Preview:

REL:

10/29/2010

Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l r e v i s i o n b e f o r e p u b l i c a t i o n i n t h e advance s h e e t s o f Southern R e p o r t e r . R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e R e p o r t e r o f D e c i s i o n s , A l a b a m a A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r A v e n u e , M o n t g o m e r y , A l a b a m a 3 6 1 0 4 - 3 7 4 1 ((334) 2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f a n y t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may b e made b e f o r e t h e o p i n i o n i s p r i n t e d i n Southern R e p o r t e r .

ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2010-2011

2090622

Alabama Board o f Nursing v. E l i z a b e t h Nalugo K i r y a Appeal from Montgomery C i r c u i t Court (CV-09-900943) MOORE, J u d g e . The A l a b a m a B o a r d o f N u r s i n g a j u d g m e n t o f t h e Montgomery reversing t h e Board's ("the B o a r d " ) a p p e a l s Court from

Circuit decision

("the c i r c u i t Elizabeth

court")

t o revoke

2090622 Nalugo K i r y a ' s reverse. Facts On March and P r o c e d u r a l the Board History issued a statement of l i c e n s e t o p r a c t i c e as a r e g i s t e r e d n u r s e . We

19, 2009,

charges t o K i r y a , s t a t i n g , i n p e r t i n e n t "I.

part:

"On A p r i l 2 1 , 1995, [ K i r y a ] was l i c e n s e d b y t h e A l a b a m a B o a r d o f N u r s i n g as a R e g i s t e r e d Nurse. [ K i r y a ] was o r i g i n a l l y a p p r o v e d t o p r a c t i c e as a C e r t i f i e d R e g i s t e r e d Nurse P r a c t i t i o n e r (CRNP) by t h e A l a b a m a B o a r d o f N u r s i n g on A p r i l 2 1 , 1995. H e r CRNP approval expired on December 3 1 , 2006. [ K i r y a ' s ] RN l i c e n s e l a p s e d on December 3 1 , 2008, f o r f a i l u r e t o renew. "II. "On May 2 1 , 2004, t h e B o a r d ... i s s u e d an O r d e r s u s p e n d i n g [ K i r y a ' s ] l i c e n s e u n t i l c o n d i t i o n s were met. On A u g u s t 26, 2004, t h e s u s p e n s i o n was l i f t e d and [ K i r y a ' s ] l i c e n s e was p l a c e d on p r o b a t i o n f o r a p e r i o d o f t w e n t y - f o u r months. S a i d O r d e r was i s s u e d b a s e d on f a c t s i n c l u d i n g : [Kirya's] p r e s c r i p t i o n of medication without documentation of a p a t i e n t visit and subsequent failure to document notification from the e m e r g e n c y room t h a t t h e p a t i e n t h a d e x p e r i e n c e d an a l l e r g i c r e a c t i o n t o the medication which required e m e r g e n c y t r e a t m e n t on two s e p a r a t e occasions [Kirya's] violation practice as a CRNP i n of her collaborative
2

2090622 p r a c t i c e a p p r o v a l between August 2002 and November 4, 2003, w h i l e c o l l a b o r a t i n g p h y s i c i a n was o u t o f country and she did not have approved back-up p h y s i c i a n 28, her the an

[ K i r y a ' s ] p r e s c r i p t i o n of m e d i c a t i o n s and c o n t r o l l e d d r u g s f o r p a t i e n t s on two d a y s u s i n g p r e s c r i p t i o n s t h a t had b e e n p r e - s i g n e d by h e r c o l l a b o r a t i n g p h y s i c i a n f o r h e r use w h i l e he was out of the country [Kirya's] practice on multiple occasions at a practice site in Gadsden, Alabama, w i t h o u t n o t i f i c a t i o n t o or a p p r o v a l from the [Board]. "III. " S t i p u l a t e d Term Number 11 o f [ K i r y a ' s ] O r d e r o f Probation provided t h a t p e r i o d s of time i n which [ K i r y a ] was n o t e m p l o y e d as a p r a c t i c i n g n u r s e w o u l d be e x c l u d e d f r o m c o m p u t a t i o n o f t i m e t o be s e r v e d on probation. [Kirya's] only documented p e r i o d of employment as a RN s i n c e t h e i s s u a n c e o f t h e O r d e r o f P r o b a t i o n i n 20O4 i s h e r employment as a RN a t R i v e r v i e w R e g i o n a l M e d i c a l C e n t e r (RRMC) f r o m A p r i l 3, 2006, u n t i l J a n u a r y 26, 2007. Thus, [ K i r y a ] has c o m p l e t e d o n l y 10 o f t h e 24 months o f p r a c t i c e as a RN r e q u i r e d f o r s u c c e s s f u l c o m p l e t i o n o f h e r O r d e r of P r o b a t i o n . "IV. " S t i p u l a t e d Term Number 4 o f [ K i r y a ' s ] O r d e r o f Probation r e q u i r e d [Kirya] to submit s e l f - r e p o r t s to t h e B o a r d on a m o n t h l y b a s i s by t h e 1 0 t h o f t h e month. S e l f - r e p o r t s were r e q u i r e d t o be s u b m i t t e d regardless of whether [Kirya] was employed in nursing.

