The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for multiple allegations of professional misconduct, including patient abuse, unauthorized use of restraints, and falsifying medical records in a psychiatric intensive care unit.
The discipline panel found that the nurse confined a vulnerable patient without clinical justification, applied five-point restraints inappropriately, failed to monitor the patient, used abusive language, and falsified the patient's chart to justify her actions.
The panel concluded that the nurse's actions constituted professional misconduct, abuse, and disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.
As the nurse had already resigned her certificate of registration, the panel noted that revocation would have been the appropriate penalty.