Drug addicted nurses

Nurses Recovery

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I am a nursing student and in one of my classes we have recently talked about nurses and substance abuse. I think that it is hard for me to wrap my brain around the issue. My questions are:

1. what do you do as a fellow nurse and friend of someone who is involved in substance abuse...especially in the workplace?

2. is this really prevelent and have any of you been put in this position?

Thanks!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Nurses have human being bodies and are subject to addiction, if it's in their body makeup the same as other persons.

I'm not sure of the prevalence of drug addiction in nurses. Easy access to narcotics makes it very tempting for the addict. I've heard through gossip a few nurses where I work have gotten into trouble. A couple of them have found healing and recovery after getting caught. A nurse in a unit I floated to the other day in fact was talking rather freely about her "former" narcotic addiction.

It's scarey and criminal that there are nurses that steal narcotics, but I can't judge, because it must be a painful hideous thing to be addicted. They need compassion, understanding and help. (Of course they need their license revoked while until they can prove they are well.)

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

biganimatedhello.gif and welcome to allnurses.com

great to have you. tweety gave you a wonderful answer.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

Unfortunately, it's more prevelant than many people realize. In the facility I work in, I know of four nurses with a problem, and I've been here for two years. One of them was a close friend of mine, and while I never SAW her take anything, (she admitted to diverting from work) I knew in my heart that she was. I should have said something. I should have confronted her. It may have forced her to go to administration and admit her problem. Instead, she goofed up, was found out and fired. If she had gone forward, they would have made her the tx nurse. Fortunately, it was a wake up call for her. She's been clean for 13 months, and got a job at a local surgery center. (She doesn't have contact with narcs) It's so sad, because she's an amazing nurse. Substance abuse is so devastating. I just pray for the nurses I know about. I don't know what else to do.

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We studied the topic two weeks ago and the numbers are staggering. They say about 17% of nurses fall into the category. Our 30ish instructor had several personal stories of co-workers and even one boss. As others have said, nurses are normal people with the same problems. The only difference is nurses have ready access to the addictive feel-good meds.

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I can't help but to think Pyxis has put some nurses in a position where they give themselves away. I was a pharmacy tech during nursing school and one of my jobs was to pull the reports on people that were suspected of stealing narcotics. It's an amazing thing what Pyxis can do. Most nurses think the reports are for actions on the Pyxis and that just isn't true. I can pull a report to this day that tells every single screen the nurse looked at before pulling any drug. I can track every keystroke, every screen, the works.

There was one ED nurse we knew was stealing narcotics. It wasn't even a question, it was a matter of time until she was caught. I happened to be in ED doing something with one of the Pyxis machines and RIGHT IN FRONT of me she removed two Vicoden and swallowed them.

She was so used to doing this there wasn't even a fear factor anymore. She no longer thought twice about it.

She left the hospital in handcufffs that day. Very sad.

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Very interesting. I was thinking how much harder it would be for a nurse to steal from a pyxis because you have to use your fingerprint. Never thought about "tracking" to see where they go. That's pretty cool.

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I must be pretty niave because I never would have thought this is such an issue that nurses deal with. Thank you for all your replies...I like hearing how people handle the situation. The Pixis system thing is interesting because we studied about that in class and I wondered how nurses could get away with it...but I gues you can't. Thanks again!

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Very interesting. I was thinking how much harder it would be for a nurse to steal from a pyxis because you have to use your fingerprint. Never thought about "tracking" to see where they go. That's pretty cool.

When a nurse requests a report of all patients getting "X" narcotic on that pod, that raises questions in pharmacy. But it all depends on how reports are pulled. If a nurse (or doc such as in OR) is suspected of taking narcs then specific reports are pulled on that person. But pharmacy can set it up any way they want and the auto reports that are printed daily can include those too.

Most pharmacy depts spot check floors or people. They change the reports they auto pull to see where they find the most 'stuff' they need to be watching.

OR folks are the sneaky ones from my experience.

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I must be pretty niave because I never would have thought this is such an issue that nurses deal with. Thank you for all your replies...I like hearing how people handle the situation. The Pixis system thing is interesting because we studied about that in class and I wondered how nurses could get away with it...but I gues you can't. Thanks again!

Well, *I* could! :chuckle I could get narcs out of the Pyxis and not likely get caught however I know Pyxis inside and out. I know it from a Pharmacy perspective as well as nursing. I set up the entire Pyxis system at a large hospital. I set up which reports to be pulled, how they are pulled, how to do spot checks, the works. Then I trained pharmacy and nursing to use it. So I know the ins and outs but obviously, that's not to say I would actually take narcs. But in order to set up a system you have to think about how you would do it if you were diverting.

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I myself am in recovery only after I diverted after ten solid years of nursing. One day I just started. It has ruined my ER nursing life. My liscence revoked for five years, facing criminal charges multiple felonies and the loss of income. I am as rock bottom as you go. I hope I dont go to prison, I have children three daughters. I am clean now. I cry almost daily and I cant find any job. I await my criminal outcome and pray I end up with no felony. If I get a felony then I am not sure if I can ever practice again. I dont know what else to say. Dont divert. Not worth consequences. I have let myself and my family down. I am hoping I will get my nursing liscence back someday. Anyone with a similar circumstance?

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I think it's great that nurses go into recovery programs and overcome their drug addiction. However, I feel if I had a drug addiction problem I would not ever want to work around narcotics again. It would be too easy to relapse because of the easy access to narcotics. I would try to find a nursing job where I wouldn't be around narcotics period.

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