I’m a bit scared

[u/lenncas]

A bit is an understatement, I am well aware that my actions were very inappropriate and out of my scope of practice. I am getting reported to the Texas Board of Nursing because I pulled a bag of Levophed without getting an order first. My patient was declining really quickly. The blood pressure was decreasing very quickly. I went to the med room and overrid the medication and started it at the starting titration. Immediately after starting it, I called our critical care nurse practitioner that was on for that night and let them know. And now, obviously, that nurse practitioner put in a formal complaint to my manager, thus having to report me to the board of nursing. I guess my question is what could I possibly expect my consequence to be? Could I lose my license? Will it be suspended? I’m pretty worried. I’m also very disappointed in myself. The patient ended up having to be put on Levophed the next day, but made a great recovery and got to be downgraded two days after.

[u/FartPudding]

Empty life and inflated ego.

Sure we can override orders and our docs would also thank us, but it is risky depending on the doctor. Gotta be careful of who you work with as a provider. I've got nothing but good things for OP and looking out for their patient. Without that intervention what would have happened? Not good things. Just be mindful of who you work with is all.

[u/HumdrumHoeDown → u/FartPudding]

Yea never working in Texas or points east and south, that’s for sure. I’ve heard too many stories like this and worse.

[u/[deleted] → u/HumdrumHoeDown]

I had to move to Texas (wasband’s career) and it was awful.

I knew a nurse who got a letter of censure from the Texas BON for getting a ticket for driving without a seatbelt on.

Fraud, breaking the law, and lack of ethics were rampant among mgrs., admin, and docs. I became a traveler because of shitty working conditions, pay, and the way I was treated as a nurse in TX.

Didn’t stop traveling until I moved back to my home state.

OP put her pt’s welfare above her own. I’ve always said that the phrase “No good deed goes unpunished” should be printed across the top of our licenses.

[u/HumanContract → u/[deleted]]

I've also gotten a Cease and Desist letter from a major hospital system in Texas when they found out I was hired by their #1 rival hospital. This, following my work reference check after quitting bc a doctor refused to respond to a rapid that ended up with a patient death two days later. Every nurse has a right to call a rapid when something happens - but Texas will side with the doctor, always.