Drug testing of nurses every other week?

[Blackcat99]

It seems that nurses are being drug tested every other week at my LTC. Now there is a whole card of narcotics missing!!! They are asking me if I know anything about it. No I don't. Can I ask to go to the police station and get a polygraph done?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

got malpractice insurance???

[Blackcat99]

Yes I have malpractice insurance. Thank God. They are still investigating this situation so unsure what to expect.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I would go get a drug test and have that documentation

[NurseQT]

Had this happen at my old job. Whole card of Vicodin disappeared, and anyone who had been in the med room that afternoon had to have a drug screen done and those who had a positive screen were suspended. I am on scheduled Adderall, which I told my DON and NHA right away but because my screen was positive I was still suspended until the screen was analyzed and it was verified that I had a legal Rx and the drug found in my system was different than Hydrocodone. The other staff member who tested positive refused to cooperate with the lab so she was fired. In this case I truly believe she is the one who stole the meds, she was acting really off that afternoon, and had actually been fired from her previous job for stealing narcotics. But I don't think drug testing everyone is best way to investigate for stolen meds, whose to say the person hasn't stolen the meds with the intent to sell them?

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

From what I know (learned from watching 100's of episodes of Law and Order) polygraph tests are inadmissible. Do you have to count the narcotics every change of shift? Whoever had the keys and signed the count is responsible for the medications.

[systoly]

I don't see being asked if you know anything about it as cause for alarm

it's part of the investigation