A Nigerian-born nurse has been struck off in Australia after a tribunal found she repeatedly slept during night shifts, putting elderly patients’ lives at risk.
Chimzuruoke Okembunachi, 25, had her nursing registration cancelled after the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) ruled that her conduct amounted to professional misconduct.
Okembunachi began working at Hardi Aged Care in Guildford, western Sydney, in February 2024. Within a month, she was suspended and later resigned following reports that she repeatedly slept while on duty.
The tribunal heard that between March 13 and 27, 2024, Okembunachi was the only registered nurse on night shifts, supervising three to four assistants-in-nursing (AINs) and responsible for around 100 residents.
Evidence showed that she fell asleep during six separate night shifts, including one instance where she slept for approximately four hours and 24 minutes. On at least three occasions, residents missed prescribed doses of morphine.
In one incident on March 21–22, an AIN reportedly switched on the nurses’ station light to wake her, but she turned it off shortly after and went back to sleep. On another occasion, she instructed an assistant to administer Panadol to a patient despite the assistant not being authorised to do so.
Two nurses formally reported her conduct on March 27. The following day, she received a suspension notice and an invitation to attend a meeting but resigned about 20 minutes later, declining to participate.
During the hearing, Okembunachi admitted her failings, saying the role caused her significant stress and acknowledging that working night shifts compromised patient safety.
“When I slept on night shift, I failed in supervising those staff members and the residents,” she told the tribunal.
While noting her remorse, the tribunal ruled that deregistration was necessary, stating that her actions “had the potential to endanger the lives of patients under her care.”
Born in Nigeria, Okembunachi moved to Australia in 2018, qualified as a nurse in 2021, and is currently studying medicine at Western Sydney University. She is barred from reapplying for registration for at least nine months and has not returned to nursing.
