Feeling bad, like I "ratted out" a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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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?

Specializes in med/surg, emergency room.

Ginger,

Don't feel bad for voicing your concern. If you feel that a healthcare provider is impaired it is your duty to report it. You don't say "that doctor is drunk" or "that nurse is stoned", of course, but report the signs or reasons you feel that something may be off and leave it up to the supervisor to investigate or take action. Had you not done so and that nurse WAS impaired and something happened to a patient, then you could have been involved for not reporting feeling that she was possibly a danger to others. As far as that nurse's seniority or respect," it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for". You did the right thing, the only thing no one should do in that situation would be to tell others as in gossip. You may not have felt comfortable talking directly to the nurse because she may have treated you unfairly or differently after that. If she had a prescription, she can take the medicine, but you are not to come to work if you are impaired! If something happened to my family member in the hospital (like a nurse mistake) and that nurse was (+) for controlled substances, would you EVER REALLY KNOW if that is what contributed to it or not? I would be mad either way. You need to be 100% mentally "with it" to care for others. Kudos to you for standing up against things that are wrong. That is what's wrong with our world today. Too much tolerance. Good luck to you. Let us know what happens..

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As a nurse I'm sure you know the difference between sleepy and stoned. You saw something was off...you asked what was going on...you got a response and you handled it...end of story. The nurse didn't say: I didn't sleep last night she said: I TOOK A BENZO.

You weren't speculating....SHE TOLD YOU STRAIGHT UP. The only thing to wonder is if it really was a ¼ of a benzo…maybe it was half or a whole or even two sticks…you never know. Having a Rx will cover a tox screen but does it mean that the person is not mismanaging their medication?

Now if it truly was a one time misjudgment on her part then the nurse now knows that she cannot take those benzos before work because they have her too sedated. So maybe now she will go to her MD and have her dose adjusted, switch to another type of benzo, or just not take it before she goes on duty.

I work with nurses who are on pain management and they will not take a pain pill until we are walking out the door at the end of our shift because they know all about the sedating effects of what they are taking. Trust me, this nurse has been counseled about the controlled substance she has been Rx and well, she is a nurse after all, so I'm sure she got in her drug guide and figured all of that out a long time ago.

Don’t let folks lay the guilt trip on you. If it really was a one time thing then she has nothing to worry about.

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Ginger80, I know you are feeling guilty. However, I believe that you had honest intentions and I don't see the malice in what you did. I know you were concerned. It is okay that you told the supervisor. If the other nurse has a prescription and is fully functional and it doesn't interefere with her job and responsibilities as an RN, then she should be fine. However, if she is impaired and it affects patient care, then she should be liable and accountable for her actions. Now, that is for your supervisor to determine that. If she asks you or confronts you, tell her that you are just concerned about her.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Acute Rehab.
so i guess its safe to say you only posted this receive confirmation that you did the right thing...and that you really didn't want to know what someone else would have done in this situation. if you didn't want an opinion, you shouldn't have asked for it. making accusations of drug use is a serious action and unless you really sat down and talked with her, you really don't know what is going on with her. is she on any other meds that would increase sedition? did she only sleep 1 hour last night? how long has she been taking this medication? i'd be angry as hell if someone decided to go to a supervisor without really talking to me and allowing me the opportunity to fess up if need be.

did you read the original post??? she did go to her and ask if she was okay. the nurse admitted to taking 1/4 of a benzo. to me that sounds weird because if a med is prescribed for you, do you usually say that you take 1/4 of a dose? i don't know, i might be wrong about thinking people do not describe taking their meds like that.

regardless, i do not think that the op was only looking for confirmation that she did the right thing. if you read her subsequent posts, she is admittedly very torn about what she did. yet she clearly states that this person did seem to be acting out of character.

she does not to be slammed by someone who clearly didn't read all her postings.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
No need to be so harsh, Snippy.

It is not my job to interrogate my coworkers on what medications or how much sleep they are getting. And for the record, I did not make an accusation of drug use.

But thanks for your opinion.

LMAO, you called them Snippy, hahahahhaha!!!

