for the dosage reduction and when she could expect the medication to be discontinued.
The LVN states that on or about June 3, 2019, through June 14, 2019, the physician arrived at the facility twice. She states that to her knowledge the patient’s daughter was informed of the physician being in the building the first time. She states that the second time, she saw one of the daughters in the building prior to the physician arriving and assumed that she was aware of the physician’s plan to visit as the resident herself was aware. She states that she did not, however, make contact with the daughter herself at this time.
Because of this incident, the Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the LVN and her license into disciplinary action. In addition to this, she failed to hire a Houston BON lawyer to help her defend her case.
Always remember that if a patient thinks she has been hurt or injured as a result of an LVN proving or failing to provide professional services, that particular patient could sue the nurse. But that doesn’t mean the LVN have been negligent. This is why hiring a Houston BON lawyer is crucial when faced with any allegations or accusations.
Attorney Yong J. An is a Houston BON lawyer that has a proven track record. He has over 16 years of experience handling Texas BON disciplinary action cases and has helped protect the license of numerous nurses in Texas. For a confidential consultation, call or text him at (832) 428-5679.