Drug diversion

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 26, 2018

Please help with this!! I was flagged by another nurse for suspicion of drug diversion. I guess i had a some refused/destroyed narcs without second signature. I took a drug test but i will fail d/t i took one of my moms xanax night before bc i have been haveing trouble sleeping!!
Are they able to get me with drug diversion just bc of a positive pee test?? I have only been a nurse for a year and although i have more narcs refused/destroyed than others, i am not thr only one with an extra signature!! I will do whatever they want me to do but i did not take from facility/residents, never called off in 1 and 1/2 yrs, come in to help, stay late and even was employee of the month!!
Please help this waiting on drug test and everything has got me worried about my license and i know its what "i" can prove!

Could they get you for diversion? Possibly. It doesn't matter if you never called out, always came early, frequently stayed late, was there whenever they needed you, was employee of the month for 18 straight months, or whatever else. ANYONE is capable of diversion and employers know it. And you'd be surprised at who does divert.

Where you went wrong:

You wasted narcotics without a witness. Therefore, there is no way for you to prove that you didn't divert these medications. NEVER waste narcotics without a witness, no matter what. If you can't get someone who will witness for you, tell your charge nurse. It doesn't matter what your coworkers do about wasting medication--what matters is what YOU do.

Then you used your mom's alprazolam, which a. is a controlled substance, and b. isn't prescribed to you. It doesn't matter if Mom handed you a tablet with her blessing. This is Nursing 101; you should have known better.

That positive UDS won't help. And even if it turns out negative, you could still be in trouble: it's common for people to divert not for their own use, but to sell/trade for profit or the drug of their choice. Or they divert but don't immediately rush to use what they took, but save it for later. So a negative UDS doesn't automatically get you off the hook...it would have helped you a lot though. A positive UDS makes you look even shadier to them.

You may need a lawyer to help out on this one, especially if your employer decides to report this to the BON. If you get fired, you can always find a new job. But if the BON gets involved, you can find yourself forced into a diversion program and/or facing disciplinary action on your license, either of which is a lot harder to overcome than being sacked. You can find lawyers versed in nursing matters here:

TAANA Executive Office - Home

Best of luck.

Jshaneyfelt · Apr 26, 2018

Thank you for the response and the link.

allnurses Guide · Apr 26, 2018

I am not thr only one with an extra signature!! I will do whatever they want me to do but i did not take from facility/residents, never called off in 1 and 1/2 yrs, come in to help, stay late and even was employee of the month!!

None of the examples you cite will protect you from suspicion of diversion. In fact thay can be red flags. Nurses who come in early, stay over, offer to medicate another nurses patients etc.... are often red flags when coupled with Pixis Anomalies or wastage anomalies. Most of the nurses I know who went through or are now in monitoring programs were by all appearances outstanding nurses, well liked by management, peers and patients alike.

So the wastage anomaly coupled with the presence of a controlled substance in your system that you do not have a valid prescription for may cook your goose. Stop talking about it on a public forum and hire an attorney ASAP. Believe me if an attorney can get you off any money spent will be far less than the money you will spend in monitoring and the three to five years you will spend under the watchful eye of your state's BON.

Now on the other hand, if you do have a problem (and I'm not saying you do) get you butt into some 12 step meetings and learn how to show humilty and remorse. It may or may not help sway the board when the hammer falls.

Best of luck

Hppy

Persephone Paige, ADN · Apr 27, 2018

None of the examples you cite will protect you from suspicion of diversion. In fact thay can be red flags. Nurses who come in early, stay over, offer to medicate another nurses patients etc.... are often red flags when coupled with Pixis Anomalies or wastage anomalies. Most of the nurses I know who went through or are now in monitoring programs were by all appearances outstanding nurses, well liked by management, peers and patients alike.
So the wastage anomaly coupled with the presence of a controlled substance in your system that you do not have a valid prescription for may cook your goose. Stop talking about it on a public forum and hire an attorney ASAP. Believe me if an attorney can get you off any money spent will be far less than the money you will spend in monitoring and the three to five years you will spend under the watchful eye of your state's BON.
Now on the other hand, if you do have a problem (and I'm not saying you do) get you butt into some 12 step meetings and learn how to show humilty and remorse. It may or may not help sway the board when the hammer falls.
Best of luck
Hppy

My thoughts exactly, Hppy. Never missing a shift, staying late, coming in on days off are hallmarks when diversion is suspected. The facility is very often the nurse's 'source,' so it makes sense that they are always there.

If it were 20 years ago, I'd say that urine would be negative. Xanax was one of those drugs that disappeared from urine detection quickly. Now, I don't know anymore. Metabolite screening has changed everything.

My only suggestion would be don't hang yourself. If they provide you with evidence that looks damning, get an attorney.

Lisacar130 · Apr 27, 2018

Whether you were diverting like crazy or not, it doesn't matter at this point, assuming you will test positive for Xanax. They will be required to report you to the BON for that alone. I hope you are from a state that has alternative to discipline, where you do years of random drug testing and other requirements to keep a clean license. What state are you from? I would immediately call a lawyer that specializes in the BON for your state. I had to self report immediately in order to qualify for my state's alternative to discipline so you need to find out right now what to do. Don't focus TOO much on being innocent of diverting... it doesn't matter if you test positive for the Xanax. You are considered just as much of an addict as someone who was diverting in the eyes of the BON.

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Apr 27, 2018

Yep one size fits all program in my experience. Taking an un-prescribed Xanax will almost surely buy you a ticket into monitoring. Sorry

rn1965, ADN · Apr 27, 2018

I, too, believe you will land in the monitoring program.

But, as Hppy said, get help, if you need it and GET A LAWYER.

Say nothing until you speak with a paid professional.

markko · Apr 27, 2018

I took one of my mom's tramadol tabs just before a test once... long before it became a Schedule narc. I didn't even know it was one of the monitored meds. IT ALONE was the reason one state denied my application to get a license in that state. So here I am, stuck in a Wisconsin town bordering another state (Minnesota) that has hundreds of job opportunities that are out of my reach.

Orion81RN · Jul 4, 2018

Any update?