CNO 2020

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered practical nurse for failing to participate in the mandatory Quality Assurance Program.

Despite multiple notifications and opportunities to complete the 2015 and 2017 practice assessments, the member did not comply or respond.

The Discipline Committee found the member committed professional misconduct by failing to cooperate with the Quality Assurance Committee and engaging in dishonourable and unprofessional conduct.

The member's certificate of registration was suspended for four months, and she was ordered to attend meetings with a regulatory expert and complete the next available Quality Assurance program cycle.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced a discipline hearing for professional misconduct related to her care of a vulnerable patient in a mental health facility.

According to an Agreed Statement of Facts, the Member failed to follow the patient's care plan and the direction of the charge nurse by not providing the patient with space to de-escalate, which contributed to the patient's behaviour escalating to self-harm.

The Member also inappropriately fed the patient while he was lying flat on his back in a four-point restraint, placing him at risk of choking.

The Discipline Committee accepted the Member's admission of professional misconduct and the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a four-month suspension, and terms, conditions, and limitations on her certificate of registration.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to participate in the College's Quality Assurance program after being randomly selected.

The Member admitted to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member committed professional misconduct by failing to cooperate with the Quality Assurance Committee and engaging in unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an oral reprimand, a two-month suspension, and terms including meetings with a regulatory expert and mandatory participation in the next Quality Assurance cycle.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought professional misconduct allegations against the respondent nurse for providing his employer with a Criminal Record Check that failed to disclose an outstanding assault charge.

The respondent did not attend the hearing.

The Discipline Committee found that the respondent committed professional misconduct by issuing a document he knew or ought to have known contained a false or misleading statement, and that his actions constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee ordered an oral reprimand, an 8-month suspension, and terms, conditions, and limitations on his certificate of registration, including meetings with a regulatory expert and employer notification.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to appropriately monitor and assess two patients, failing to maintain appropriate documentation, and falsifying a record regarding a patient's urine output.

Both patients died shortly after the Member's shifts, though the Member's actions were not alleged to have directly caused the deaths.

The Member admitted to the allegations via an Agreed Statement of Facts.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct and engaged in unprofessional and dishonourable conduct.

Accepting a Joint Submission on Order, the Committee ordered an oral reprimand, a three-month suspension, and imposed terms, conditions, and limitations on the Member's certificate of registration, including meetings with a regulatory expert and employer notification.

The Member, a registered nurse, admitted to professional misconduct for engaging in a personal, romantic, and sexual relationship with a vulnerable patient from a supervised consumption site shortly after the therapeutic relationship ended.

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

The Member was reprimanded, her certificate of registration was suspended for 6 months, and terms, conditions, and limitations were imposed.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a Registered Practical Nurse for professional misconduct involving an 88-year-old patient with Alzheimer's disease.

The Member admitted to disregarding the patient's plan of care during a transfer, making inappropriate comments, and forcing the patient's hands onto a stand lift.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member's actions constituted verbal, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an oral reprimand, a two-month suspension, and terms including meetings with a regulatory expert and employer notification.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct relating to his care of two psychiatric patients.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member failed to discontinue a patient's seclusion in a timely manner, used improper physical restraint techniques on another patient, and made unprofessional comments about a colleague.

The Member admitted to the allegations and permanently resigned his certificate of registration.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an oral reprimand.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to report multiple criminal charges and a finding of guilt for impaired driving to the College of Nurses of Ontario between 2014 and 2019.

The Member admitted to the allegations and agreed to a Statement of Facts.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member committed professional misconduct and engaged in dishonourable and unprofessional conduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a four-month suspension, an oral reprimand, and terms and conditions on the Member's certificate of registration.

The member, a Registered Practical Nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct relating to inadequate patient care, falsifying medication administration records, and failing to report a criminal conviction for forgery.

The member admitted to the allegations, which included failing to respond to a choking patient, improperly administering and documenting medications, and forging a disability claim form.

The Discipline Committee found the member committed professional misconduct and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an oral reprimand, a six-month suspension, and various terms, conditions, and limitations on the member's certificate of registration, including employer notification and practice audits.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to participate in the College's Quality Assurance Practice Assessment and Practice Simulation in 2018 and 2019.

