As the Stomach Turns: Drama in the Workplace

indigo girl · Jun 25, 2006

Are you required to notify both the Board, and the police in your state? Or does the Board notify the DA's office? Is that staffer, certified under the BON?

I guess, I'm just wondering if all your bases are covered legally, not that I would know...

medsurgnurse, RN · Jun 25, 2006

All I can say is good luck to you. Sorry you're having to deal with this. I hope the facility has documentation in order incase she does try to file a lawsuit.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Jun 25, 2006

Wow, Marla.......... you've got your hands full now. Dang!

I, too, hate it.. for ALL of you. And yes, even for this girl. What a waste.

Can she get the help she needs somewhere? Surely as distraught as she is, she could use some supervision and guidance. I'd hate to think she'd harm herself.

But she certainly needed to be dealt with, no question. A real shame any way you look at it.

Liddle Noodnik · Jun 25, 2006

Are you required to notify both the Board, and the police in your state? Or does the Board notify the DA's office? Is that staffer, certified under the BON?
I guess, I'm just wondering if all your bases are covered legally, not that I would know...

Yes, I thought it WAS required to report to the state board, even if it is just ONE pill. For that matter, even if it is a count that was off, and is still unresolved.

SmilingBluEyes · Jun 25, 2006

WOW that is so scary....so scary. You be very careful. I would call the police if she ever comes close to threatening you. And the board, that is also a given. ((((Marla)))

kids · Jun 25, 2006

Oh good grief what a nightmare.

She sounds like she's coming unwrapped pretty fast. Not to sound alarmist but is there any chance y'all could hire a security comany to loiter for a bit?

BTW, I turned down my job offer. After reading Div 47 & talking to the BoN there were still too many red flags.

BabyRN2Be · Jun 25, 2006

Following kids post, DO you have security in your workplace? If yes, it'd probably be a good idea to inform them of the problem and the potential for someone to really go off, possibly wanting to REALLY bring down everything.

Wow, you do have your hands full Marla.. be careful.

Hopefully your workers will have some sense of relief when this is all over with and for you, I hope this is soon.

PANurseRN1 · Jun 25, 2006

Marla, you must call the BON and the police. For one thing, you have a license of your own to protect, not to mention your personal safety.

Also, this woman could be a danger to herself. Getting the police involved could save her life.

Most of the time, I strongly disagree with posts suggesting calling the BON for this or that. But in this situation, you have an ethical and legal obligation to do so.

So sorry you're going through this.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jun 25, 2006

Oh good grief what a nightmare.
She sounds like she's coming unwrapped pretty fast. Not to sound alarmist but is there any chance y'all could hire a security comany to loiter for a bit?
BTW, I turned down my job offer. After reading Div 47 & talking to the BoN there were still too many red flags.

Yeah........Division 47 is pretty scary, isn't it? I've learned to live with it, but I'm also pretty fussy about whom I delegate to.........unfortunately, this particular worker came with the job, and she certainly knows her meds! :madface:

I WISH the BON had some jurisdiction here, but very few of my staff are certified in anything, except for one med aide who's a CNA and a couple other caregivers who used to be. That's the way assisted living is in my state. And this 51-year-old ex-employee of mine doesn't have so much as a food handler's card.

As for security: The first thing I did was take away all her keys. That does not, of course, preclude having made extras, although one can certainly hope she hasn't. My boss and I have talked about a restraining order as well since there are at least two staff members who are deathly afraid of her---they believe she will find some way of getting even for 'ratting her out', as she herself put it.

I don't want to be an alarmist, but I've got to admit, I'm a teensy bit nervous. I've got a pretty good life going for me, and I'm not real crazy about the idea of ending up as a statistic. Just promise me that if you hear about some former healthcare worker from Texas going over the edge and shooting up an assisted living facility in western Oregon, you'll send a donation in my name to the geriatric program of your choice.

Just kidding.........I think. :uhoh21: :chair: :sofahider

PANurseRN1 · Jun 25, 2006

Don't even joke like that.

Since you can't involve the BON, the police should be notified. She stole drugs. She made threats against the staff. If that doesn't beg for police involvement, I don't know what would.

And here is an excellent reason why unlicensed, marginally educated people have no business handling meds. At least if she were licensed, the process for getting her disciplined (and help) would be clearer.

subee, MSN, CRNA · Jun 25, 2006

And I went back into management.......why??
In the interest of brevity: Three days ago I learned that my resident-care coordinator/lead medication assistant/lead caregiver has been diverting drugs and terrorizing the staff into keeping quiet by threatening to take everyone down with her if she were ever to be disciplined for it. On top of that, she has even been observed by several residents taking meds out of their apartments (this is a 42-room assisted living community). Some of us had been wondering about her mood swings lately, which have been increasing in both frequency and intensity; and as dedicated as she seemed to be, we had to wonder why she felt the need to come in to the facility at three and four in the morning when her shift didn't begin until six AM. (Hmmm........pharmacy usually delivers in the wee hours........couldn't possibly have anything to do with it, do you think?)
So I pulled her out of the med room Friday morning, relieved her of all her facility keys, and the administrator and I sat her down to confront her about the missing medications. Well, it was like something out of the movie "Sybil"........she changed moods so swiftly it was frightening. One minute she was wailing and sobbing, the next she was quietly apologetic, and then her eyes turned stone cold as she told us that if she was going down, she was going to "take as many of them (staff) down with me as I can". Then she'd go right back to crying and begging, and before it was over we saw at least five distinct emotional reactions, at least five different times apiece.
And as we watched her decompensate right in front of our eyes, I couldn't help thinking that this must be the definition of 'going postal'.
She called me from her apartment (which is right across the street from the building) about half an hour after this and went through 45 minutes of apologies mingled with moments of self-pity ("What am I going to do now? My life is over"), brief snatches of realization ("I know I screwed up"), and even some scattered efforts to kiss-and-make-up ("You're the best nurse I've ever worked with in my 30 years in health care"). Now, I happen to like this woman, and I know she's got issues---don't we all?---but my trust is GONE. I can't have someone with an active drug problem in my med room. I can't have someone going around and terrorizing the staff and/or the residents into keeping mum about her extracurricular activities. And I can't have someone working for me who will lie, cheat, and steal like this.
Well, that's not quite the end of the story.........yesterday, my swing shift med aide called to tell me that she'd called to let him know that she'd left her apartment and gone to a motel, and was planning on contacting a lawyer Monday. He told me he thinks she's afraid we're going to have her arrested, which hadn't really occurred to either the administrator or me, though with all the discrepancies we're finding now, I suppose that is an option. But now, cut off from her supply, totally alone in town, and with God knows what going through her fevered brain, it sounds to me like she's completely gone off the deep end........and that, I suppose, could make life really interesting for a while.
This is WAY more drama than I ever wanted to deal with. Who knows, with someone this unbalanced running around loose, y'all may end up reading about us in the newspaper one of these days.

First and foremost, I don't know what state you're in, but in mine, any article 28 facility is MANDATED to report the nurse to the state board. Not all, but a large majority of the state boards have peer assistance programs who would contact this nurse and give her the choice of disciplinary action or treatment which would involve a temporary, voluntary surrender of license (if the nurse is using). So, your director may be breaking a state regulation, as well as violating the nursing code of ethics (one of those little things that defines us as a profession rather than a vocation). By reporting her at least she will be approached with help by people who do this every day and are pros at it. If she's sick enough to do something stupid at work, she's sick enough to possibly kill herself because she's been sick for a long time. Do not wait another day to have her reported or do it yourself. She may thank you in the future for helping her get out of a big, dark hole.