B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended a Surrey licensed practical nurse for two days after finding problems with the way she delivered drugs to patients.
In a decision released Feb. 24, the college said it had approved a consent agreement with Ravneet Kaur Kaler to deal with concerns stemming from a period when she worked with a community pharmacy program to deliver and administer medication to patients in their homes.
The college found Kaler failed to follow relevant standards, employer policies and instructions when she delivered narcotics through a mail slot.
The college said the action was done without engaging in any assessment or evaluation of the patient's health status. It caused a potential breach of the patient's personal health information as the delivery was made to the wrong address, states the public memo.
As a result, Kaler has received a public reprimand and a two-day suspension of her licence.
Kaler must also take remedial education in preventing medication errors, patient privacy and ethics; as well as engage in a regulatory practice consulting program.
The college is one of 18 regulatory bodies empowered under the Health Professions Act to regulate health professions in B.C. It regulates the practice of four distinct professions: nursing, practical nursing, psychiatric nursing and midwifery.
Similar legislation in other self-regulated areas such as the legal and notary public professions also allow citizens to know about discipline issues in the public interest.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the college said.
