Tribunal reprimands nurse for professional misconduct

30 Oct 2018

The State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia (tribunal) has reprimanded a nurse and imposed conditions on her registration after she admitted to professional misconduct concerning misappropriated drugs.

Ms Jennifer Michie admitted that on five occasions between 10 and 18 November 2016, she:

• misappropriated 24 tablets of Aspalgin from her workplace; and
• falsified hospital records on two occasions to gain access to four of the tablets.

In May 2018, the NMBA and Ms Michie agreed the terms on which the matter could be settled.

The tribunal agreed to the terms of the settlement and reprimanded Ms Michie. The tribunal also imposed conditions on Ms Michie’s registration requiring her to undertake further education and ordered her to pay $1,500 towards the NMBA’s legal costs.

The tribunal took into account that Ms Michie had a history of migraines and that she took the Aspalgin tablets to treat her migraines and avoid leaving her colleagues understaffed. The tribunal also took into account a number of other mitigating factors, including that Ms Michie admitted her conduct at the earliest opportunity, fully cooperated with the AHPRA investigation and had no prior disciplinary history.

The tribunal’s decision will be published on the eCourts Portal of Western Australia website.