Nurse Rachael Pearce found guilty of professional conduct after drinking at work

A veteran nurse who twice worked in the emergency department of a hospital while drunk has been found guilty of professional misconduct.

Rachael Pearce fronted Rockhampton Magistrates Court.

A veteran Queensland nurse who twice worked in the emergency department of a Central Queensland hospital while drunk, and slept while she was supposed to be nursing a patient, has been found guilty of professional misconduct.

In a decision handed down by Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Member Ray Rinaudo on November 15, and published this week, nurse Rachael Pearce was reprimanded and disqualified from applying for nursing registration for a year.

The disciplinary decision states that Pearce admits that she attended the Rockhampton hospital in Central Queensland while under the influence of alcohol and slept while rostered to provide one-on-one care to highly vulnerable patients.

This occurred on the night of 15 and 16 October 2019 and again on the night of 28 and 29 November 2019.

Later on 7 April 2021, she pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence before the Rockhampton Magistrates Court.

Pearce, who spent over 20 years working as registered nurse, had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.405 per cent BAC.

She was fined $1500 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s license for 18 months.

On October 16 she was discovered sleeping by a colleague at 5am and was later observed to be disorientated and confused and to have breath that smelled like alcohol.

She had been one-on-one monitoring a cardiology patient in an acute resuscitation cubicle usually assigned to the most unwell patient, the decision states.

On November 29 she was again in a resuscitation cubicle responsible for undertaking one-on-one monitoring of a patient when she was discovered sleeping by a colleague at 6am.

She was observed to have large pupils breath which smelt fruity or of alcohol, unsteady on her feet as well as disorientated and incoherent.

Her employment with the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service was suspended on 29 November 2019 and ceased on 19 November 2022.

No patient ultimately suffered any harm, the decision states.

Pearce’s general practitioner, Michael Keating told QCAT that she has completed a number of rehabilitation episodes but she is still drinking one to one and a half bottles of wine a day.

She now works for her husband as a labourer in his demolition business but does not drive and has no wish to regain her nursing registration, Dr Keating told the tribunal.

Originally published as Nurse Rachael Pearce found guilty of professional conduct after drinking at work