Nurse struck off over drink or drugs

A nurse who was verbally abusive to a colleague and failed to care properly for patients while under the influence of drink and/or drugs has been struck off by the High Court.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland’s fitness-to-practise committee found duty psychiatric nurse Mary Maura Cremer O’Brien (Pin 88983) was incapable of performing her duties due to the effects of alcohol and/or drugs while working on the night of December 21st/22nd, 2009. She was confused and/or disorientated and verbally abusive to a staff nurse.

That night, she failed to give patients their medication and "went to bed and slept on duty".

Requested loan

The committee ruled her name be removed from the nurses’ register, a decision later confirmed by the High Court.

Five other nurses were censured for their behaviour in the latest batch of published decisions and another had conditions attached to her licence to practise.

The board, when publishing the results of fitness-to-practise committee inquiries, identifies nurses only by name and unique Pin (personal identification number), and does not provide an address or place of work.

Carina Girona Padua DeGuzman (Pin 88127) was found guilty of professional misconduct after she talked to a hospital patient about her personal and financial circumstances and requested a loan in February 2010. The following month, she went to the patient's house and accepted a €200 loan from the woman.

Mary Teresa Cummins (Pin 48422) was found to have taken Valium tablets on one or more occasions while working as a staff nurse from March 2007 to May 2009. The committee ordered that conditions be attached to her name in the nurses' register.

Falsified CV

Joel Raja (Pin 106709) was censured after the committee found he falsified his CV and concocted an email purporting to come from a member of staff at the hospital where he wrongly claimed to be still employed.

Marlon Galvez Picarzo (Pin 83837) was censured for failing to give patients insulin and to record their blood sugar levels on two dates in June 2011.

Rezel M Deang Mara (Pin 93254), a clinical nurse manager at a nursing home, failed to monitor and supervise staff and failed to ensure staff were discharging their duties “adequately or at all”. The committee ruled she be censured.