Have any of you ever had to turn in a coworker for drug use

[joeyzstj, LPN]

The title pretty well says it all. Have any of you ever had to turn in a coworker for suspected drug abuse? This person is actually someone who I like, however she has been susptected by many of our coworkers to be using drugs and in my opinion it is starting to effect her job performance. She is not the type of person who would take being confronted about it well. To make matters worse, her mom is an NP and has written her scripts for all kinds of stuff, but she has also been in possession of what looked to be cards of meds that were possibly stolen from another hosptial............probably her mothers hospital. These meds include narcotic pain meds, muscle relaxants and simple stuff such as ibuprofen, all which were in med cards. She acts as if she is on meth or diet pills all the time. Any ideas about how to go about this?

[PICNICRN, BSN, RN]

Gosh.... how sad! You know you must tell someone, though- right? If you are concerned you could go to your manager or HR- they have been trained on how to deal with these situations- most likely a "random" drug test. Also, some hospitals have anonymous ethics lines where you can give info- I'm not sure if this is the right situation for this type of service? I really have no experience with this personally, but I'm sure someone on these boards does!

Good luck and I'm sorry- but you are doing the right thing!

[Over-the-hill-Nurse]

Gosh that is really sad! But to answer your question...yes. I value friendships but sometimes being a true friend means doing something for their own good... it will certainly benefit her and her patients to be drug free. It may take awhile for her to forgive but if she truly values you as a friend, she will realize that what you did was from the heart because you didn't want to see her hurt herself or someone else in her care.

[nursegreen]

If you suspect that someone might be abusing any substance it is your responsibility to report it. That doesn't mean that you have to be the one to confront this coworker. Infact, our policy states that we are not to confront the employee directly but to report it to the NM or HR. My facility also has a number you can call to report any situation you feel is unethical or harmful. You may also remain anonymous. Good Luck!!

[nightshift82]

Sorry you are going through this, it is a very tough situation. I was a new nurse over 25 yrs ago and my preceptor would come in smelling of ETOH almost every night. I worked neuro/ortho surgical and it would make me sick to my stomach knowing she was taking care of these kids in the stryker frames. It was a long process of documentation and she was finally relieved of her position. I never saw her again. I'm not sure if she was offered rehab and reassigned. I have since know of at least 3 other cases all with taking narcotics from pts or not wasting properly. All 3, one a MD were offered rehab and have all returned on probation. It is very difficult but is in your, the patient's and the the person you suspect best interest.