A Nigerian-born nurse, Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, has lost her professional licence 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 was deregistered by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which ruled that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct and posed a serious risk to patient safety.
Okembunachi worked at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford from February 2024 but was suspended within a month and later resigned.
Tribunal findings showed that between March 13 and March 27, 2024, she worked several night shifts as the only registered nurse on duty, supervising up to four assistants-in-nursing and about 100 elderly residents.
On six separate occasions, she reportedly fell asleep while on duty, failing to adequately supervise staff and residents. On three of those nights, patients missed their prescribed doses of morphine.
The tribunal also heard evidence that Okembunachi instructed an assistant-in-nursing to administer medication, despite the assistant not being authorised to do so.
Colleagues raised concerns about her conduct on March 27, prompting her suspension the following day.
During the hearing, Okembunachi admitted to the allegations and expressed remorse, explaining that she was under intense pressure from health challenges, academic demands, and family financial responsibilities.
She acknowledged that accepting night shifts under those circumstances compromised patient safety.
While noting that she was honest and showed remorse, the tribunal ruled that deregistration was the only appropriate sanction, stressing that her actions had the potential to endanger lives.
Okembunachi will be barred from applying for a review of the decision for at least nine months.
