A Surrey registered nurse (RN) has been disciplined for “practice issues” that occurred in May 2023 while still under conditions from a previous discipline.
The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) stated in a public notice on March 17 that Eskhander Balawag falsified clinical records and did not provide “appropriate clinician care.” He also did not follow physicians’ orders and failed to respond to “urgent clinical concerns.”
This is not the first time Balawag has been disciplined.
His nursing licence was suspended in May 2023 for a number of practice issues, including “falling asleep while on duty and failing to respond to patient alarms.” According to a BCCNM release, these incidents occurred between November 2020 and July 2021.
According to the BCCNM registry online, he was a practicing RN with conditions and/or limits from May 11 to July 20, 2023. Then, from July 21, 2023, to March 16, 2024, the online records state he was a “non-practicing RN with condition(s) and/or limit (s).”
On Sunday (March 17), Balawag voluntarily agreed to the terms the BCCNM inquiry committee set, which include:
Balawag’s nursing registration will be suspended for three weeks. He will receive a public reprimand and must develop a learning plan. He must also take corrective education in ethics, boundaries, and documentation and undergo direct and indirect supervision for a minimum of three and a half months.
He will also have several practice limits that require him to “work for one employer and on a single unit in the practice environment.” He is also prohibited from working in critical care areas, being the only RN on duty or being the nurse in charge, working night shifts, orienting new staff, and supervising students.
