An experienced San Angelo nurse attorney has surely helped a lot of RNs and LVNs when it comes to cases that may lead toward disciplinary action. Unfortunately, not all nurses were able to hire a nurse attorney as they underwent such cases. This incident that an RN committed in November 2019, was one of those examples.
At the time of the incident, the RN was employed as a Registered Nurse in San Angelo, the RN, and had been in that position for two years and seven months.
On or about November 16, 2019, the RN, while employed as a Registered Nurse and caring for a patient, who had returned to the facility from the hospital after sustaining an unwitnessed fall earlier in the day, failed to obtain and document a complete set of vital signs at 22:15 when the RN received notification from the certified nurse’s aide that the resident had vomited a second time, appeared to briefly lose consciousness and reported feeling hot and restless, while her skin was cool and pale around her mouth and nose. Instead, the RN documented a pulse and that she was unable to obtain the aforementioned resident’s blood pressure.
In addition, the RN failed to notify the physician regarding the resident’s change in condition. Subsequently, the patient died on November 17, 2019, at 12:05. Her conduct was likely to injure the patient in that she deprived caregivers of pertinent information that may have led to emergent medical interventions needed to prevent further complications and the resident’s demise.
In response to the incident, the RN states that when the resident returned to the facility from the hospital, she reviewed the patient’s instructions and noted the diagnosis of contusion to the right hip. She states she called the physician to let him know of the resident’s return and the diagnosis. She states that the resident did not display any signs or symptoms of pain or distress, and was sleeping soundly. She states that at 20:30 she documented a note that the resident vomited, which was not unusual for the patient, and thus was not a significant change into requiring a physician notification.
The RN states that she noted a discrepancy as to which hip was injured and contacted the hospital to clarify. She states that at 22:15, she did not see the resident’s eyes roll back as this was relayed by the aide. She states that the aide told her that the resident appeared to be unresponsive for a few seconds. She states that when she entered the room and assessed the resident, the resident was responsive and alert, denied pain and nausea.
The RN states she assessed the resident, who complained of being hot. She states the resident was changed, bathed, and had a fan put on her. She states that the resident had again vomited, but it was not sustained. The RN states that the resident’s pulse was 92 and respirations were within normal limits. The RN states she was unable to obtain a blood pressure reading with the cuff she had in hand, but that was not unusual with that particular cuff. She states she did not have concerns that the resident had a significant change in condition. She states that she monitored the resident throughout the shift and did not see any signs of distress and the resident was never alone. She states she entered the room at approximately 23:45. She states that the resident was alert, could state her name, and denied nausea.
The RN states that the resident told her she had “not felt this way before.” She states she assessed the resident and noted that the resident’s pulse was 89, the temperature was 95.6, and the oxygen saturation level was 67%. She states she attempted to obtain blood pressure but was unable to as the resident became restless. She states that the resident’s daughter assisted the resident back to bed where the RN planned to attempt to obtain the resident’s blood pressure before she called the physician for the resident’s change in condition. states that the resident’s daughter quietly stated that she thought the resident was dying. She immediately assessed the resident, noted a faint pulse, set eyes, and agonal breathing. The RN states she discussed the resident’s do not resuscitate status with the resident’s daughter, and stated that the resident took additional agonal breaths, then died.
The following incident and defense against the case caused the Texas Board of Nursing to place the RN and her license into disciplinary proceedings. She would have sought assistance from a good San Angelo nurse attorney to provide clarifications towards the case.
If you’ve ever done any errors or misdemeanor during your shift as an RN or LVN, and you wish to preserve your career and your license, an experienced San Angelo nurse attorney is what you need. Nurse Attorney Yong J. An, an experienced nurse attorney for various licensing cases for 14 years, can assist you by contacting him at (832) 428-5679.