[Balder_LPN]

Originally Posted by Tweety

I'm not sure of the prevalence of drug addiction in nurses. Easy access to narcotics makes it very tempting for the addict.

A couple of them have found healing and recovery after getting caught.

I found this at the wesbsite healthcare.lycos.monster.com/articles/drugabuse

"Studies show the addiction rate among healthcare workers mirrors that of the general population. “The normal rate (of addiction) for the public is one out of 10,” says Connie Mele, MSN, RN, CCAF, CARN-AP, program administrator of substance abuse services for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. “But I think people have the expectation that a nurse would certainly know better.”

and another source http://www.duke.edu/~mageorge/Papers/Substance%20Abuse.pdf#search='healthcare%20workers %20drug%20addiction says

"Healthcare workers are in a unique position to acquire and abuse prescription drugs. While many offenders steal drugs while working, others steal prescription pads or write illegal prescriptions for friends. Of the 250 felony arrests made by the Cincinnati Police Department’s Drug Diversion Unit in 1999, almost a third involved healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and hospital workers.

Overall, the prevalence of substance use disorders in healthcare professionals (and nursesin particular) appears to be about equal to that in the general population (between 6 and 8%) (Blazer, 1995). In fact, healthcare professionals have slightly lower rates compared to certain other occupations, such as roofers and housepainters, and people who travel frequently for aliving.

Among healthcare workers however, there is a higher use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines than in the general population (Welsh, 2002).
The majority of nurses who receive treatment for problems related to chemical abuse became addicted as students, and were academically in the top third of their class. A majority also hold advanced degrees. “It has been estimated that approximately ten percent of nurses are chemically impaired and most disciplinary problems that are addressed by Boards of Nursing are related to nurses in this ten percent. A recent report from the Idaho State Board of Nursing indicated that ninety percent of the nurses whose licenses were suspended or revoked from 1985- 1997 had problems associated with chemical dependency.” (Clark, 1999)

The American Nurses' Association (ANA) estimates that six to eight percent of nurses use alcohol or other drugs to the extent that they impair their professional performance (ANA, 2000). Emergency and critical care nurses are more than three times as likely to use marijuana or cocaine as nurses in other specialties (Trinkoff and Storr, 2000)."

[Simba&NalasMom]

I work in LTC and I'm a pretty new nurse, so haven't seen any problems as of yet; but it amazes me how easy it would be for anybody to have access to all the narcs facilities keep on hand. The only safeguard is that the narcs are counted at shift change; still, because we are working with a poplulation with individuals who cannot make their needs known, it would be so easy to sign out a narc, make it look like it was given, and then not give it; The individuals for whom narcs are intended are not always capable of saying "I didn't get my pain pill tonight." So not only are there probably nurses/med aides with serious problems not being addressed, but people are suffering pain as a result. Absolutely terrifying to say the least.

I look forward to the day where LTC facilities catch up with the technology that is found in hospitals.

[boysmom32]

I worked in LTC for 7 years and you wouldn't believe the number of ways narcotics were stolen. I just joined this website today and this is actually the first time I've encountered the term " diverted" and I've been an RN for 12 years. I took medication from the hospital where I worked and I live everyday with the guilt that I "STOLE" medication. I became addicted after years of taking Lortab and Percocet for bulging disc pain without any problems. I was given Dilaudid and the changes that occurred in my brain were quick and frightening. I was aware that it was affecting me but I was helpless to stop it. The compulsion to get more was the most important thing to me even though I could tell myself that I was messing up. I was ashamed of what I was doing because I knew better. I reported myself and have gotten help. The one thing that stays with me through all that I am going through is that I reported it myself and took responsibility for what I did. I make no excuses for what I did, but I cannot describe the overwheaming compulsion that I had to get the drugs. I never would have believed that I wold crave something so strongly. The truth is that I had been getting medication for awhile before I actually took an unopened vial of Dilaudid and shot it into my vein. I was a well respected and well liked nurse in my community and I found myself digging into sharps containers for partial vials of Dilaudid that had been wasted and using it. It was when I ran out of this that I took the unopened med. I panicked and told on myself. I feel like that demonstrates the uncontrollable urge I had to take Dilaudid. No nurse in their right mind would do what I did. Looking back on it scares me to death. I know that it is only by the grace of God that I am still alive to tell my story. I hope that other nurses will realize that they need to be alert and aware of the things addicts will go through to get their drug. If you think something is going on where you work that doesn't seem right, go with your gut. Keep your eyes open and don't let your guard down. Your observations might help to save someone's life.

