On August 30, 2022, a panel of the Inquiry Committee approved a Consent Agreement between BCCNM and Carey Motloch of Lake Country to address issues that occurred from 2017 to 2019 in relation to her conduct with two clients' families.
Professional and Practise Standards prohibit nurses from beginning a friendship or romantic relationship with a client or the client's family or friends. Nurses must report boundary violations to the appropriate person. If a nurse must or wants to provide care to family or friends, they must discuss boundaries and the dual role (personal and professional} with everyone affected.
Ms. Motloch worked as an LPN in a long-term care facility. In April 2017, a client was admitted. Within a year of the client's admission, Ms. Motloch entered into a relationship with her son. In early 2018, after a coworker witnessed an overly familiar interaction, Ms. Motloch advised management of the relationship. She had to rely on coworkers to care for and assist with the client given the boundary issues inherent in the dual (personal and professional} role and being a sole nurse on duty.
Professional and Practise Standards prohibit nurses from promoting or referring clients or their family to a nurse's private or business interest. Nurses are prohibited from engaging in activities that result in inappropriate financial or personal benefit to themselves or loss to the client. Nurses do not accept a bequest from a client. These prohibitions are in place to protect patients and their families in light of the significant power differential and relative vulnerability between patients and caregivers.
From 2014 to 2017, Ms. Motloch cared for another client and developed a friendship with her elderly spouse. After the client died, the spouse and Ms. Motloch began to meet for coffee. The spouse's daughter observed him texting Ms. Motloch that he loved her; in December 2017, she raised concerns about her father's attachment to Ms. Motloch.
The spouse told his daughter that Ms. Motloch had cancer and was struggling financially. He told a Lodge Staff member that Ms. Motloch was riddled with cancer. Ms. Motloch did not have cancer.
In June 2019, the spouse's daughter grew concerned that her father was giving Ms. Motloch money. Over four months, the spouse provided four cheques totalling $16,000 to Ms. Motloch, who wrote the cheques and had him sign them. She asserted that the cheques were in exchange for specific items she sold the spouse through a Buy & Sell business. No records of the items or their sale were provided and the specific items were not found among the spouse's personal effects.
Ms. Motloch allowed her registration to lapse during investigation. She is not legally entitled to practise nursing in British Columbia. She has further agreed to maintain a cancelled registration status and to not apply for reinstatement for a minimum of three years. Should she apply at a future date, she would be subject to the scrutiny of the Registration Committee to determine if she met the criteria for fitness to practice, nursing competence, and good character.
The Inquiry Committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public.