Charge
On 16 September 2021, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal (the Tribunal) considered a charge laid by a Professional Conduct Committee against a Nurse.
The charge alleged the Nurse:
- falsified the peer assessment component of the "Registered Nurse: Full Self and Peer Assessment (Performance Review) Form” (the Form);
- forged the signature of her team leader on the Form; and
- forged the signature of her preceptor, another registered nurse, on the Form.
Finding
The hearing proceeded on the basis of an agreed summary of facts. The Nurse admitted the charge and accepted her conduct amounted to professional misconduct, which warranted the imposition of a disciplinary sanction.
The Tribunal found the charge was established and that each Particular separately and cumulatively amounted to professional misconduct.
Penalty
The Tribunal:
- censured the Nurse;
- suspended the Nurse’s registration for a period of three months; and
- ordered the following conditions:
- the Nurse must complete a course in relation to professional ethics that covers the Nursing Council Code of Conduct, as approved by the Nursing Council at her own expense within six months of the Nurse recommencing practice after her period of suspension; and
- the Nurse must disclose the Tribunal’s decision to any employer before commencing work as a registered nurse for a period of 12 months following her return to practice.
The Tribunal took the Nurse’s limited financial means into account and ordered her to pay $250.00 costs which was approximately a 1% contribution to the costs of the investigation and hearing.
The Tribunal directed publication of the decision and a summary.