Family stole from me

NuGuyNurse2b · Oct 11, 2016

LOL I have a fanny pack. not for anti-theft purposes, but it does the trick.

heron, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2016

I have had things of mine stolen on the job, but I'm pretty sure it was co-workers, not families. That includes a jacket out of a locked breakroom, a silver angel pin inherited from my late wife and a really good stethoscope (because I just can't hear with the cheap ones). I've also seen two good 'scopes supplied by my current facility only to disappear off my med cart within 3 months of being purchased.

One reason why we can't have nice things :bored:

djh123 · Oct 11, 2016

I've had some pain-in-the-*** family members (but some great ones too) - but that's never happened.

ohiobobcat · Oct 11, 2016

I'm pretty sure my Littman stethoscope got stolen by a pt/pt's family. I was working in an ER and we had a multi-person MVA come in so we were moving from room to room triaging, assessing and treating. The patients (some of who were ambulatory) were also moving from room to room to check on each other, and generally being obnoxious and in the way (the whole group of people involved in the MVA were known patients in this ER). I was 95% sure I left my stethoscope on an empty bed in a room (my own fault, I know!!), went back to get it and it wasn't there. I thought I maybe left it somewhere else so didn't say anything at the time. I never saw it again. (Small ER- only 1 doctor and 1 other nurse).

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 11, 2016

I have worked in several places where employee lockers were not provided. We were expected to leave our purses in an unlocked break room. After colleagues had their wallets stolen from the break room, we started to "hide" our purses in our ICU patient's room. It's far easier to keep an eye on your stuff in the patient's room. I started carrying my wallet in my purse after a patient's daughter lifted my purse while I was in another room, and rifled through it "looking for a Bible." She didn't take anything except the paperback I was reading. Since then, I've kept my wallet and phone on my person and my stethoscope, pens, books, etc. in my purse. Colleagues won't go into my purse to steal my stethoscope, and I've never had a visitor steal one, either.

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2016

A patient's family member was stealing from our hospital unit before. I posted about this a long time ago. This person stole equipment (i.e. thermometers, sphygmomanometers, other assorted supplies, to name a few). Then one day, while our locker room (aka glorified closet) door was ajar, this person stole nurses' winter coats, boots and a couple of purses. Patient's and their families are not so innocent.... Just sayin'

This person was eventually caught when she got a bit too confident and tried to openly wheel our $30,000 mounted bladder scanner right off the unit and into the elevator. We stood there watching her as she casually sauntered towards the elevator just to she if she'd catch onto the fact (or acknowledge) that she was under surveillance (and that this was wrong!). But she was cool as a cucumber, like she didn't have a care in the world...

Plus, people steel wheelchairs all the time like they're going out of style...

Even if lockers are provided, or things are kept under lock and key. Unless it's nailed down, they will try to swipe it regardless. Patient/Family-theft from the hospital and hospital staff is nothing new.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2016

I've not had patients steal anything, but have had plenty of other staff members steal. I even had my stethoscope stolen by a classmate last year. Some people have no morals and some think nurses are so filthy rich we can afford anything and everything. This nurse however cannot, especially since I am paying for school on top of life.

Now due to a bed bug infestation I can pretty much take nothing to work for fear of bringing those little SOB's home with me. I can't lock anything up in our lockers because those nasty bugs have been found in the room the lockers are at. It makes life pretty challenging. I carry my ID and a few bucks cash on me as well as my breastpump because I simply can't go 12-13 hours without pumping.

Asystole RN · Oct 12, 2016

There was/is a fairly large Romani tribe in AZ. When the patriarch would have some health issues the entire tribe would descend upon the hospital.

They literally ended up placing security in the cafeteria because family members were caught stealing the mounted TVs! The family was barred from the hospital unless they were escorted at all times. Stole everything from toilet paper to napkin dispensers.

Very odd, very interesting.

