The other night, my charge nurse called the two other nurses (other than myself) aside and asked them if they smelled alcohol on my breath.
After the shift was over, and we all left the facility, I received calls from these other two nurses, within minutes of each other, telling me what had happened.
To say the least, I was boiling mad! :angryfire I take the ethical and legal aspects of our profession VERY seriously. I rarely drink alcohol at all, and NEVER, EVER before going on duty and certainly not while on duty. Let me say that I am a smoker, and when I return from a smoke break, I use breath mints, hand-sanitizer on my hands/arms, and Fabreeze in my scubs so I don't reek when I walk into a pt's room.
At the time, I considered turning right around and marching into the directors office to demand a blood alcohol test.
I worked with this charge nurse again tonight and very seriously considered confronting her. The very last thing I want is this kind of rumor floating around my facility.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.