B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has disciplined a nurse for patient medication and assessment issues.
On April 14, 2025, an inquiry committee panel approved a consent agreement between the college and Trail registered nurse James Wallace to address practice issues between Jan. 29 and March 16, 2024.
The decision said those issues related to medication administration, documentation, and patient assessments.
The decision said nurses are accountable to ensure they meet college practice standards as well as meet the employer's policies for providing safe nursing care to clients.
“When nurses are not meeting professional and practise standards, remedial and supportive measures are put in place so that a nurse will be able to address practice concerns, consolidate their knowledge and skills, while oversight or supervision measures are in place to ensure public safety,” the decision said.
The panel said Wallace voluntarily agreed to terms equivalent to a discipline including:
• a reprimand for not meeting facility policies for patient assessments, not fully documenting assessments in patient clinical records, not meeting medication administration standards, and for not reporting his medication errors;
• a limit on his nursing registration to require supervision while working for a period of time to support him to improve practice; and,
• remedial education and learning plan targeted to address knowledge gaps.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the college said.
The newly formed College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC amalgamates the regulation of professional chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists in B.C. to ensure they have the competencies needed to practice and they adhere to safe and ethical care standards.
Similar legislation in other self-regulated areas such as the legal and notary public professions also allows citizens to know about discipline issues in the public interest.
