It is unusual for a matter before the Nursing Board to find its way into the court system primarily because of the cost. Recently, in Pennsylvania, one case did exactly that and wound up in court brought by an LPN. In this particular case an LPN was charged on July 16, 2014 with 3 counts of drug related offenses and a count of disorderly conduct. To the charge of disorderly conduct, she entered a nolo contendere plea where a guilty plea is entered but the Defendant does not admit … [Read more...]
Does Your Facility Have Your Back?
I’m sure you’ve read in the media or on my blog about Nurse RaDonda Vaught who has been charged with reckless homicide for an inadvertent medication error. In a news article released by hospitalwatchdog.org, they described what Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) did not do that could have prevented this tragic incident. Whenever the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services investigates, they prepare a deficiency report. When a deficiency report is received by a facility, … [Read more...]
He Said, She Said … Who Do You Believe?
One of the hardest things about representing a nurse before the Board is that anyone can make an allegation against the nurse and report it. Many times, these can be a “he said … she said” situation. “The nurse gave me only 1 type of codone instead of 2!” “The nurse held my arms so tight; I got a bruise!” “The nurse took money from my wallet!” And the list goes on and on. It is so sad that these allegations are made and the ones in the previous paragraph are just from … [Read more...]
Patient Killed Nurse
Louisiana Registered Nurse Lynne Truxillo died on April 11, 2019. At Baton Rouge General Hospital on April 4th, when patient Jessie Guillory attacked one of Lynne’s coworkers, Lynne stepped in and pulled him from the other nurse. As Nurse Lynne Truxillo tried to escape his grasp, Guillory grabbed her by the neck and violently slammed her head down onto a desk before others could restrain him. In the melee, Lynne also suffered a pulled muscle but as a dedicated nurse, she finished … [Read more...]
Nurses, Cameras and Privacy
These days cameras are everywhere. In fact, in the United Kingdom, any person can be seen on camera at least 300 times every day as the devices are everywhere. Every time you’re on the street, every time you enter a store, restaurant or bank, drive into a public garage … anywhere and everywhere the chances are likely that a camera is looking at you. And now they are making their way into hospitals around the world. A recent case in San Diego against Sharp … [Read more...]
