Accusations are stressful issues for an RN or LVN, except when a nurse attorney assists you against the case. The Texas Board of Nurses is responsible for all hearings against RNs and LVNs undergoing a case that may revoke, suspend or only discipline their license. Take note that Houston nurse attorneys can also defend a nurse’s license against accusations.
On or about January 16, 2018, while employed as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in a hospital in Houston, the LVN exceeded her authorized scope of practice and inappropriately administered morphine formulated for oral administration to a patient, via the patient’s peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) intravenous line, by aspirating the concentrated morphine from an oral syringe into a syringe with normal saline before administration.
Additionally, the LVN failed to timely notify the physician of the medication error. She called the physician that night with no return call and the LVN spoke to the physician in the morning and he left no new orders.
The LVN’s conduct was likely to injure the patient in that failure to administer medications as ordered by the physician could have resulted in non efficacious treatment, and administering medications via the wrong route could result in adverse reactions.
On the same day, the LVN failed to document monitoring the patient for adverse side effects after the medication error, and failed to document the medication error in the patient’s medical record. Her conduct resulted in an incomplete medical record, and was likely to injure the patient in that subsequent care givers would not have complete information on which to base their care decisions.
During the hearing, the LVN admits that she gave 0.1 mg liquid oral morphine, diluted with normal saline, into the patient’s Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC); she reports that she recognized her error when she came out of the room and immediately notified the charge nurse. Thye LVN further reports that she reassessed the patient, who remained stable with no signs of reactions noted; she reports she was unable to file the incident report because she had no access to the reporting system, and she reports that she notified the physician when she returned to the facility.
However, without the proper help from good defense Houston nurse attorneys, the LVN lost the case and she was disciplined and suspended.
The Texas Board of Nursing then subjected the LVN and her license into disciplinary action. The accusation would have been defended by an experienced and skilled nurse attorney, had the RN hired one. Hiring a nurse attorney for defense is applicable for any kind of accusation laid against an RN or LVN.
For more details and to schedule a confidential consultation, you must approach one of the most experienced Houston nurse attorneys in Texas, Yong J. An. He has assisted numerous nursing license cases since 2006. You may contact him by dialing (832)-428-5679 if you wish to learn more information should you undergo accusations or any other case that may affect your license.