The Member admitted to the allegations and agreed to a Joint Submission on Order.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct and ordered a reprimand, a two-month suspension, terms and conditions on her certificate of registration, and mandatory participation in the next Quality Assurance program cycle.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for professional misconduct, alleging sexual abuse and boundary violations involving a vulnerable psychiatric patient in 1994.

The nurse admitted to the allegations, including engaging in a sexual relationship with the patient and allowing the patient to redact his medical record.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Order.

The Committee found the nurse committed professional misconduct and ordered an oral reprimand and the immediate revocation of her certificate of registration.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a member who was convicted of sexual interference involving a minor and failed to report the criminal charges and subsequent finding of guilt to the College.

The member admitted to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found that the member committed professional misconduct, noting the mandatory revocation provisions under the Health Professions Procedural Code for sexual offences.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an oral reprimand and the immediate revocation of the member's certificate of registration.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought allegations of professional misconduct against a Registered Practical Nurse for failing to complete proper patient assessments, failing to keep accurate records, and failing to provide appropriate care to multiple patients.

The matter proceeded on an Agreed Statement of Facts and a joint submission on penalty.

The Discipline Committee found that the member committed the alleged acts of professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted the joint submission, ordering an oral reprimand in conjunction with the member's undertaking to permanently resign from the College.

The member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to maintain therapeutic boundaries, engaging in financial abuse, and practicing in a conflict of interest.

The member admitted to purchasing a vulnerable patient's home and assets below market value, accepting power of attorney for the patient, and being named a beneficiary in the patient's will.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty, ordering an 8-month suspension, a reprimand, and terms, conditions, and limitations on the member's certificate of registration.

The Member, a Registered Nurse and former Director of Resident Care at a long-term care facility, faced allegations of professional misconduct.

The allegations included failing to ensure appropriate hiring practices, failing to review and compile monthly reports, failing to sign and follow up on medication incident reports, failing to report and investigate critical incidents, and failing to appropriately store and dispose of medication.

The Member admitted to the allegations through an Agreed Statement of Facts.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member committed professional misconduct and engaged in dishonourable and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a Joint Submission on Order, imposing a reprimand, a seven-month suspension, and terms, conditions, and limitations on the Member's certificate of registration.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for professional misconduct, alleging she sexually abused two patients and breached therapeutic boundaries.

The member admitted to engaging in sexual relationships, including sexual intercourse, with both patients while they were under her care.

The Discipline Committee found the member committed professional misconduct, noting her actions constituted a severe breach of the Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship standard.

Pursuant to a joint submission, the Committee ordered the mandatory revocation of the member's certificate of registration, an oral reprimand, and reimbursement of up to $10,000 for patient counselling.

The Member brought a motion to defer his disciplinary hearing until in-person hearings could resume, arguing that proceeding by videoconference would prejudice his right to a fair hearing by impairing the assessment of credibility and cross-examination.

The College opposed the motion.

The Discipline Committee denied the motion, finding that the Member failed to demonstrate significant prejudice under the Statutory Powers Procedure Act.

The Committee noted the availability of the CaseLines platform for document sharing and the panel's ability to assess credibility via Zoom, emphasizing the public interest in proceeding without indefinite delay.

The Member, a Registered Nurse, faced a discipline hearing for professional misconduct relating to her care of a patient who fell while disembarking a transit bus and subsequently died.

The Member admitted to failing to assess the patient, failing to complete an incident report, and failing to take appropriate action when the patient's health declined the following day.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the Member committed professional misconduct.

Accepting a Joint Submission on Order, the Committee ordered a three-month suspension, a reprimand, and terms, conditions, and limitations on the Member's certificate of registration.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought discipline proceedings against a Registered Practical Nurse for professional misconduct.

The member admitted to failing to assess a patient's vital signs and blood glucose levels, failing to respond to changes in the patient's condition, failing to transfer the patient to the hospital, and failing to accurately report the patient's condition to her family.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the member committed professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a three-month suspension, and terms, conditions, and limitations on the member's certificate of registration.