Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics for
Texas Nurses
1. A BON investigator in the enforcement division collected evidence that supports
the BON's formal charges against a nurse regarding violations of the NPA and board
rules. Attempts to notify the nurse via standard and certified mail at the nurse's last
address of record have been returned to the BON office as being "undeliverable or
not at this address." Since the investigator has been unable to communicate with the
nurse about the BON's formal charges, Board Rule 213.16(i) on Practice and
Procedure requires that
A. The case proceeds and the board's charges are deemed to be true.
B. The board closes the case and takes no action if they are unable to locate the
nurse.
C. The investigator dropped the recommended action (sanction) on the nurse's
license to a lower level since the nurse has not responded to the formal charges.
D. the case be referred to the District Attorney's office for follow-up action. -
------------ANS: A. the case proceeds and the board's charges are deemed to be true.
2. A nurse is assisting a physician when she witness the physician break sterile
technique and use a contaminated instrument to finish the procedure. The nurse
reports the physician to the Texas Medical Board. Which of the following statements
is accurate in relation to this scenario?
A. The nurse cannot be disciplined by the BON or discriminated against by the
employer.
B. The nurse has no recourse if the physician gets angry and terminates her
employment.
C. If the facility terminates the nurse's employment, the BON can provide the nurse
with legal advice.
D. The nurse must inform the physician of any reports the nurse files. -
------------ANS: A. The nurse cannot be disciplined by the BON or discriminated
against by the employer.
,3. A nurse is caught stealing narcotics from the automated dispensing machine on
the unit and self-injecting these drugs while on duty. The nurse admits that she is
chemically dependent. In this situation, the NPA requires
A. the nurse be reported to the BON.
B. The Peer Review Committee to monitor the nurse's practice.
C. the nurse to enroll in the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN).
D. a report to law enforcement. - ------------ANS: B. the Peer Review Committee to
monitor the nurse's practice.
4. A nurse is counseled for questioning a physician's order that made the physician
mad. Which of the following documents on the BON web site BEST explains why the
nurse was correct to question a physician's order that the nurse believed could be
harmful to a patient?
A. Guideline for Nurses Transitioning to a New Practice Setting.
B. Statistics on the number of nurses living in each county in Texas.
C. Position Statement 15.14 Duty of a Nurse in Any Setting.
D. Guideline for LVN Scope of Practice under Board Rule 217.11 - ------------ANS: C.
Position Statement 15.14 Duty of a Nurse in Any Setting.
5. A nurse is terminated and reported to the BON for committing repeated practice
errors. As required in the NPA, the CNO also sends the case to the Incident Based
Peer Review (IBPR) Committee because:
A. the nurse may convince the committee the errors were not her fault, and the
committee can then withdraw the CNO's report to the BON.
B. the IBPR Committee can decide to reverse the CNO's decision to terminate the
nurse's employment.
, C. the IBPR Committee may decide to re-orient and re-train the nurse even though
she was fired.
D. the IBPR Committee is required to review external factors surrounding the
practice errors and to report to the facility's Patient Safety Committee as appropriate.
- ------------ANS: D. the IBPR Committee is required to review external factors
surrounding the practice errors and to report to the facility's Patient Safety
Committee as appropriate.
6. A nurse quits his job, and submits a written notice at the end of his shift, telling his
supervisor that he will not be back at work the following morning. The supervisor tells
the nurse he has to complete the entire month's schedule or he will be committing
"patient abandonment," and will be reported to the BON. This is
A. true. The nurse must work the entire currently posted work schedule before he
can quit his present job.
B. true. It would be "patient abandonment" if the nurse does not complete the current
schedule. The nurse could be reported to the BON.
C. false. Quitting a job at the end of a shift is not considered "patient abandonment"
by the BON and is not grounds for reporting to, or action by, the BON.
D. false. The nurse only has to work for two more weeks of the schedule before he
can quit. - ------------ANS: C. false. Quitting a job at the end of a shift is not
considered "patient abandonment" by the BON and is not grounds for reporting to, or
action by, the BON.
