Patient safety is paramount in healthcare, and the responsibility to uphold this principle lies significantly with healthcare providers, including LVNs. In instances where a nurse faces allegations of medication errors with serious consequences, the intervention of a nurse attorney is crucial. A nurse attorney possesses a deep understanding of both the legal and healthcare realms, enabling them to meticulously examine the circumstances surrounding the incident. They can investigate factors contributing to the error, assess the facility’s policies, and develop a comprehensive defense strategy.
At the time of the incident, she was employed as an LVN at an assisted living facility in College Station, Texas, and had been in that position for seven (7) years and seven (7) months.
On or about June 20, 2021, while employed as an LVN at an assisted living facility in College Station, Texas, LVN failed to verify medications for a patient, and administered the wrong medication to the patient; medication that belonged to another patient. Subsequently, the patient had to be transported to another hospital, with decreased blood pressure, a blood sugar reading below 30, and lethargy, and had to remain there for several days. LVN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failure to administer medication as ordered by a physician may have resulted in non-efficacious treatment, including adverse effects from critically reduced blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
In response, LVN states that she was assigned to work at homes with individuals that she was not familiar with. LVN states that during the report, she was told that the patient was to get meds at 0500 the next morning. LVN states that before she went to her home, the other nurse reminded her about the patient’s meds, and she thought that nurse was saying the other patient. LVN states that around 0450 she went to the med cart and started pulling meds and mistakenly pulled another patient’s medication instead of her patient. LVN states that after she realized what she did, she immediately got full vital signs and checked the patient’s glucose. LVN states that the patient was displaying his usual behavior and was not in any distress or discomfort. LVN states that her actions were unintentional, and there were extenuating circumstances in play at the time.
The above action constitutes grounds for disciplinary action in accordance with Section 301.452(b)(10)&(13) Texas Occupations Code, and is a violation of 22 TEX ADMIN. CODE §217.11(1)(A),(1)(B),(1)(C)&(2)(A) and 22 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §217.12 (1)(A),(1)(B)&(4).
The evidence against the LVN was strong. At the same time, she was not able to properly defend her case in court. As a result, her nursing license was placed under disciplinary action.
Avoid the similar thing from happening on your end. Make sure to find the right defense attorney in case a complaint will be filed against you before the Texas Board of Nursing (BON). For more details or for a confidential consultation regarding accusations, it’s best to contact an experienced Texas nurse attorney. Texas Nurse Attorney Yong J. An is an experienced nurse attorney who represented more than 500 nurse cases for RNs and LVNs for the past 17 years. You can call him at (832) 428-5679 to get started or to inquire for more information regarding nursing license case defenses.