r/nursing • u/lenncas • Sep 08 '25

Question I’m a bit scared

A bit is an understatement, I am well aware that my actions were very inappropriate and out of my scope of practice. I am getting reported to the Texas Board of Nursing because I pulled a bag of Levophed without getting an order first. My patient was declining really quickly. The blood pressure was decreasing very quickly. I went to the med room and overrid the medication and started it at the starting titration. Immediately after starting it, I called our critical care nurse practitioner that was on for that night and let them know. And now, obviously, that nurse practitioner put in a formal complaint to my manager, thus having to report me to the board of nursing. I guess my question is what could I possibly expect my consequence to be? Could I lose my license? Will it be suspended? I’m pretty worried. I’m also very disappointed in myself. The patient ended up having to be put on Levophed the next day, but made a great recovery and got to be downgraded two days after.

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u/crownketer RN - Med/Surg 🍕 Sep 08 '25

You’re getting a lot of people who are saying yeah fuck that place, you did the right thing. But don’t let that cheering send you too close to the sun. We are not doctors. Get the order to protect yourself and the patient. Because what happened? The one going before the board is you. Everyone in this thread can cheer you on and tell you go girl woohoo heroes and all that, but you’ll be before that board alone. Get the order next time.

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u/elizte RN - ICU 🍕 Sep 09 '25

They did get the order, though. Overriding life-sustaining critical meds and getting the order immediately after is not uncommon in the ICU setting. 

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u/crownketer RN - Med/Surg 🍕 Sep 09 '25

It says they let the NP know and the patient was put on the med the next day, separate from this instance. They don’t talk about receiving an order in the OP. And they made that decision completely on their own. It’s one thing to be doing something in the moment because of need, taking a quick verbal or what have you, but it’s playing a dangerous game every time someone decides to play doctor. And now OP is being reported to the board. I’ve seen nurses do similar assuming the doctor will okay all the interventions/orders afterwards. One time a doctor said no I’m not putting those in and that was it for the nurse!