For sleeping on the job, 25-year-old Nigerian nurse loses licence

News Update

A Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has been deregistered in Australia after a tribunal found that she repeatedly slept while on duty during night shifts at an aged care facility in Sydney.

The 25-year-old nurse had her registration cancelled by the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which ruled that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct and posed a serious risk to patient safety.

Okembunachi was employed at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford in February 2024 but was suspended within a month of resuming duties and later resigned.

According to tribunal findings, she worked several night shifts between March 13 and March 27, 2024, during which she was the only registered nurse supervising up to four assistants-in-nursing and approximately 100 elderly residents.

The tribunal heard that she fell asleep on duty on six separate occasions, failing to adequately supervise staff and residents. On three of those nights, residents reportedly missed their prescribed morphine doses.

Evidence also revealed that Okembunachi instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer medication despite the assistant not being authorised to do so.

Concerns about her conduct were raised by colleagues on March 27, leading to her suspension the following day.

During the hearing, Okembunachi admitted to the allegations and expressed remorse, explaining that she was experiencing significant stress due to health issues, academic pressures, and family financial responsibilities. She acknowledged that accepting night shifts while dealing with these challenges compromised patient safety.

Although the tribunal noted her honesty and remorse, it ruled that deregistration was the appropriate sanction, stating that her actions had the potential to place patients’ lives at risk.

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She will be barred from seeking a review of the decision for at least nine months.