Unlicensed LPN Worked Multiple Shifts Without Valid Nursing License
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that licensed nursing staff were working with a current valid license and that a licensed nurse was in charge on each shift, as required by facility policy and regulation. The written nursing services staffing policy required an organized nursing service under the direction of a professional licensed nurse and adequate, properly supervised nursing services for each resident 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Review of one LPN’s personnel file showed no current license verification, and verification on the Oklahoma Board of Nursing website revealed that this LPN’s license had expired on a specified date. Clinical staff schedules showed that this LPN worked 18 shifts after the license expiration date, and the DON acknowledged that this nurse had worked approximately 18 days with an expired license. The DON also stated that there was not a licensed nurse in the facility on most of the days this LPN worked during the identified period, and described the facility’s process for monitoring license expiration dates as checking on hire and periodically, which did not prevent the LPN from working with an expired license while 20 residents resided in the facility. No additional resident-specific medical histories or conditions related to this deficiency were documented in the report.
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