Suspended from work for an investigation,can i resign and take another, will i look guilty

Nurses General Nursing

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OK so to keep it short but it isn't, I've been suspended from work due to a med error. Basically I was going to waste meds with my coworker who vouched for me but someone found the meds and turned them in, so I got suspended that day took a drug test the following and now it's been a whole week with no response from current job. I got a new job offer esp since at this point I'm probably fired and because I can't not work, so what should I do? I even called them and left two messages wondering if I can either come back to work and no response. Should I write and send a letter of resignation now so that I can work else where or does that make me look guilty? I'm so stressed mad and sad about everything. Never been in this mess before. Any advice?

Wow thanks everyone. I had them in a cart in a pill crusher and apparently fell out. Left to go change a cath and returned they were gone, I asked everyone if they saw any pills but someone did and turned them in and that person knew it came from me. I got a call today, they terminated me. Should I be more afraid now? Are they reporting to Bon? Y would a new job need to know. I'm so depressed now. I'm mad at myself but at the same time mad that they can't accept it was a mistake

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Wait what cactus?

A cactus is where you dispose of wasted meds.

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I personally would resign so they don't fire YOU, and not even bring it up to the place you got the job offer. They've already offered you the job, what's the point? I disagree with above posters advising to tell the new job, but to each his own. I think it would look worse you telling them AFTER they hired you.

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Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
Wow thanks everyone. I had them in a cart in a pill crusher and apparently fell out. Left to go change a cath and returned they were gone, I asked everyone if they saw any pills but someone did and turned them in and that person knew it came from me. I got a call today, they terminated me. Should I be more afraid now? Are they reporting to Bon? Y would a new job need to know. I'm so depressed now. I'm mad at myself but at the same time mad that they can't accept it was a mistake

Wow... I'm sorry you were terminated. This was a mistake, and you've owned it. It will also be a learning experience for you, which you may not believe now. I have a hard time understanding how some people cannot tolerate ANY mistake. Not to sound like a Pollyanna, but this may be a blessing in disguise. At the very least you will probably never ever do this again. I do not know that the BON would be notified; it's not diversion so don't see why BON would need to be notified. Change your practice, keep your head up and move on. I am so sorry this happened to you.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Urgent care, ER, BMT.

Mistakes like this do happen and I have seen it before. I have never seen anyone get suspended for it but rather counseled. I think there must be other reasons that they have suspended you. I know that all the employers I have dealt with in the past 12 years do a comprehensive background check by a 3rd party. They verify employment dates, send e-mail reference forms to former managers and co-workers, and are very thorough. I guess, I would keep it to myself and hope it blows over but learn from my mistake. I also would do a self evaluation to determine if there is more to this than this isolated incident...then I would work diligently to rectify the situation.

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Yea it's frustrating because I have NEVER BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, and my drug screen was negative. This is my first termination. But I will take the job offer I got and will never make the same mistake again. Thanks everyone for words of advice/wisdom/thoughts.

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Hi, LovingLife -

[Forgive me if I've misunderstood your situation]

If you are working in a situation where remainders of pulled narcotics are being put into any space that others can access (including your co-workers, including any locked cabinets), you are AT RISK. Unless I'm misunderstanding I would encourage you to talk to your employer about this practice and work to get it changed. As soon as there is any kind of aberrancy with already-pulled narcotics, everyone who could have accessed them will be suspect.

As you note, this shouldn't be about the problem of "doing someone else's work", but rather about steering 100% clear of situations where you could be swept into any investigation of what happened with any particular dose of narcotics.

So, here's how this happens to non-using, non-diverting nurses:

Your patient is in severe pain. Everyone on the unit is run ragged with one task or another. You go and pull dilaudid 2mg/1ml for an order to give the pt 1 mg (let's just say that is your only option). No one is near-by to do the waste right then. You do "something" with the remainder (put it near your computer, in your pocket, into some cabinet for storing such things, in the patient's drawer in the room....whatever....) fully intending to waste it as soon as you encounter someone to witness the waste. You get busy and forget. Someone else comes across it. Voila.

