Latest news with #BCCNM
CBC
21-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Fired B.C. nurse launches human rights complaints, says constitutional advocacy group
Social Sharing The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms says a nurse who was sanctioned by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and fired by her employer has filed two human rights complaints with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms was founded in 2010, to "defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education," says its website. In March, the BCCNM announced a disciplinary panel with the college determined Amy Hamm committed unprofessional conduct for making "public discriminatory statements directed towards transgender people while identifying as a nurse." It said Hamm's statements made across "various online platforms" between July 2018 and March 2021 were partly designed "to elicit fear, contempt and outrage against members of the transgender community." In June, the college updated a news release that said that its discipline committee would deliberate on an appropriate penalty and costs at a future date. It also announced that Hamm had filed an appeal of the March decision in B.C. Supreme Court. The justice centre says in a news release that Hamm was the "target of escalating disciplinary measures, and eventually termination, for expressing views on gender and women's rights during her personal time." It says her first application to the human rights tribunal is against Vancouver Coastal Health, alleging discrimination based on her political beliefs that led to her dismissal in March 2025. The centre says the second application is against the College of Nurses and Midwives and claims regulatory authorities used their power to enforce a particular worldview — in this case, gender ideology. The news release says Hamm is seeking reinstatement, a public apology, a declaration that she was discriminated against, as well as monetary compensation. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives' disciplinary panel said Hamm can share her views but not while identifying her professional affiliation as a nurse. In September 2020, Hamm helped pay for an I Love J.K. Rowling Sign on Hastings Street in Vancouver, supporting the author's views about gender identity. It was taken down a day after it was put up. Since the hearing with B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, Hamm has written several columns for a variety of media outlets on multiple issues, including politics and crime, as well as sex and gender.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. nurse suspended 5 days for withholding medication, falsifying records
A registered nurse in Kamloops, B.C., has been suspended five days for issues related to medication administration and record keeping, according to the regulatory body. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives says it entered a consent agreement with Amritpal Randhawa on Tuesday, to 'practice issues' that occurred between December 2022 and April 2023. Randhawa administered and withheld medication from patients 'without clinical justification' and falsified medication administration records, according to the college. The was also disciplined for failing to report 'medication incidents' and update patient care plans 'accurately or at all.' 'BCCNM professional and practice standards set expectations to ensure nurses are practising competently, ethically, responsibly, and safely,' reads an online summary of the consent agreement. 'Nurses are accountable for their nursing decisions, actions, and professional conduct. Nurses must ensure that they meet these standards in providing care to patients.' As a result, Randhawa agreed to a five-day registration suspension and a public reprimand. The nurse must also meet with a BCCNM consultant to create a plan to 'prevent similar conduct from occurring in the future.' 'The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will address the professional and practice concerns that arose and will protect the public,' the summary reads.
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Nurse attended work ‘while unfit to practice,' college says
A medical stethoscope is seen in this undated image. (Shutterstock) A B.C. nurse has admitted to attending work 'while unfit to practice,' and has been disciplined for the conduct, according to the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives. The college posted a summary of its consent agreement with the nurse online this week. The brief document indicates the registered nurse went to work on Sept. 20, 2024, while unfit to practice, but it does not elaborate on the specific reason the nurse was unfit. The summary also does not name the nurse or specify their gender. 'Pursuant to BCCNM Responsibility and Accountability Professional Standards, nurses are required to maintain their own physical, psychological, and emotional fitness to practice,' the summary document reads. 'When a nurse becomes unfit to practice, they are expected to remove themselves from practice.' This nurse did not do so, according to the document. Under the consent agreement, the nurse agreed to provide the college with 'a medical note indicating fitness to practice prior to returning to practice,' according to the summary. The nurse also agreed to not work alone and not work night shifts for a period of three months after returning to practice. 'The Inquiry Committee is satisfied that the terms will address the professional and practice concerns that arose and will protect the public.'
CTV News
28-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. nurse suspended 12 months for sexual relationship with client
A B.C. nurse's registration has been suspended for 12 months as discipline for a sexual relationship the worker had with a client, according to the regulatory body. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives described the relationship, which happened between July and September of 2023, as 'personal and sexual.' The nurse, who is not named in the consent agreement reached with the college earlier this week due to privacy regulations, 'documented that at the time of the conduct, they suffered from a health condition that was a factor in their conduct,' reads an online summary. 'Intimate' relationships between nurses and clients are prohibited, even if they are consensual, the college said, adding that a breach of professional boundaries can harm the patient. 'The nurse-client relationship is the foundation of nursing practice across all populations and cultures and in all practice settings. It is therapeutic and focuses on the needs of the client. It is based on trust, respect and professional intimacy, and it requires the appropriate use of authority,' the summary reads. According to the college, the nurse agreed to have their registration suspended for 12 months and a six-month ban on working in community nursing. If they return to the job, the nurse will be required to be 'followed by' a counsellor for a year. 'The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will address the professional and practice concerns that arose and will protect the public,' the BCCNM wrote.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Former B.C. nurse disciplined for ‘inappropriate physical measures' on elderly patients
A former licenced practical nurse in Victoria has been publicly reprimanded for 'using inappropriate physical measures on vulnerable elderly patients to gain their compliance,' according to the regulatory body. Melanie Piscia's 'practice issues' occurred between April and September of 2024 and also included problems related to safe medication administration, according to the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives. 'Nurses are accountable for their nursing decisions, actions, and professional conduct. Nurses must ensure they meet BCCNM practice standards for providing safe nursing care to clients,' the college wrote in a public notice. 'Nurses are expected to care for all patients ethically and to respect and protect patients' worth and dignity.' The college says Piscia is not currently working as a nurse, but agreed to limits on her practice that would be in effect should she successfully re-register. Those conditions include a reprimand and suspension of her registration, taking remedial education on ethics and geriatric care, and working under supervision. 'The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will address the professional and practice concerns that arose and will protect the public,' the college wrote.
