Overview
- The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba released a Jan. 28 decision cancelling Nipaben Patel’s RN licence and imposing a $10,000 penalty after she pleaded guilty to four misconduct charges.
- Investigators found that on Nov. 6, 2024, in Lynn Lake, Patel administered succinylcholine followed by fentanyl without a physician’s order or required double-checks, and a paramedic’s CPR revived the patient after arrest.
- The panel called the conduct grossly incompetent or negligent, noted Patel sought a retroactive drug order from the physician, and recorded that she quit the next day and has not worked as an RN since mid-November 2024.
- Patel had not practised as a registered nurse for about 13 years before obtaining a Manitoba licence in August 2023 via New York and Ontario registrations, which allowed her to bypass a clinical competence assessment.
- The college says it will seek a meeting with the Manitoba government to revisit 'currency of practice' requirements that the province has blocked under Canadian Free Trade Agreement concerns and recruitment goals, as officials characterized such cases as rare and a learning opportunity.