Iowa nurses cited for prescription issues, privacy violations and falsified records
by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 12, 2024
The state of Iowa has sanctioned a Des Moines nurse accused of prescribing drugs in an unsafe manner.
The Iowa Board of Nursing alleges that advanced registered nurse practitioner Cynthia Coenen was working at an unspecified clinic in 2023 when, on at least one occasion, she prescribed controlled substances in an unsafe manner. The board has not publicly disclosed the name of the clinic, the drugs prescribed, or the impact on any patients.
In addition, the board has alleged that in 2023, Coenen’s prescriptive practices “may have caused harm to at least one patient,” although no other details have been disclosed.
After charging Coenen with prescribing or dispensing drugs in an unsafe manner and committing an act that may adversely affect a patient, the board recently agreed to dispose of the case through a settlement agreement.
The agreement stipulates that Coenen’s license will be placed on probation for 12 months, during which time her practice will be subject to monitoring by a board-approved third party.
Other Iowa nurses recently sanctioned by the board include:
— Breanna Ganschow of North Liberty, who was charged by the board with violating patient privacy and engaging in behavior that is contradictory to professional decorum. According to the board, Ganschow was working at an unspecified Iowa hospital in 2022 when she took photos of herself with an infant patient and then shared them with others outside the hospital.
Court records indicate Ganschow was working at the University of Iowa Hospitals in 2022 when she was arrested and charged with harassment, in part for falsely claiming to have been impregnated by the alleged victim. She was arrested again a year later for violating a no-contact order involving the same man. In both cases, Ganschow was awarded a deferred judgment.
As part of a settlement agreement with the Board of Nursing, Ganschow has agreed to an indefinite suspension of her nurse’s license. Her license will be reinstated only after she submits to a mental health evaluation by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist who will indicate whether it is safe for her to resume practice as a nurse. Ganschow’s license will also be placed on probation for a period of two years, during which she will be required to attend mental health counseling twice per month.
— Kailee Morris of Atkins, who was charged by the board with failing to accurately document a patient’s status. The board alleged Morris was working in an unspecified nursing home in March 2024 when a resident she cared for was injured in a fall. Morris allegedly failed to perform the required periodic neurological checks on the resident, but falsely documented having completed the work. Morris recently agreed to settle the case by agreeing to submit to 30 hours of educational training on professional ethics.
— Chase Hansen, who was working as a registered nurse in the emergency room at an unspecified hospital on Nov. 20, 2023, when, the board alleges, he was “observed using excessive force with an emergency room patient” and using profanity while speaking to the patient. The board charged Hansen with engaging in behavior that is contradictory to professional decorum and committing an act that may cause harm to a patient. Board records indicate Hansen’s employment at the hospital ended the next day.
The board recently agreed to settle the case by placing Hansen’s license on probation for one year, during which time he will have to submit to “mental health counseling with the goal of improving his level of insight regarding psychological matters, decrease anxious reactions, improve stress management, and improve behavioral regulation regarding anger reactions.” Hansen’s license as an Iowa paramedic remains in good standing, with no public record of any disciplinary action.
— Sheldon Cowan of Florida, who in 2023 was charged by the board with committing an act that may cause harm to a patient. Board records indicate the case was resolved last month through a settlement, but the board has yet to make public the alleged conduct that led to the charge or the settlement agreement itself. Cowan’s Florida license is in good standing with no record of any disciplinary action.
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