Co-worker stole my ID

[rmelvin]

did you ever use someone elses idenity to steel narcotics form an acudose machine? How did it make you feel when you had to work with that nurse again that you stole her idenity from?

[TazziRN, RN]

Being busted is not a silent cry for help, just means you were dumb enough to be caught. Saying your sick and need help "after" you are busted, is trying to manipulate people to say were sorry for you. I Will Not Do That!!!!!!

You're right, manipulative people do not deserve sympathy. However, there are addicts who will do everything they can to get caught because they don't know how else to ask for help. We are not dumb. We were scared. We were ashamed. We thought we were alone.

There are also addicts who literally see the light after being busted and getting into recovery, initially to satisfy the requirements of whatever governing body put them there. This is true of addicts from every walk of life, not just nurses. We are made to go to meetings and to enter treatment facilities, and the light bulb comes on and we realized, "Oh my God, I am chemically dependent." This is what happened to me. I went into recovery kicking and screaming and holding onto the door jamb, believing that I was not addicted.

You are entitled to your opinion, Tom, but I ask you to think about this: don't be too harsh on us and don't be so rigid. You have an opinion but unless you have a chemical dependency history yourself, you do not know what it's like to walk in our shoes. Allow that maybe, just maybe, the people who deal with addicted nurses know what they're doing.

[Cattitude]

Nicely written

However do we seem to forget that diversion, what a nice term, really means theft, and theft is illegal.

We should also differentiate between those who come in voluntarily for help as opposed those who go boo hoo Im busted feel sorry for me. Once busted, then as far as I can see you should face criminal charges and be forever removed from nursing.

You want to know why many nurses keep using and not getting help? Because they don't know what help is out there for them!!!!

They think "oh jeez, what a piece of garbage I must be to do this and no one would ever do anything to help me. I'm the only nurse that would ever do anything like this." In other words, we feel alone, horrible, useless and many times WON'T ask for help until we're caught.

Thankfully I went for help voluntarily but most do not. Most nurses don't get help until they get busted either by their jobs or by the cops. It truly IS a cry for help in most cases. If more and more knowledge is put out there about where to get help and who to contact, maybe we wouldn't see so many tragic endings.

I know you're mind is closed to the topic and you are certainly entitled but this is written for the benefit of many others reading

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

You forgot to add burning at the stake.:trout:

HAHA burn at the stake, in front of the whole medical community. Or wait, better yet, put rocks in her scrubs, chain her arms and legs, throw her in the lake and see if she can float.

[reesern63, RN]

Rationalizing what? And what do you mean, "still"?

Nurses in recovery are not just comprised of nurses who diverted. They are also nurses who used street drugs and drank, and many who got clean before obtaining their licenses. I stand by my comparison. If all nurses who have chemical dependency histories lost or were denied licensure, the nurses left would be so overworked that what is considered "overworked" now would be a joke.

And more than likely would wind up with substance abuse disorders of their own trying to cope with the massive stress that would result.

I think there are few "sins" for which you cannot be forgiven in nursing. Any nurse who has gone through rehab and gotten his/her license back is nothing less than a valued co-worker in my book. If the BON has seen fit to reinstate the nurse's license and the facility feels comfortable hiring the nurse, then what is the problem?

[reesern63, RN]

I have to say that while I disagree 100% with tom, I do understand where he's coming from, now that I know what he's experienced. That must have been horrible for you, tom.

[EmerNurse, BSN, RN]

This is all so easy to deal with - without have to take people's licenses away, forever and ever, amen.

First, random drug tests: roll 3 ten sided dice each month. Whatever numbers come up, if the last digit of your social is one of them: go pee in a bottle. If that's too much a violation of your personal liberty, then being a nurse is too much of a violation: find a different profession. With rights come responsibilities. The right to handle narcs must be matched with the responsibility to prove being clean.

2nd: it's an easy proposition to develop a standard deviation model to monitor controlled access machines. Within a week of diverting, the spike in drug withdrawals would register well out of the bell curve and could be fully investigated. It could be monitored from 2 angles: a nurse being initially outside the bell curve upon hire with narc withdrawals, and sudden changes to a nurse's normal position on the bell curve. (the second one would have immediately accounted for someone using your ID to take drugs - your monitored position on the bell curve would register outside of normal range usage and trigger a flag). Such technology is simply a matter of minor software adjustments.

3rd: Place a video camera at all controlled access stations. Make it common knowledge that all transactions will be video-taped. Shoot, I already assume that to be the case, anyway. I am always careful not to pick my nose near the machine.

All of these solutions are easy. But, as Tazzi says, there are many more nurses currently or formerly impaired out there than most people realize. And adminstration. . . well, they just don't want to know. That's obvious. If they wanted to know: the information is quite easily available to them.

And you have to think that it's just plain scary that such a concept is so commonplace, that administration thinks it's better to let the issue lay than to have to actually deal with it.

~faith,

Timothy.

Tim,

First, the fact that you know what a d10 is makes me love ya .

Second, I agree with assuming you're on candid camera. I do the same thing (sans nose picking - never thought of that - thanks a lot). If everyone assumes they're being watched, everyone would be way more careful. Of course, with the ho-hum attitude of some administrations, people know they're not being watched.

When I first became a nurse, I just assumed we'd have random drug testing. Not once since I've been a nurse, except on hiring, have I ever been tested, but I'm still anal about *only* taking meds prescribed for me, no matter what.

Re: nurses in recovery - everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone. A third? I don't know, depends on the case - but at the least, a second chance. "It'll never happen to me" are famous last words.

