As a charge nurse, you counsel your RN staff member that he has satisf

QUESTION

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.

ANSWER:

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.