Accused of med diversion, no proof

Nurses Recovery

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So to start this off, I am innocent. However I have dealt with the BON before and I know they lack all practicality and sense. (Was another seperate issue that was dismissed without prejudice). So anyway, I left a job today. Turned in my resignation, turned my scrubs and badge back in, everything. They found out I'm applying elsewhere, so I get a call from the owner telling me he knows I took meds from the pharmacy for myself and that if I turn myself into TPAPN and accept $25,000 less per year he won't turn me into the board. I was floored to say the least.

I said yes I had picked them up but had never taken anything, and there was no policy against picking them up, nor have I ever been reprimanded or punished at all. He says this happened a few weeks ago, yet I was never told of this, never suspended, never fired, and never drug tested a single bit. I mean they did nothing. Not a single thing, and I haven't signed or submitted anything. It's just after they found out I was going elsewhere he said all this. I sent them a normal resignation.

What at do you think the board will do? I would hope they would ask what proof they have and why didn't I get tested or suspended or anything. I mean I got my full paycheck today as a matter of fact, I even went on a weeks vacation (paid) after they say this supposedly happened.

Im Just terrified and wanna know what to expect. I KNOW to lawyer up if they turn it into the board.

Spoke with a good attorney. Basically the game plan will be to wait and see if anything comes up. If it does, do all the testing, and We will fight them to the hilt and turn them into OSHA, Medicate, and EEOC.

Hair follicle test will vindicate me if any charges are levied. Those go from 5 days to 3 months back.

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any update on this issue

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.
I don't know why people don't call the police in matters of theft when an employer threatens them like that. Yea; let's have a party with the police and the BON. That's basically what they say you did; steal.

Oh, yes; the dirty little secrets kept in the nursing world. Patients killed by dumb RNs who can't read/interpret orders, patients ending up in wheelchairs due to transferring errors, sponges left in hips causing; yep, another person in a wheelchair that shouldn't be there, and on and on and on...all swept under the rug.

The board is not out to protect nurses; it's out to protect the public. The states have given them power to discipline licensed nurses, set up programs, etc... A licensed nurse should never go before a BON in their state without having a lawyer present IMO. The AMA estimates that 10% of licensed nurses are active addicts, and the majority of them just haven't been caught yet.

I don't think the board members in most states, have the educational fortitude to evaluate most situations objectively. They go on a gut reactions, previous histories, and look for policy to guide their inability to think critically. Most of the things that required board intervention that I've seen on my watch, were illegal activities, hence the family suits...but wait; that's right...we don't tell the families the truth, resulting in almost zero lawsuits for the most part in the nursing kingdom.

What you are being accused of is not a civil matter, so that makes it criminal. The nursing police and court (BON); do they give you a fair trial with representation if you can't afford it? Is there a jury of your peers? Are you innocent until proven guilty? NO, NO, NO!

If you don't want to call their bluff, than call the board yourself...they're calling you a thief and than some!

You have a source for that info? Because I call BS!

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.
You have a source for that info? Because I call BS!

You can, like, Google it.

10% is on par with the rest of the US population so I don't see why you are surprised.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

DrugFacts: Nationwide Trends | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Per the above: 9.3% of the population admitting to using an illegal substance at least once in the past month does NOT mean "10% of licensed nurse are active addicts" as the PP stated.

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You can, like, Google it.

[...]

Why? The onus of providing a reference or source is on the one making the claim, not the one reading it.

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.
Why? The onus of providing a reference or source is on the one making the claim, not the one reading it.

This isn't a formal debate. If a claim outrages you so much that you are going to call BS in all caps, you can take two seconds to Google --- ana 1

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^^^I disagree. When you make claims bolstered by statistics, vs. stating an opinion, you should provide a link to your source.

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This isn't a formal debate. If a claim outrages you so much that you are going to call BS in all caps, you can take two seconds to Google…

[…]

This is a growing problem on this board. If someone is going to make a claim or cite a statistic, the source should be provided.

[…]

…The AMA estimates that 10% of licensed nurses are active addicts, and the majority of them just haven't been caught yet.

[…]

From the The impaired nurse: … (emphasis added)

Substance abuse occurs across all generations, cultures, and occupations, including nursing. About 1 in 10, or 10-15% of all nurses, may be impaired or in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction. Although nurses aren't at a higher increase risk than the public sector, their overall pattern of dependency is unique because they have greater access to drugs in the work environment.
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The board will begin an investigation regardless of the timing. Ultimately, their only responsibility is to protect the public from impaired nurses. It's guilty until proven otherwise pretty much. Get a lawyer, get a drug test at a reputable company with documented chain of command, and get another job before it's too late.

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Let's not be coy: Patients were complaining, people were talking, pills were missing, and you shaved your head and turned your resignation because you could feel the heat. But now you're busted. And not necessarily for the sort of narc diversion that you can just TPAP away--so I think the BON is the least of your worries right now--but I hope whosever hands this ends up in, that you get well again.

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