3

2090622 "The B o a r d h a s n o t r e c e i v e d t h e s e l f - r e p o r t s due on t h e t e n t h o f S e p t e m b e r , O c t o b e r , November, a n d December o f 2 0 0 7 ; n o r t h e s e l f - r e p o r t s due on t h e t e n t h o f J a n u a r y , F e b r u a r y , M a r c h , A p r i l , May, a n d June o f 2008. "V. " S t i p u l a t e d Term Number 9 o f [ K i r y a ' s ] O r d e r o f P r o b a t i o n r e q u i r e d [ K i r y a ] t o cause h e r employer t o p r o v i d e t o t h e B o a r d on a B o a r d - a p p r o v e d f o r m a w r i t t e n e v a l u a t i o n of [Kirya's] n u r s i n g performance e v e r y t h r e e months a n d f u r t h e r r e q u i r e d t h a t r e c e i p t of an u n f a v o r a b l e report may be c o n s i d e r e d a v i o l a t i o n o f t h e O r d e r . On F e b r u a r y 6, 2007, t h e B o a r d r e c e i v e d n o t i c e t h a t on J a n u a r y 26, 2007, [Kirya] was separated from Riverview Regional M e d i c a l C e n t e r , Gadsden, Alabama. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e C o r r e c t i v e A c t i o n / D i s c i p l i n e Record, [ K i r y a ] was s e p a r a t e d due t o f a i l u r e t o r e s p o n d t o u r g e n t c a r e issues with a postoperative patient experiencing complications. "The o n l y E m p l o y e r R e p o r t p r o v i d e d t o t h e B o a r d was t h e one f o r A p r i l t o June 2007, a t i m e p e r i o d during which [ K i r y a ] was n o t e m p l o y e d by RMC; h o w e v e r , t h i s f o r m was r e c e i v e d b y t h e B o a r d i n J a n u a r y 2007. The B o a r d d i d n o t r e c e i v e t h e e m p l o y e r r e p o r t s due on t h e t e n t h o f J u l y a n d O c t o b e r o f 2006. "VI. " S t i p u l a t e d Term Number 12 o f [ K i r y a ' s ] O r d e r o f Probation required [Kirya] t o maintain a current l i c e n s e a t a l l times d u r i n g the p e r i o d of the Order. [ K i r y a ' s ] l i c e n s e l a p s e d on December 3 1 , 2008, f o r f a i l u r e t o renew.

4

2090622 "VII. "By l e t t e r o f November 6, 2007, [ K i r y a ] was advised of deficiencies i n her reporting that c o n s t i t u t e d v i o l a t i o n s o f h e r Board Order. [Kirya] d i d n o t r e s p o n d t o t h i s l e t t e r . By c e r t i f i e d l e t t e r o f December 12, 2007, [ K i r y a ] was a g a i n a d v i s e d o f deficiencies i n her reporting that constituted v i o l a t i o n s o f h e r Order. P o s t a l records r e f l e c t t h a t t h i s c e r t i f i e d m a i l l e t t e r was d e l i v e r e d on J a n u a r y 4, 2008. [ K i r y a ] d i d n o t r e s p o n d t o t h i s letter. [ K i r y a ] was a g a i n a d v i s e d o f d e f i c i e n c i e s i n h e r r e p o r t i n g t h a t c o n s t i t u t e d v i o l a t i o n s o f h e r Order b y c e r t i f i e d l e t t e r o f F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2008. N o t i c e o f t h i s l e t t e r was l e f t t w i c e f o r K i r y a , a n d t h e l e t t e r was subsequently returned t o the Board marked 'return t o sender,' 'unclaimed,' 'unable to forward.' [Kirya] d i d not respond t o t h i s l e t t e r . "COUNT ONE " [ K i r y a ' s ] c o n d u c t as d e s c r i b e d i n P a r a g r a p h s I I t h r o u g h V I I above d e m o n s t r a t e s t h a t [ K i r y a ] has w i l l f u l l y or repeatedly v i o l a t e d the provisions of Article 2 o f t h e Alabama Nurse P r a c t i c e A c t as d e f i n e d by Board r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s by f a i l i n g t o comply w i t h s t i p u l a t e d terms and c o n d i t i o n s o f a B o a r d O r d e r , i n v i o l a t i o n o f Code o f A l a b a m a 1 9 7 5 ,

Download 2090622.pdf

Alabama Law