helping a nurse with drug use/job

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recently a friend who is very seasoned trauma rn was busted for

using a vicodin while on shift. i can't believe she would do this

while on duty much less happen to tell her pt. she did so due

to back pain. she tested neg. by ua but was very honest when

asked by er coord.-even so they dismissed her and now she is

in a peer assit. prgm. for drug abuse.(state req.)

by the way this was a drug for her from her pcp. confirmed by w/rx.

this nurse not only has excellent skills/house/charge exp.& with

more than 21yrs in-she keeps hitting road blocks when applying

for many positions and with the restrictions they placed on her

working-options have become very slim. she is not a abuser of

narcs. and has been clean on every random test.

i have been by her side and even networked for her to gain some

type of emplymt. she has even resorted to working in conv.&book

store to make ends meet..she has one child/single partent.

i really need some encouragement and words of wisdom from others,

i live in a rural area and have limited contact with others i can trust

with this..

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Using any type of narcotic while on work duty is grounds for being fired. It is stated in every employee handbook that I have seen. If the pain is severe enough that you need to take something that strong, then you should not be caring for patients.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Home Health.

During NS there was one particular clinical instructor that would send one of the students to her car about noon everyday to get her pain meds (vicodin) for chronic back pain. She made it seem perfectly fine, since it "didn't effect her mental abilities"! We all questioned it, and still felt it wasn't right. Unfortunately, no one was brave enough to mention it to higher ups. The school is run by the good ole girls club and she was one of the girls.

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During NS there was one particular clinical instructor that would send one of the students to her car about noon everyday to get her pain meds (vicodin) for chronic back pain. She made it seem perfectly fine, since it "didn't effect her mental abilities"! We all questioned it, and still felt it wasn't right. Unfortunately, no one was brave enough to mention it to higher ups. The school is run by the good ole girls club and she was one of the girls.

The impact of a pain medication, such as vicodin, varies from person to person. The presence of such a medication, in one's blood stream, does not necessarily mean that an individual is impaired from doing one's job. I am not surprised at the attitudes, posted on this board or a BON, which demonstrate a lack of understanding of the mechanisms of drug therapy. Unfortunately, education has not kept up with practice.

Grannynurse :balloons:

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I have just read the most fantastic book on this issue. It is a true story of a nurse who was fired from her job from taking Stadol and what she had to go through, but she did get her license back, and she did get sober. It also tells the story of other nurses in the same position and how they got sober and reinstated and what they went through. I would highly recommend it to the friend who was dismissed for Vicodan use and to anyone who is interested in this issue of nurses working while taking medications. All impaired nurses would find this book very insightful and helpful. I would highly recommend it to nursing students also to to gain a better understanding of this issue. It is called Walking Like a Duck by Patricia Holloran RN-the True Story of a nurse walking from addiction to recovery. Even if the nurse taking the Vicodan was not addicted, she will find this book very helpful , because it explains what you have to go through with the BON and what you can do to get reinstated with your license and your job. From these nurses stories, she will learn what she can do to help herself and get her job back. I ordered it in paperback from amazon.com.It was published in 2005. krisssy

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The impact of a pain medication, such as vicodin, varies from person to person. The presence of such a medication, in one's blood stream, does not necessarily mean that an individual is impaired from doing one's job. I am not surprised at the attitudes, posted on this board or a BON, which demonstrate a lack of understanding of the mechanisms of drug therapy. Unfortunately, education has not kept up with practice.

Grannynurse :balloons:

Unfortunately, its effects can vary on a day to basis and this is the reason that no narcotics are to be consumed during work time per the BON as a bedside nurse. If the nurse requires that much pain medicaton, then they should not be working at that time where full capabilities ar required. You can only do yourself more harm.

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I believe that there is a line here that needs to be defined. Was this nurse taking narcs for a chronic condition? Last time I went for an employee health physical, I was told that I could take my meds, but not 8 hours before a shift or during a shift. I may not have said this, but I live with severe chronic pain. I consult with my pain specialist every 3 months, and he said that the meds I'm on is the best approach in my case.

He has stated that if you are using chronic pain meds for a long period of time, that it's a very different situation from someone using meds prn. He also states, and I've read this somewhere else (if I get a source I'll post it), that a person receiving chronic pain management w/or w/o narcs who has been stabilized is less impaired that someone who is working with uncontrolled chronic pain.

I'm meeting with my doctor next week as I need to discuss my long term plans of becoming a nurse. I want to do this with my entire being. This has been my dream all my life. However, I am concerned about what kind of limitations might be put on me. *sigh* This is not fair... forgive my rant. It seems odd that I can do all physical aspects of a nurses job (helping hold heavy pts, being on my feet for long periods of time) working as a volunteer doula, but when it comes to for me to actually get paid, people somehow have a problem with that! /rant

Thanks for listening to me rant. We need to emphasize education for those who employee people on chronic pain management, rather than to stigmatize people who have a legitimate problem with pain.

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I understand how you feel. I have been on pain medication for chronic pain too. I think it depends on what the medication is, how much you take and how you function on it. Everyone reacts differently to medications especially pain medications and antidepressants. I was a teacher for 30 years-elementary school- and I had to take pain medication. I became teacher of the year! Without the pain medication, I would not have been able to work. I was very clear headed, never sleepy or dizzy, and my thought patterns were very clear. I was a great teacher and highly repected. Of couse I wasn't working with life and death situations. I am not sure how a nurse could be monitored to make sure the medication was not affecting her thinking negatively. I know for sure that bad pain can make it very dangerous for a person to work and can make thinking very unclear. I do believe that each case should be looked at individually, assessed and then a decision made about the individual nurse.

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Using a narcotic while on duty in a health care facility is agaist all Boards of Nursing throughout the US. Narcotics can affect the person that is using them differently each time.

If the person is having that much pain that they require a narcotic, then they should be at home taking care of themselves. You will only make a back injury worse by pushing it.

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Well I personally would never break the law. But I still agree with grannynurse FNP.

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I think that attitudes toward chronic pain need to be updated in healthcare and thoughtout our society. BONs are severly out of date about this and many other issues. I do not take pain meds for anything, to fearful they will interact with my BP and choesterol meds. However, that does not mean I have a lack of compassion for people who struggle with chronic pan. BONs throughout the country need to come together in somesort of symposium where they can hear people who are specialist in things like pain control can update their 19th century notions.

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Specializes in Case Management.
Well I personally would never break the law. But I still agree with grannynurse FNP.

I agree with grannynurse also. I would be unable to function without chronic pain meds. When my employer found out I was on pain meds the manager tried to get me to take STD. However I did not qualify based on a third party evaluation even though I have been treated by a legitimate pain clinic for over 2 years. :angryfire

I can function very well on my ms contin, I don't get tired or sleepy, it just takes away the pain. I do not, however give direct patient care. I work in an office 9-5 type job. I could not do the physical work of direct patient care and my hats off to anyone who does do that type work with chronic pain :yeah:

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