7. A nurse was arrested for making death threats with a gun, then subsequently
admitted to a psychiatric facility, and diagnosed with previously untreated and other
mental health conditions. The BON is likely to consider the conduct by this nurse as
grounds for disciplinary action on the nurse's license due to
A. the nurse not obtaining treatment when symptoms first occurred.
B. lack of fitness to practice which may impose a risk to patients.
C. the likeliness the nurse would have the diagnoses for life.
Texas Nurses
1. A BON investigator in the enforcement division collected evidence that supports
the BON's formal charges against a nurse regarding violations of the NPA and board
rules. Attempts to notify the nurse via standard and certified mail at the nurse's last
address of record have been returned to the BON office as being "undeliverable or
not at this address." Since the investigator has been unable to communicate with the
nurse about the BON's formal charges, Board Rule 213.16(i) on Practice and
Procedure requires that
A. The case proceeds and the board's charges are deemed to be true.
B. The board closes the case and takes no action if they are unable to locate the
nurse.
C. The investigator dropped the recommended action (sanction) on the nurse's
license to a lower level since the nurse has not responded to the formal charges.
D. the case be referred to the District Attorney's office for follow-up action. -
------------ANS: A. the case proceeds and the board's charges are deemed to be true.
2. A nurse is assisting a physician when she witness the physician break sterile
technique and use a contaminated instrument to finish the procedure. The nurse
reports the physician to the Texas Medical Board. Which of the following statements
is accurate in relation to this scenario?
A. The nurse cannot be disciplined by the BON or discriminated against by the
employer.
B. The nurse has no recourse if the physician gets angry and terminates her
employment.
C. If the facility terminates the nurse's employment, the BON can provide the nurse
with legal advice.
D. The nurse must inform the physician of any reports the nurse files. -
------------ANS: A. The nurse cannot be disciplined by the BON or discriminated
against by the employer.
,3. A nurse is caught stealing narcotics from the automated dispensing machine on
the unit and self-injecting these drugs while on duty. The nurse admits that she is
chemically dependent. In this situation, the NPA requires
A. the nurse be reported to the BON.
B. The Peer Review Committee to monitor the nurse's practice.
C. the nurse to enroll in the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN).
D. a report to law enforcement. - ------------ANS: B. the Peer Review Committee to
monitor the nurse's practice.
4. A nurse is counseled for questioning a physician's order that made the physician
mad. Which of the following documents on the BON web site BEST explains why the
nurse was correct to question a physician's order that the nurse believed could be
harmful to a patient?
A. Guideline for Nurses Transitioning to a New Practice Setting.
B. Statistics on the number of nurses living in each county in Texas.
C. Position Statement 15.14 Duty of a Nurse in Any Setting.
D. Guideline for LVN Scope of Practice under Board Rule 217.11 - ------------ANS: C.
Position Statement 15.14 Duty of a Nurse in Any Setting.
5. A nurse is terminated and reported to the BON for committing repeated practice
errors. As required in the NPA, the CNO also sends the case to the Incident Based
Peer Review (IBPR) Committee because:
A. the nurse may convince the committee the errors were not her fault, and the
committee can then withdraw the CNO's report to the BON.
B. the IBPR Committee can decide to reverse the CNO's decision to terminate the
nurse's employment.
, C. the IBPR Committee may decide to re-orient and re-train the nurse even though
she was fired.
D. the IBPR Committee is required to review external factors surrounding the
practice errors and to report to the facility's Patient Safety Committee as appropriate.
- ------------ANS: D. the IBPR Committee is required to review external factors
surrounding the practice errors and to report to the facility's Patient Safety
Committee as appropriate.
6. A nurse quits his job, and submits a written notice at the end of his shift, telling his
supervisor that he will not be back at work the following morning. The supervisor tells
the nurse he has to complete the entire month's schedule or he will be committing
"patient abandonment," and will be reported to the BON. This is
A. true. The nurse must work the entire currently posted work schedule before he
can quit his present job.
B. true. It would be "patient abandonment" if the nurse does not complete the current
schedule. The nurse could be reported to the BON.
C. false. Quitting a job at the end of a shift is not considered "patient abandonment"
by the BON and is not grounds for reporting to, or action by, the BON.
D. false. The nurse only has to work for two more weeks of the schedule before he
can quit. - ------------ANS: C. false. Quitting a job at the end of a shift is not
considered "patient abandonment" by the BON and is not grounds for reporting to, or
action by, the BON.
7. A nurse was arrested for making death threats with a gun, then subsequently
admitted to a psychiatric facility, and diagnosed with previously untreated and other
mental health conditions. The BON is likely to consider the conduct by this nurse as
grounds for disciplinary action on the nurse's license due to
A. the nurse not obtaining treatment when symptoms first occurred.
B. lack of fitness to practice which may impose a risk to patients.
C. the likeliness the nurse would have the diagnoses for life.
