Carl Balcom

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against the Member for failing to report findings of professional misconduct made against her by the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA).

The Member had been disciplined in Alberta for theft and falsification of records, but failed to disclose these proceedings on her Ontario annual renewal form.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, noting that the obligation to self-report continues even while a certificate of registration is suspended.

The Committee ordered a five-month suspension to commence upon any future reinstatement, along with strict monitoring conditions.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to provide his employer with a true copy of his recognizance of bail documents, modifying or altering those documents, and seeking to deceive his employer regarding his bail conditions.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member intentionally falsified the documents to hide a bail condition prohibiting him from being in the presence of females under 18 years of age.

The Committee concluded that the Member's actions constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Member was reprimanded, his certificate of registration was suspended for five months, and terms, conditions, and limitations were imposed on his practice.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for her handling of an aggressive elderly client with dementia.

The nurse intervened when the client was found yelling at a roommate.

While the panel found the initial intervention to remove the client from the roommate's bed was appropriate, it held that the nurse breached the standard of practice by subsequently removing the client's shoes and pants, which escalated the situation.

Allegations of physical abuse, aggressive handling, and improper documentation were dismissed.

The panel imposed a penalty requiring the nurse to complete remedial sessions with a nursing expert.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced a discipline hearing regarding her post-operative care of a patient who had undergone liposuction surgery.

The Member admitted to professional misconduct, including failing to properly assess, monitor, and document the patient's condition, leaving the unstable patient unattended, and failing to obtain emergency medical intervention when the patient's condition deteriorated, ultimately resulting in the patient's death.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Order, finding the Member committed professional misconduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a five-month suspension, and imposed conditions on the Member's certificate of registration, including ethics coursework and sessions with a nursing expert.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a Registered Practical Nurse for applying inappropriate physical force to an elderly, cognitively impaired resident and for failing to disclose a past criminal conviction on his annual renewal forms.

The Discipline Committee found that the nurse breached the Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship Standard by pushing the resisting resident down a hallway, constituting physical and emotional abuse.

The Committee also found the nurse committed professional misconduct by falsifying his 2002 annual payment form to conceal a prior criminal conviction.

The nurse's certificate of registration was suspended for three months, and he was ordered to complete remedial education and notify future employers of the decision.