Buyer beware, BSN · Oct 17, 2016

How did a patient's family come in contact with something of yours valuable enough to steal? It's never happened to me, but I don't create opportunities for it to happen, either.

@Sour Lemon, et al.

The trafficking in stolen medical equipment is big crooked business. Ask the suits and they will tell you.

Since most of us are not (I may be going out on a limb here) thieves, usually our mind-sets are nowhere near focused on someone stealing something valuable right out from under our noses.

Since a lot of us work or have worked in the most charming of inner city carnal houses, why not pick-up a couple of bucks by fencing the stuff to Guy's Groovy Grab Bag while you're walking down the street in your hospital gown dragging an IV line and infusion pump with a Bactrim drip after going AWOL and refusing to sign out AMA on the way to McDonald's where the food's better anyway.

Two instances of prestidigitation I remember (1) very nice infectious disease doc had her spanking new red convertible VW Rabbit stolen from the hospital controlled and patrolled multi-level parking lot (your paycheck deducted parking fees at at their most valuable) that was located contiguous to the main hospital building and (2) two parents bringing bringing in little Herman to have an outpatient CT with sedation. Went into room to check kid's O2 sat with at the time was the latest and greatest portable finger pulse ox, which, believe it or not, as new tech cost $600.00, took a reading, left it next to the kid in the crib, turned around and walked out of the room without taking device. Not 30 seconds later, walked back into room to retrieve device and it was gone.

"Say" I said. "Did you happen to see where where that little device I used on Herman's finger went to." "What device was that, sir?" said the parents in all sincerity.

The kicker. I reported the incident to the imaging tech manager. She made a few phone calls.

In the end for the sake of "community relations" it was written off as a loss.

Righteous backbone at it's best.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 18, 2016

@Sour Lemon, et al.
The trafficking in stolen medical equipment is big crooked business. Ask the suits and they will tell you.
Since most of us are not (I may be going out on a limb here) thieves, usually our mind-sets are nowhere near focused on someone stealing something valuable right out from under our noses.
Since a lot of us work or have worked in the most charming of inner city carnal houses, why not pick-up a couple of bucks by fencing the stuff to Guy's Groovy Grab Bag while you're walking down the street in your hospital gown dragging an IV line and infusion pump with a Bactrim drip after going AWOL and refusing to sign out AMA on the way to McDonald's where the food's better anyway.
Two instances of prestidigitation I remember (1) very nice infectious disease doc had her spanking new red convertible VW Rabbit stolen from the hospital controlled and patrolled multi-level parking lot (your paycheck deducted parking fees at at their most valuable) that was located contiguous to the main hospital building and (2) two parents bringing bringing in little Herman to have an outpatient CT with sedation. Went into room to check kid's O2 sat with at the time was the latest and greatest portable finger pulse ox, which, believe it or not, as new tech cost $600.00, took a reading, left it next to the kid in the crib, turned around and walked out of the room without taking device. Not 30 seconds later, walked back into room to retrieve device and it was gone.
"Say" I said. "Did you happen to see where where that little device I used on Herman's finger went to." "What device was that, sir?" said the parents in all sincerity.
The kicker. I reported the incident to the imaging tech manager. She made a few phone calls.
In the end for the sake of "community relations" it was written off as a loss.
Righteous backbone at it's best.

Years ago, a family stole the ECG monitor right off of a patient and sold it. Not their family member of course, but the sick man in the next bed. It was years before anyone figured out what happened -- it showed up at the hospital across town with the name of our hospital and the BioEngineering tracking number still affixed! Someone also walked out with a portable X-ray machine. Just drove it right off the unit and into a waiting truck at the loading dock. Later, someone from a group similar to Doctors Without Borders wrote a letter to our hospital thanking us profusely for the donation. (Or else the monitor was donated and the X-ray machine showed up across town. It's been a long time; I'm fuzzy on details.

A few years ago, I saw a man walking through "the neighborhood" in his hospital gown and hospital slippers, pushing an IV pole with the alarm going off.