An Iowa nurse with a heritage of drug dependancy was hired at a rehabilitation center times after staying fired from a nursing property where by affected individual drugs experienced gone lacking, point out information present.
Kathlene Roush of Des Moines continued to come across do the job as a nurse even just after the Iowa Board of Nursing charged her with the misappropriation of affected person prescription drugs.
In accordance to the board, Roush’s complications started in August 2013 when the Iowa Section of Human Expert services investigated an incident in which she allegedly overdosed on prescription medication and was located unresponsive in her dwelling with her small children present. DHS eventually positioned Roush’s identify on its central abuse registry, and she was diagnosed with opioid dependence.
From August 2020 till Oct 2020, Roush was used as a accredited practical nurse at the Mitchell Village Care Heart in Mitchellville. Shortly immediately after Roush started operating there, a affected individual was transferred to the household with 18 oxycodone tablets.
The board alleges Roush signed out 4 doses of the patient’s oxycodone devoid of documenting that the client acquired them. A couple months later, the personnel at the residence learned that a bottle of liquid morphine prescribed to a affected individual appeared to have been refilled with one more compound of a various color. A critique of medication data unveiled Roush had administered the very last four dosages provided to the client and that she experienced requested a new bottle from the pharmacy despite the fact that the existing provide was expected to very last various much more times.
The nursing property then uncovered that Roush experienced requested four oxycodone tablets for a client devoid of a doctor’s authorization, and there was no document of the affected individual having acquired them. In addition, the board alleges, Roush had checked out one more resident’s pain medication with no documenting the administration of the medications and had requested unneeded morphine sulfate for yet yet another resident of the property.
Soon after the nursing residence suspended Roush for 3 times, she failed to demonstrate up for her next change and was fired, according to the board.
Within just days, Roush was working yet again as a nurse, this time for the Rehabilitation Middle of Des Moines. On the morning of November 28, 2020, Roush was finishing her change at the middle when a co-employee allegedly observed Roush’s personal bag on a chair inside of the facility’s treatment place. The co-employee seen a few bubble-pack medicine cards, together with oxycodone, in the bag along with the center’s “medication count” paperwork demonstrating the medicine were being approved to consumers. The center fired Roush 10 days later on, the board alleges.
Eleven months later, the Board of Nursing charged Roush with misappropriating affected individual medicines, assets or materials failing to appropriately safeguard or secure prescription drugs and failing to evaluate, examine and correctly document the status of a affected person. This matter came before the board for a hearing on January 20 of this calendar year, at which Roush submitted letters of assistance from previous and latest co-workers attesting to her dependability and competency as a nurse.
At that time, Roush experienced not long ago done a material abuse analysis and experienced allegedly acknowledged her previous material abuse when indicating opiates were being her major drug of choice. According to the board, she also admitted obtaining utilised methamphetamine in 2020, but denied any recent drug use.
In April, with Roush even now utilized as a nurse – point out records say she was functioning for an entity identified as “Genesis Health in Des Moines” – the board voted to suspend her license for an indefinite interval. She can utilize for reinstatement following a person calendar year of sobriety and just after submitting to a in depth psychological health and material abuse analysis.
In other matters, the Iowa Board of Nursing not too long ago took motion against numerous other Iowa-accredited nurses, like:
Anna Egbe of Ottumwa: In April, Egbe agreed to surrender her license. Egbe was going through rates of obtaining falsified her license application or credentials, and of misrepresenting her tutorial levels or qualifications. According to the point out, Egbe submitted an application for licensure as a certified practical nurse in January 2018 and was issued a license by the Board of Nursing just after she provided falsified nursing instruction qualifications. In June 2019, Egbe allegedly submitted an software for licensure as a registered nurse and was granted that license by the board in February 2020 following she furnished falsified instructional qualifications.
Kelli Schultz of Sherrill: Schultz lately agreed to a settlement in which the board requested her to halt managing individuals for extended-phrase chronic suffering, at minimum till she completes 5 hours of consultation with an advanced registered nurse practitioner. Schultz allegedly worked at a clinic – the board has not identified the enterprise – from March 2015 by February of 2020, and then started functioning at yet another clinic by way of a deal with a staffing agency. When she transitioned from 1 clinic to the up coming, numerous clients transferred their care from the first clinic to the second in get to keep on being a affected person of Schultz, the board alleges. A assessment of clients charts at both equally clinics allegedly show that Schultz had been prescribing agony prescription drugs to “multiple patients” without the need of adhering to the necessary specifications of follow. The board alleges Schultz kept a person affected person on a significant dosage of opioids for several years, with number of tries at weaning the patient off the medications.
Donell Dittmer of Waverly: The board lately agreed to reinstate Dittmer’s nursing license, which she surrendered in 2019 following the board alleged that when performing at an unspecified hospital in December 2018 Dittmer had a blood alcoholic beverages amount of .235 {2c3a8711102f73ee058d83c6a8025dc7f37722aad075054eaafcf582b93871a0} – practically 3 occasions the lawful restrict for driving a car or truck. Dittmer was permitted to return to operate in January 2019 after agreeing to abstain from liquor use and look for treatment. A several weeks later, she was identified to have a blood alcoholic beverages stage of .10 {2c3a8711102f73ee058d83c6a8025dc7f37722aad075054eaafcf582b93871a0} although on obligation at the hospital.