[EmerNurse, BSN, RN]

You want to know why many nurses keep using and not getting help? Because they don't know what help is out there for them!!!!

They think "oh jeez, what a piece of garbage I must be to do this and no one would ever do anything to help me. I'm the only nurse that would ever do anything like this." In other words, we feel alone, horrible, useless and many times WON'T ask for help until we're caught.

Thankfully I went for help voluntarily but most do not. Most nurses don't get help until they get busted either by their jobs or by the cops. It truly IS a cry for help in most cases. If more and more knowledge is put out there about where to get help and who to contact, maybe we wouldn't see so many tragic endings.

I know you're mind is closed to the topic and you are certainly entitled but this is written for the benefit of many others reading

Catti - nicely said.

In a healthcare world where nurses constantly fear getting written up for the most minor of infractions, where an honest med error is treated as a crime, rather than a mistake, where every move you make has the potential for punitive consequences, I can see where an addicted nurse would be absolutely *terrified* of asking for help. The track record doesn't indicate that a plea for help with necessarily be met with support and assistance (either by admin OR coworkers).

As for that rationalization thing someone stated: how does pointing out that a problem is more widespread than generally believed constitute a rationalization. Seems more like a statement of fact to me.

I am curious about one thing Tazzi pointed out. Addicted nurses who divert (steal) are considered addicted and the theft part of their addiction. If they break into a house to steal money for drugs, is that theft part of the addiction too (according to the BON)? What about a gambling addict? If they steal money, is that theft considered part of their addiction, or simply a crime for which they can lose their license?

[Magsulfate, BSN, RN]

And more than likely would wind up with substance abuse disorders of their own trying to cope with the massive stress that would result.

I think there are few "sins" for which you cannot be forgiven in nursing. Any nurse who has gone through rehab and gotten his/her license back is nothing less than a valued co-worker in my book. If the BON has seen fit to reinstate the nurse's license and the facility feels comfortable hiring the nurse, then what is the problem?

I could not have said it better myself. Thank you for your honest opinion. Being a recovering nurse myself, it is nice to see other nurses understand the whole picture. It has really helped me the last few days to read this thread and other threads on the subject. I am not alone. I thought I was....

[TazziRN, RN]

I am not alone. I thought I was....

You are far from alone, East Texas, but a member of a very large club.

One day at a time, my friend.

[Cattitude]

I am curious about one thing Tazzi pointed out. Addicted nurses who divert (steal) are considered addicted and the theft part of their addiction. If they break into a house to steal money for drugs, is that theft part of the addiction too (according to the BON)? What about a gambling addict? If they steal money, is that theft considered part of their addiction, or simply a crime for which they can lose their license?

IME, the BON will usually treat the crime as part of the addiction. That is, if the nurse did in fact get caught stealing. So it's not like they get punished for theft separately if that makes sense.

Gambling is an addiction and I would think that if a nurse got arrested for theft r/t that addiction it would be treated in that manner. BUT, the BON can be unpredictable too. That's why it's always best to have a lawyer present.

Most states have websites where you can see the punishments that BONS have doled out for various crimes. I'm amazed at what nurses have been arrested and convicted for. Yikes, murder, rape, felony assault w/weapons, etc... Scary, scary stuff.

[JessicRN]

This forum has gone from the using of another persons name to steal drugs which is clearly a crime to nurses living in recovery with alcoholism and patting themselves on the back. No one is saying a alcoholic should lose their liscence forever unless she came to work drunk. It is no different then driving drunk you lose your licence and sometimes go to jail. You put people at risk I sure as heck do not want anyone under the influence taking care of me. Nor do I want to work with someone like that. Call in sick or quit and get help it is not up to your fellow nurses to do the job for you. And no theft is theft, just because you are a nurse does not give you and excuse to steal from patients and the idea of using anothers name to do it shows just how cowardice you are. A cry for help would be using your own name to steal the drugs. My opinion if you are addicted do it on your own time, buy it on the corner of the street like every other addict and take your cahnces getting caught without risking your coworkers career as well if she cannot prove it was not her who took the drugs. Why should a nurse be special.

Because of many drug addicted nurses in the field that have been given too many chances, there is a aire of quilty before being proven as innocent as far as the brass is concerned for any nurse who makes med error with a narcotic or any nurse who has been a victim of identity theft at work. Sorry I am in agreement with several posters here. You steal you get caught you are gone forever. (the drug addict on the street who is arrested can never get a nurses licence so why should you keep it it you are caught doing the same thing.) Just as there is zero tolerance for sexual harrassment there should be zero tolerance for under the influence and working. It does not matter if you are a nurse or doctor or CNA.

[TazziRN, RN]

Jessic, we do not think we are better than anyone else, nor are we patting ourselves on the back....not for being addicts, anyway, but for having the strength to stay clean. It is not an easy thing to do, and those who do not walk in our shoes do not understand that and never will, not completely. Most of the time diverters do get meds under their own names, it's not the norm to have someone else's ID/password. And using someone else's name is indeed a cry for help, because it increases the chance of getting caught.

As for the tolerance level, using your argument, people fired for sexual harrassment can get jobs elsewhere, so why should be harder for the addicted nurse? All facilities have zero tolerance policies about working under the influence and diverting, but many choose not to enforce it for whatever reason. It's easier to just let that nurse go and be someone else's problem, rather than getting that nurse into a program. That's the facility's fault, not the nurse's.

We do not ask for an easy ride, because getting clean is one of the hardest things to do. We just ask for understanding.

And addicts with a record prior to nursing school can get licenses. It depends on the situation.