Nursing Ethics: Patient Abandonment

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Recommended: Negligence and malpractice in nursing practice

This case study examines a case of an LPN who became ill while about halfway through her shift and chose to go home. This LPN was assigned to care for five patients in an obstetrical ward, four of which were considered stable. The fifth patient was awaiting an obstetrical consultation when the LPN became ill and vomited. At this time, she notified the other nurses and, subsequently, the charge nurse that she needed to leave due to illness. The charge nurse instructed her to notify her supervisor prior to leaving the facility; however, the LPN chose not to do so and went home. Her reasoning in not notifying her supervisor as she was instructed was that she feared that the supervisor would ask her to go to the emergency room for care. The LPN testified that she did not want to pay for an emergency visit and that she intended to make an appointment with her family doctor early that same day. The facility terminated the LPN’s contract and also reported her to the state board of nursing for patient abandonment. As a judgment, the board of nursing suspended here nursing license pending a psychological examination and fined her $1000 for abandoning her patients. In this paper, we will examine the viewpoints of the LPN, the charge nurse, and the nursing supervisor as they relate to the Nurse Practice Act and the board of nursing.

While the art of nursing has been around for centuries, the United States enacted the first nursing laws in 1903. The first nursing acts where developed as a response to conflict between nursing roles and physician roles. Nursing Practice Acts are enacted by each state’s legislature. Texas enacted the Nurse Practice Act in 1909. These acts are broad in regards to the practice of nursing, so the reg...

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...ent’s needs and rights ahead of her own and ultimately do the right thing by her clients.

Works Cited

McDonald, Mackay & Weitz, llp,(2009). The texas board of nursing. Retrieved from http://www.healthlicensedefense.com/nurseshtml

The Texas Board of Nursing,(2009). Nursing practice act. Nursing peer review, nurse licensure compact, & advanced practice registered nurse compact. Austin, TX

Texas Board of Nursing, . (2004, February 1). Rules and regulations. Retrieved from http://www.bne.state.tx.us/nursinglaw/rr.html

Wilson, N.R. (2011). Legal issues and the school nurse. Retrieved from http://staffweb.esc12.net/~mbooth/school_nurses/New_Nurse_Orientation_Manual/Willson_Nancy_Roper_%20Legal%20Issues%20and%20the%20School_Nurse_7-14-091.pdf

Wright, L.D. (2011, February 8). Nursing jurisprudence. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-jurisprudence.com/

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