[jerseyboy]

Originally Posted by steelcityrn

I personally have a zero tolorence for a nurse who has stolen medication and or uses drugs and is able to keep a nursing license.

Have you ever done anything that you shouln't have?

[rach_nc_03]

My best friend dated a nurse who stole IV narcotics from her facility for quite some time. she would bring syringes with her to parties and nightclubs, and she and her friends would shoot up whatever she'd been able to steal that day. She was caught, put on probation, and several years later is working on an unrestricted license.

on my old unit, it's common for nurses to keep vials or syringes of IV narcotics in the bedside drawer so they can mix drips on the fly. After 24 hours, these are supposed to be thrown away- i can't tell you the number of times i've found six or seven vials of morphine, fentanyl, versed, valium...you name it- drawn up in a syringe and left in a bedside cart drawer for days. i always wasted these with another nurse, because i feared i would be the one accused of diversion. nurses frequently carried these in their pockets. i'm sure there are people who just walked out with them after their shift....there's no way anyone would have known.

i've had multiple medical problems over the last two years, one of which required the daily use of narcotics. i currently take a combination of demerol and phenergan when i have acute migraines and am not working. the relief- and release- i feel from the demerol makes me understand how anyone could become addicted.

[treetop]

DALSAC you are an inspiration. I surrendered my license in 1988 b/c I too was worried that I would divert again. I have been in recovery all these years and obtained social work degree I now want to re-enter nursing but do not even know where to begin or if anyone would ever hire me again.

[TinaCMT]

I don't understand how they would get away with this anyways because don't all nurses get pop drug tested all the time??

BTW, I'm hoping to go to LPN school next year so I try to come here once in a while and just read up on things. My friend is in the LPN program now and she said they have already had 3 pop drug tests (since July), and we assumed they would do that once your working too.

[Marie_LPN]

I don't understand how they would get away with this anyways because don't all nurses get pop drug tested all the time??

No, they don't, not all facilities do this.

[Marie_LPN]

Originally Posted by jerseyboy

Have you ever done anything that you shouln't have?

There's quite a few things i've doen in life that i shouldn't have, yet i cannot imagine stealing somoene's medicine, someone who's in pain, for my own selfish reasons.

[Marie_LPN]

Originally Posted by steelcityrn

I personally have a zero tolorence for a nurse who has stolen medication and or uses drugs and is able to keep a nursing license.

I feel this way, to, if someone is doing this, ALLOWED to continue doing this, and STILL has a license.

I worked at a facility where a nurse was caught stealing Duragesic patches and oxy pills. The suspicion of it STARTED two months before she was finally fired, the narc count was off, it was ALWAYS off after she worked, yet this went on for TWO months before anything was done about it. Maybe they needed evidence, for some reason i don't think so, but meanwhile, a pt. who needed a drug was unable to receive it one evening, as a result, and cried and wimpered with pain. THAT angered me.

It went on way too long. Something was finally done when the camera were installed in the med room, and she was caught slipping narcs into her pants pocket.

I have no idea what had happened to her, after she was called to the DONs office and fired, she stormed down the hall yelling "F you all, you ________". The facility would refer someone to a rehab center for this, yet it was up to the individual to do it.

But i also don't see how this is really the facility's responsibility, refering someone to rehab.