A Nigerian-born nurse has lost her nursing licence in Australia after a tribunal found she repeatedly fell asleep during night shifts at an aged care facility, endangering elderly patients under her care. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled on January 20 that Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, 25, committed professional misconduct during her employment at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney, leading to the cancellation of her nursing registration. Ms Okembunachi, who moved to Australia in 2018 and completed a Bachelor of Nursing Science in 2021, began working at the facility in February 2024 but was suspended barely a month later before resigning. According to Daily Mail’s Friday report, the tribunal heard that between March 13 and 27, she was the sole registered nurse on night shifts supervising three or four assistants-in-nursing and approximately 100 residents, during which she slept on six occasions and three patients missed prescribed doses of morphine.
Evidence presented during the proceedings showed troubling incidents of neglect, including one night shift on March 21-22 when an assistant-in-nursing turned on the nurses’ station light to wake her, but she reportedly turned it off a minute later and returned to sleep. On March 15, she instructed an AIN to administer Panadol to a patient despite the assistant not being authorized to do so, saying, “It’s okay, sister, just give it to him.” Two nurses reported her conduct on March 27, and the following day she received a suspension email and an invitation to a meeting, but she resigned just 20 minutes later and declined to attend the meeting. At the time of the incidents, Ms Okembunachi was studying medicine at Western Sydney University while working night shifts at the aged care facility, a schedule she later acknowledged was unsustainable.
During the tribunal proceedings, Ms Okembunachi expressed remorse for her actions and acknowledged the serious nature of her failures. “These events caused me significant stress… In hindsight, I should not applied for, or accepted the position at Hardi,” she told the tribunal. “Working night shifts during the week was putting patients’ safety at risk.” She added, “When I slept on night shift, I failed in supervising those staff members and the residents.” The tribunal noted her “remorseful and contrite” attitude but determined that deregistration was necessary given the severity of her misconduct. The ruling stated that her actions “had the potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care,” emphasizing the tribunal’s responsibility to prioritize patient safety over the nurse’s career prospects.
Under the terms of the tribunal’s decision, Ms Okembunachi cannot apply for a review of her deregistration for at least nine months, effectively barring her from nursing practice during that period. She has not returned to nursing since her resignation but continues her medical studies at Western Sydney University, financially supported by her father and a Centrelink Student Allowance. The case highlights the critical importance of adequate staffing and supervision in aged care facilities, where vulnerable elderly residents depend on registered nurses for life-sustaining medication and emergency care during overnight hours. The incident also raises questions about the pressures facing healthcare workers who attempt to balance demanding shift work with additional educational commitments, though the tribunal made clear that such pressures cannot excuse conduct that puts patient lives at risk.
The deregistration represents a significant setback for the young healthcare professional, who had aspired to transition from nursing to medicine, and serves as a stark reminder of the profession’s stringent standards for patient safety. Ms Okembunachi’s case has drawn attention both in Australia and Nigeria, where many healthcare professionals have emigrated seeking better opportunities and working conditions. While the tribunal acknowledged her youth, remorse, and the stress she experienced, it concluded that public protection required the cancellation of her registration, setting a precedent that patient welfare must always take precedence over individual career considerations in healthcare regulation. The ruling also underscores the unique vulnerabilities of aged care residents, who during night shifts are entirely dependent on the vigilance and professionalism of nursing staff for their wellbeing and, in some cases, their survival.