Judge upholds nurse's suspension for allegedly blocking patient's airway

A Northwest Territories Supreme Court judge has dismissed former N.W.T. nurse MadelineHeffel's appeal of her licencesuspension forallegedly covered the mouth and nose of a combative patient.

Heffel had her nursing licence suspended in 2014 and was fined $10,000 after the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut found she acted unprofessionally in an incident that took place in Deline in 2011.

According to court documents,Heffeland two other nurses treateda 15-year-old male patient thatJuly.RCMPhad recovered him from the shores of Great Bear Lake after he had tried to drown himself.

He was hypothermic and was taken to the community's health centre for treatment.

According to court documents,Heffelsaid he was combative kicking, biting and spitting on the nurses.Heffelsaidas she and another nurse were trying to hold him down so they could begin treatment, he spat on her face.

In the documents, the two other nurses saidHeffelthen put a blanket over the patient's mouth and pinched his nostrils, blocking his airway.One of them told the Registered Nurses Association that she heardHeffelsay "I'll stop when you stop."

Heffeldeniedblocking thepatient'sairway.

Complaintfiled

Both nurses filed a complaint about the incident. After an investigation, theSahtuHealth and Social Services Authority firedHeffelfor abusing a patient.

The nursing association's board of inquiry foundHeffelhad "failed to meet acceptable nursing standards" and her "actions were excessive to accomplish the purpose of defence and restraint." Itfined her and suspended her licence to practise in February 2014. The board toldHeffelshe could have her licence reinstated if she completeda specialized nursing course.

Heffel's appeal argued the board overstepped its authority by suspending her and that it had no evidence that the incident took place.

Justice Virginia Schuler dismissedHeffel's appeal this week, saying the board had every right to suspend and fine her.

"There is no basis upon which I can re-visit that conclusion as it is not one that is palpably in error, rather, it is a possible conclusion on the evidence," Justice Schuler said in her decision.

Schuler also ordered Heffel to pay the nursing association's legal costs.