Author Question: During a staff shortage, you hire an RN from a temporary agency. The RN administers a wrong IV ... (Read 13 times)

jayhills49 · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

During a staff shortage, you hire an RN from a temporary agency. The RN administers a wrong IV medication that results in cardiac arrest and a difficult recovery for the patient. Liability in this situation:

a. Is limited to the temporary agency.
b. Is restricted to the RN.
c. Could include the RN, the agency, and your institution.
d. May depend on the patient's belief regarding the employment relationship.

Question 2

As a charge nurse, you counsel your RN staff member that he has satisfied his duty of care by notifying a child's physician of his concerns about deterioration in the child's status at 0330 hours. The physician does not come in.

The child dies at 0630 hours. As the charge nurse, you could be held liable for:

a. Professional negligence.
b. Assault.
c. Avoidance.
d. Murder.

zhanghao · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
Apparent agency may apply here because your liability and that of your institution could be established if it can be shown that the patient believes that the RN was an employee of yours and of your institution.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
Professional negligence can be asserted when there is failure to do what a reasonable and prudent nurse would do in the same situation. In this situation, the charge nurse might have advocated further for the patient in light of the evident seriousness of the child's condition.