Facts
The Member admitted that she engaged in professional misconduct. In February to March 2023, while working as a Registered Nurse in a long-term care home, the Member failed to follow up with or assess her patient after a colleague reported that the patient was in pain and crying. The Member documented that the patient was refusing care, although the Member had not assessed the patient. After the patient complained to the facility, the Member and her colleagues discussed the investigation in a Facebook Messenger group chat. The Member encouraged her colleagues not to tell the facility about a specific comment that one of her colleagues claimed the patient had made. The Member also shared a picture of the patient’s chart reflecting her documentation in the group chat.
Discipline Committee’s Findings
Based on the Member’s admissions, a panel of the Discipline Committee of the College of Nurses of Ontario (the “Panel”) found that the Member:
- contravened a standard of practice of the profession or failed to meet the standards of practice of the profession; and
- engaged in conduct, relevant to the practice of nursing, that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as dishonourable and unprofessional.
Discipline Committee’s Order
The College of Nurses of Ontario (“CNO”) and the Member presented the Panel with a Joint Submission on Order requesting that the Panel make an order that included the following:
- an oral reprimand;
- a two-month suspension;
- terms, conditions and limitations, including:
- attending a minimum of 2 meetings with a Regulatory Expert; and
- employer notification for 12 months.
The Panel accepted the Joint Submission on Order, concluding that the proposed penalty was reasonable and in the public interest. The Panel noted that the Member cooperated with the CNO and accepted responsibility by agreeing to the facts and a proposed order.