We can call that "falsification of documentation", but given the scenario that's a pretty disingenuous and frankly dishonest categorization, since "falsification" implies the intent to falsify.

It is also being called "diversion" a lot these days; personally I consider that characterization pure evil for its intent to malign the person who 1) tried to serve the patient quickly and 2) has no control over contributing circumstances, such as staffing.

It's not about me not wanting to do someone else's work. Not at all. It's about me not wanting to handle meds other people pulled. Especially narcotics. When I organize my rooms for the day, I clean all the meds out of cabinets. Unless they are labeled and cake from pharmacy and not found in our pyxis. It's a huge JHACO violation for those to be in there unless labeled and dated. I dispose of the meds that cannot be returned. I dispose of narcotics. I'm not putting my name on anyone else's narcotics. I don't know how anything can fall on me if they were pulled and not wasted on a different shift. I can't possibly know who pulled that med and when. Let's say it's a q2h dilaudid the patient has been getting round the clock for the past two days. How on earth do I know what person pulled that and who to waste it under? I can't possibly know those are just from the last shift. That's why I just simply dispose of them.

And yes, it can be considered false documentation if you go to the Pyxis and document and somebody witnessed a waste that never occurred. I'm not saying it necessarily would be, but it's a possibility. You are documenting something that did not occur. I also stated I understand people get interrupted and busy and pulled away. It happens to all of us. But you can't expect when that happens to leave the meds somewhere and not come back to it. The OP lost a job over it. I personally don't feel med errors should be punished that way, but most places don't mess with narcotics.

And people have been talked to about leaving meds around. I don't rat out my coworkers. But I am diligent about meds just sitting around.

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LovingLife, respectfully I must ask if I should clarify; your reply sounds defensive, completely unnecessarily. ? I wasn't speaking about anything you just replied about. If I wasn't clear I'm happy to clarify. You are at risk due to your unit's culture of it being no big deal that people leave their unwasted medications around for every other nurse on duty to potentially come across. Thanks. :)

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Wow thanks everyone. I had them in a cart in a pill crusher and apparently fell out. Left to go change a cath and returned they were gone, I asked everyone if they saw any pills but someone did and turned them in and that person knew it came from me. I got a call today, they terminated me. Should I be more afraid now? Are they reporting to Bon? Y would a new job need to know. I'm so depressed now. I'm mad at myself but at the same time mad that they can't accept it was a mistake

I wish you started this thread sooner :/

I doubt you have to worry about being reported to the BON, since no one...excuse me...no patient was harm and your drug screen was negative.

Plus, so long as you did not sign anything from your former employer (i.e. a form acknowledging that you are being investigated and why), and they do not have video evidence showing that you pocketed narcotics, the burden of proof falls on the employer to show the BON that you violated "x" practice and how. Though, if the employer has skeletons in the closet, they would not bother reporting you.

Peace be with you, fellow Jojo fan. Thanks for sharing your story.

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I did write a statement. But I'm going to move forward. Thanks alot everyone I feel more relieved from the responses. Much love

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Specializes in ICU.
Should I have told the new job the truth? I was afraid it would hurt me

No, because nothing has been reported. Don't screw yourself.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I would go into the hospital (assumption) and ask the nurse manager what is going on. You deserve an answer and not calling back is NOT professional. Show them you are; you made a mistake, I'm sure the drug screen came back neg if you're honest with us, so now what is the next step? If they want to write you up make sure you agree with what it says BEFORE you sign it, otherwise be prepared with your letter of resignation so you can work elsewhere. If everything is unfounded, there is no reason to say anything to the next employer as there is nothing to encumber your license. It should be able to be handled in one day and over and done with so you can move on. Good luck, we all know things happen, you'll be more careful next time. Learn from it and make yourself a better nurse. Always face it though, letting them sweep you under the rug is NOT professional, facing the issue is!

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