narcotic use by staff

[moodychick]

I have been an nurse for 30 years; and I know this is not a new problem.

It seems that in the last few months we have been plagued with the theft of narcotics by on-duty staff. I'm not green and I've seen this before; but it seems to be running amok lately.

Is anyone else seeing more of this than usual in their institutions? And, what is causing the upswing again?

Thanks, I'm really concerned for the patients and the staff.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I think it happens because at times it is difficult to prove. I've worked at a place where we have a situation that it is rather obvious that a coworker is stealing drugs. Heck even to a non nurse you can see what is going on. I think the pts do actually recieve some of the drug and the nurse prob has a script for it for some actual health problems, but how do you prove it?

This one nurse gives more than the other nurses to to certain, demented pts. Heck...I'm the first to medicate for pain, but the way she is doing it is overboard.

[Murphyrn1955]

I work in Texas, a state that has a program called TPAPN (Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses). Nurses who have tested positive for illicit drugs need to go through TPAPN in order to keep their license from being permanently revoked. A TPAPN order remains on a nurse's license permanently, even though she may have completed the program years ago.

Anyhow, my facility hired an RN with a very recent TPAPN order on her license (May 2006) and, soon after she joined our team, patients began complaining that her pain medicines didn't work. She is not permitted to have the narcotic key in her possession due to this licensure restriction, but occasionally she has the key anyway. Liquid narcotics began to disappear and become 'thinner'. Cards of Tramadol turned up missing when they were supposed to be placed in the D/C med drawer. Benzodiazepines turned up missing. Go figure.

Duh....don't give her the key!