Nurses disciplined for botched IV infusion

Two nurses working at the Grace Hospital have been reprimanded and fined $2,500 each for an IV infusion gone bad and an attempted coverup.

The incident happened on November 23, 2023 when a nurse asked a colleague to set up an IV infusion on him in an unused operating room.

During the attempted IV start, the nurse lost consciousness. The nurse who attempted the IV drip and another who was in the room called for help and several staff responded.

The nurse regained consciousness and vomited, but recovered and continued to work his shift, a March 18 decision by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba says.

According to the decision, the two nurses did not tell hospital management and conspired to lie about their involvement in the incident.

The documents say one nurse devised a plan to provide a false account of the incident and she encouraged her colleagues to do the same. The story would be that the nurse attempted to start the IV on himself, and the two others discovered him unconscious in the room.

“During the employer investigation, you claimed you did not recall such conversations; however, the testimony of other witnesses supports that you devised this plan and intentionally mislead your employer,” the decision states.

The pair eventually fessed up to the truth when the affected nurse told management what had happened.

In its decision, the college said the incident compromised the safety of patients and colleagues and diverted “multiple staff and resources away from patient care to respond to an avoidable incident in the operating room.”

“You purposefully lied to your employer, concealed your involvement, and failed to intervene in an unsafe situation. You demonstrated a serious lapse in judgment, integrity, and professional accountability,” the decision says.

The nurse who attempted the IV drip showed an “intentional disregard” for her professional responsibilities and facility protocols by proceeding with an “invasive procedure on a colleague in the absence of any legitimate medical need, order or authorization.”

The nurse who witnessed the botched IV drip had a duty to uphold patient safety and ethical practice by intervening to prevent unauthorized procedures, the decision says.

“Your failure to do so is unacceptable and inconsistent with the trust and professional integrity expected in nursing practice.”

Though the incident was deemed serious by the panel, the board took into account the nurses had no prior disciplinary records. The censure will act as a discipline record applied to the nurses’ licences.

So far five nurses have been censured by the college, while there were a total of nine nurses censured in 2025.

The Manitoba Nurses Union said Thursday it would not be commenting on the case, or the number of censures handed out so far this year.

In a statement health minister Uzoma Asagwara said the College is responsible for independently investigating complaints and holding its members accountable to professional standards.

Registered nursing is a self-regulated profession in Manitoba overseen by the College. In an emailed statement, a Winnipeg Regional Health Authority spokesperson said the health authority is aware of the incident, which was investigated by the college in accordance with “established processes, including appropriate notifications.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca