Peer review

I need help! I have a peer review in a few weeks... report was given to incoming RN he stated he was not assigned to that patient I told him he was, at that point I was pulled by a MD for a different patient and I left the hospital .... the patient was not seen by the RN all night , i was called in the am with questions at to who I gave report to , i failed to document the hand off report ..... nothing happend to the patient , vital sings were only checked once and a neb treatment given ... he and I were written up and presented ideas as to how to prevent it from happening ... he denies me giving him report... now 2 months later iam being called in for a peer review ... any advise? Thinking about taking a lawyer... I fear on being reported to the BON and having my license taken away please help!

There is no way you can be "right" in this situation. Even if you "gave report" and told the other nurse he was assigned to the patient, he did not accept the patient. You can't just wander off in cases like that. They have to be resolved.

I would accept responsibility and make it very clear that I (now) understood why I was wrong.

Take a deep breath. Are you in Texas or Kansas? As far as I know, we're the only two states with formally mandated nursing Peer Review.

Get a copy of the document(s) that outline the entire Peer Review process so you have a clear understanding of all steps of the process. Make sure you know all of your rights and obligations. Read everything you receive very carefully. If there are any inaccuracies, make sure that they are corrected. Be truthful. In every instance of Peer Review I have been involved with over the years, the outcomes were much more favorable when the nurse took ownership of his/her actions and expressed appropriate remorse for mistakes made.

If the Peer Review outcome will include BON notification, I urge you to seek qualified legal assistance. In my state, only a very minuscule number of Peer Review cases are deemed serious enough to report to the BON. Sending you good vibes & hopes for a positive outcome.

You may be reprimanded, not given a raise, may need a performance plan, but since no harm came to the patient, I highly doubt any board would take your license away, especially if you made an honest mistake, and again, no harm came to the patient as a result. We are only human afterall. Good idea to always carry malpractice insurance though.