I'm a little with Snippy though...you were starting to sound like you were just gonna argue with anyone who disagreed with what you did.

For the record if all you did was report your observations and what she said, it's nothing to feel bad about. It's not up to you to question them further. You probably don't get paid enough to be an intermediary interrogator for your clinical manager. As I always say, "That's above my pay grade." BUT it's a shame she didn't have the chance to be evaluated by someone in a position of authority at that time. And the fact that someone else came to you and asked you to "assess the situation" is kind of shady on behalf of the other nurse. She should be keen enough to assess it herself, if it was such an issue.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
I guess I am not understanding what allowing the nurse to explain would accomplish. It does not matter what reason there is for impairment, it is still impairment. If the OP and the other nurse she spoke to suspected another nurse of being impaired, the proper thing is to report it to the supervisor and let him/her handle it. The OP should not have gone on a fishing expedition to try and get to the bottom of things...that is the manager's role, not the co-worker's.

It would allow them to be aware of the coworkers' intentions at the moment, which would have allowed her to go to the supervisor and have herself directly assessed and even drug tested (though I don't know much about drug testing...doesn't it just say "benzos positive" and not exactly how much benzo? But it would have said whether she was also taking narcotics, etc.). If someone did that to me and I was telling the truth, that all I had was "1/4 of a benzo" and nothing else, I'd be upset that I couldn't prove it 12 hours later. Sucks that she will only be able to explain herself after she's out from under whatever influence she was under.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.

There is two sides to every story and this is just one. If she is usually on her game (as you mentioned) could something being going on in her personal life in which she is now on benzo's? Above all that, if you were concerned about her driving home impaired, how did telling the supervisor prevent this? Im just curious, because if I was concerned about a co-worker driving home, I would have said, "You dont look good, are you sure you should be driving home? Maybe you should wait for awhile." Im not going to comment if what you did was right or wrong because I dont have all the facts, my main issue is letting her drive home impaired if that was your major concern as you said.

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ginger80,

you made the decision that you were comfortable living with. that's really all that matters.

at one time i was the evening nurse on a small specialty care unit. there had been a time or two when the night nurse had seemed just a tiny bit "off"; just a smidge, nothing even remotely specific or strong enough to act on.

fast forward...... one night she calls, said she just woke up and was running late but was on her way. once again, my gut sensed something was off, but a bit stronger this time. i told her that she sounded like she didn't feel well and asked if she was sure she was okay to work. she assured me she was fine. i asked again, i told her i could stay and cover if she needed me to. nope, said she was fine and on her way.

it was agony waiting for her to arrive. i had a feeling that i may need to act. i did not take that lightly. i knew the implications. she arrived......a bit unsteady on her feet, eyes glazed.

drug screen was positive for etoh, opiates and benzos.

trust your gut. i'm not saying it's always right; but if it's strongly telling you to do something, it's usually right more often than wrong.

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Specializes in LTC, MDS, Education.

Agree w/ above poster. Her drive home was the main priority at that time...Did she make it? Hope so, because since OP described her as "swaying" . she probably would NOT have passed a roadside sobriety test. Many people would then feel guilty for letting her leave work like that. Not any different than letting a friend drive drunk. Not your job to do a Breathalyzer, but at least take the keys.

If YOU had been that nurse, would you have wanted her to stop you from operating a motor vehicle while impaired? Knowing that " impaired" doesn't have to be caused by a substance!

Just saying......:smokin:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

A quarter of a benzo sounds off to me. If she was that 'stoned', she probably took at least 2.

I had a gf who is a midwife who was on morphine, oxycontin and heaps of other drugs for neck pain from a car accident etc and she delivered babies! She also used to steal drugs from the patients' lockers etc and bring them home - highly illegal in Oz.

I wish I'd reported her. God knows how many babies might have been unsafe due to her. She was off her face all the time.

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allergies can make your eyes glazed...just saying.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
allergies can make your eyes glazed...just saying.

The other nurse said she took the benzo - she openly admitted it, and that leaves her open for litigation I think. You have to think of the legal aspect of nursing as well in situations like this.

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