Feeling bad, like I "ratted out" a nurse

[Ginger80]

The other night, the day shift nurse who was leaving looked rather "off"....glazed eyes, appeared unsteady, had a general "stoned" look. When I asked her if she was OK, she said she had taken 1/4 of a benzo that morning, and she still "felt" it. Keep in mind that this was at 2300 when we spoke. This RN has a lot of seniority, and is well respected. Another colleague noticed her odd behavior, and agreed that something was "off".

I ended up letting the supervisor know, because overall, it did not sit right with me.

But now I feel badly. Could 1/4 of a benzo really leave someone looking like that 12 hours later? Would you have done the same in telling your supervisors?

[steelcityrn, RN]

What if she said she took half a benadryl to help her sleep and it was still making her tired hours later. What if she said she took 5 hour energy and had alot of nervouse energy, a darvacet for for extreme cramps or back pain. My point is many nurses are on legal medications. Being tired comes from working 12 hours also. We not only have a job, we have jobs at home. I have seen nurses look so tired they looked drunk. They got there job done, they did their work well. They pay the dear price on their own bodies. I personally would have talked to her about it before saying something to the supervisor. This incident does not make her an addict or a irresponsible nurse.. Appearently she felt comfortable with telling you what added to her feeling so tired. I don't like the way it was handled. If she has a prescription from the M.D., and all the facts are presented, she could actually file a slander suit against those who destroy her reputation.

[NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN]

Patient safety is number one. If she is able to function safely as a nurse with taking prescribed 1/4 benzo then so be it. It is very hard to say whether you did the right thing or not because we were not there to assess the situation or how the nurse looked. Your perception of looking "stoned" may differ from others perceptions. Its over and done with now. I do believe you had great intentions OP and did not do this to be malice. In that sense you should not feel bad at all. I hope everything works out for the other nurse. Us nurses do need to stick together.

[systoly]

Beware of the GESTAPO!

I have reported, as well as sent home, staff who was under the influence, however, not until after discussing it with those staff members and telling them upfront that I felt it was my duty to report this. It is always difficult to clearly depict a particular situation in a forum, but given the information above, I'd distance myself.

[sweetnurse63, BSN, RN]

The last time I saw a nurse unsteady on his feet, he was investigated and it was determined that he was stealing and using naracotics. I'm not in judgement of no one but I do not believe that it is safe practice for a nurse to be unsteady on his or her feet. I have allergies but I will not take medicine that will make me drowsy at the start of my shift. Patient care comes first.

[sweetnurse63, BSN, RN]

First of all, i don't believe that ginger80 was assuming anything, she noticed odd behavior, for example; "unsteady on feet"appparently there was a reason for the nurse behavior. If it is determined that a benzo would make her act like that, then it needs to be addressed. I don't know of any nurses that i have worked with who were unsteady on their feet unless they were ill and were ready to pass out, or the one nurse that I worked with who displayed the same symptoms only later to be found that he was using drugs.

[Gold_SJ]

The last time I saw a nurse unsteady on his feet, he was investigated and it was determined that he was stealing and using naracotics. I'm not in judgement of no one but I do not believe that it is safe practice for a nurse to be unsteady on his or her feet. I have allergies but I will not take medicine that will make me drowsy at the start of my shift. Patient care comes first.

I can't say I'd think it right for a nurse to be unsteady on their feet, although again this is a matter of perception. However some people have daily medications to take by medical orders and you can't just not take them (as you say by not taking your allergy medications).

I'm just saying this nurse appears to be taking medication as prescribed by a doctor and just because a person appears tired doesn't mean they are incapable or impaired in their work. Wouldn't it be awful if people judged us every time we've had a rough sleep the night before, or our pet dog died and we'd been crying half the day as incapable of working?

This situation just isn't that black and white, of take a medication don't come to work (make you tireder or not. It's the MD's call on if you can function at work). Millions of people are taking prescribed medications and working all over the world.

On the other hand the OP to me just seems like a very caring person, who noticed something unusual and went to a superior. Not because they wanted to hurt this nurse nor her reputation but just so she was looking out for her residents care and this other respected nurse. Which isn't wrong, sure she could of gave the other nurse the benefit of the doubt but hey maybe she is on narcotics or working unsafely. Supervisors are suppose to look out for their team members so you'd assume it'd be dealt with privately and kindly (God willing the place is blessed with a just supervisor), I'd think they'd just enquire over how she is and she was seeming tireder the other day and it'll just smooth out. In my guess anyway.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

my first thought is, how stupid is she for #1 coming to work, and #2 admitting that. What a fool.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

i def. would not have told my supervisor assuming she is "well respected" and that this was a one time thing where no harm was done. was patient care compromised? has she done this before?

had it happened a second time i would be concerned, but the fact that she told you what she did leads me to believe she wasn't hiding anything. i just don't see a reason to tell on someone because they "looked funny." i'm sure ppl will disagree, but that's just not my style.

the thing is, by not saying anything, you're assuming this is "just this one time" or just because someone is "well respected" that you're again, assuming patient safety isn't at risk? You're just burying your head in the sand, not wanting to get involved, let someone else handle it... either way, NOT taking a stand is meaning you're then complicit if something goes wrong with this nurse by knowing something was "off" and not reporting it. It's not about who you know, or popularity, or jeopardizing your job... it's about doing the right thing for patient care. Regardless of this person's stand at work/in the workplace/their position.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

let's not gloss over the fact that as nurses we are constantly using our assessment skills, which also include subtle behavior changes. Who cares if we "think" they're tired, or overworked, stressed, etc. What we notice is that something is DIFFERENT. Better to err on the side of caution.

The medical profession, and specifically nurses, are tops on the list for diversion. It's wise to be on alert, particularly if patient's might be at risk. There are many more resources for this topic, but here's one... http://juns.nursing.arizona.edu/articles/Fall%202002/hrobak.htm

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

To me the issue is not whether or not the nurse took 1/4 of a benzo (or any other med for that matter), but whether or not they are impaired. It is not illegal to take a prescribed med, but it is against the BON standards to come to work impaired, whether or not the med is legal.

From the description the OP gave, it does seem the nurse may have been impaired. The fact that another nurse made the same observations seals the deal. I think the OP was right to report it to her supervisor and let her take it from there.

[Gold_SJ]

my first thought is, how stupid is she for #1 coming to work, and #2 admitting that. What a fool.

Ah...wow.

^.^;; I can't even bring myself to comment other than I disagree. Sorry.

[caliotter3]

There is a difference between appearing tired and being stoned, I hope you are making the right distinction when making complaints about your coworkers.