The Member was not present, nor was the Member represented by legal counsel at the hearing. The hearing proceeded in the Member’s absence.
Facts
The Member engaged in a sexual relationship with a patient during and after the patient’s month-long admission to a facility which treats patients experiencing concurrent mental health and substance use disorders. The Member engaged in sexual intercourse and other forms of physical sexual relations with the patient, sent the patient sexually explicit text messages and text messaged the patient’s spouse, offering relationship advice.
Discipline Committee’s Findings
A panel of the Discipline Committee of the College of Nurses of Ontario (the “Panel”) found that the Member:
- sexually abused a patient;
- contravened a standard of practice of the profession or failed to meet the standards of practice of the profession;
- abused a client, verbally, physically and emotionally; and
- engaged in conduct, relevant to the practice of nursing, that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional.
Discipline Committee’s Order
The Panel made an order that included the following:
- an oral reprimand;
- revocation of the Member’s certificate of registration; and
- reimburse CNO for funding provided to the patient for therapy and counselling, if the fund is accessed.
The Panel noted that the order will send a strong message to members of the profession that there are serious consequences for sexual abuse of patients, boundary violations of the nurse-patient relationship and verbal, physical and emotional abuse of a patient.