Is this legal?

Published

The hospital I work for assigns us lockers, and they have built in combos. I was recently made aware by a coworker that my locker was searched over a month ago because another coworker claimed to have seen me taking pills. I keep Claritin and Tylenol in my locker. When I need them, I take them. I was caught off guard by he fact hat this all took place and I was never asked or told about it. When I questioned my nm she said the found Claritin and Tylenol and figured I must have had a headache. I feel violated. I also want o confront this coworker. I don't take drugs, but I am fairly certain she does. In fact I will not waste with her because she can never produce what is to be wasted. What gives?

I agree! I think I would plant certain items there just in case someone decides to search again or goes in there to see if you are still using it. A toy mouse, hairy spider, package of Depends....

Bahaha! LOVE.... Need to think of some fun stuff to put in my locker now....

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That is some serious BS! You had a Joint Commision drill or a highschool resource officer drill. Joint Commision has never ever asked anyone to my knowledge what they keep in their locker much less checked it out.

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About putting stuff in your locker... a quick google search will take you to sites where you can buy those "exploding" dye packs that you see bank robbers get hit with on tv.

Slap one of those in a box, and let some nosey so-and-so walk around with a dyed face for a month or so. ;) (especially if they're not following the procedure of searching a locker by the book)

IMO, they're lucky you didn't file a complaint claiming money went missing.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I believe they can even search your car if it is on hospital grounds!

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This thread is from last month, just to update, the nurse that accused me is NO LONGER on my floor. She was asked to take a drug test, refused and went home, and then she just stopped showing up. So it would seem she was up to no good with the narcs. She ended up getting canned for "no call no show".

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Awesome :yelclap:

I was just thinking that I'd block the vents in my locker so that you couldn't push something in it with strips of a super sticky brand of duct-like tape that I'd burnish down well to seal it but good.

I'll edit to add, that just doing a quick web search, you can find zipperlocks of all sorts for what ever bag you would bring if you didn't want a locker.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
This thread is from last month, just to update, the nurse that accused me is NO LONGER on my floor. She was asked to take a drug test, refused and went home, and then she just stopped showing up. So it would seem she was up to no good with the narcs. She ended up getting canned for "no call no show".

So it was deflection off of her onto you....interesting. I'm glad everything is OK.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

My facility has it in the policy that lockers are hospital property and are subject to search without notice. Two staff members must be present, one must be security, one the manager or assistant manager of the unit. Everything found, is written down in a detailed report by security.

Now in fairness, this is in MY policy, not yours and a professional manager will ask any gawkers to excuse themselves to provide privacy to their search, but we all know which lockers belong to our peers! My old management would wisely search several locker to prevent the team from knowing the true "suspect".

This does stink, and I'm ticked off simply by a nurse educator going through my work mailbox looking for papers. I know in my head it's company property, but still feel violated. So I understand how you feel.

THis does protect you from errant co-workers who stash things like insulin, drugs like haldol and benadryl to be dispensed to patients without orders...( don't ask), let alone a narcotic diverter.

I'm glad that nurse weeded herself out. You still should consider a sit down with the manager and an HR rep. to discuss how the search went down and was poorly handled.

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i don't see anything here about a lock on that locker. i would never use a locker i couldn't, well, lock. if the administration has to have the combinations for all lockers somewhere secure, fine, but i don't want anyone else getting in there for nefarious purposes...like planting a fentanyl patch or a depends with a melted chocolate bar.

and not a lawyer, but i should think that if they were going to open your locker they ought to have you present when they do it.

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a huggies with a melted hershey's bar.

i can't stop laughing at this suggestion! now i'll never get to sleep tonight! lol:lol2:

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Specializes in Med-Swing/Rehab.

Yes, it is legal for them to search their property anytime they wish.

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

at the state psych hospital where i worked the longest, they could search our lockers at will, but very very

seldom did so.

they had to be locked using a hospital-provided lock that was identical to my high school gym lock. all i kept

in my locker were some tampax, extra undies (same reason,) tylenol, teabags, sweetener, wash and dries, and

extra shoes and socks.

i have epilepsy and am very well controlled because i take my meds as ordered and on time. when i was hired,

i presented a letter from my neurologist, plus a list of my meds and the times i took them.

another nurse got very angry when i couldn't cover her weekend shift and when she saw me take my tegretol alone in the locker room, she reported me for drug diversion. fortunately, i had provided the proof of what i

took and when because not only did they not find anything when they searched my locker without telling me but

i passed their $%^& old drug test!

guess who had been diverting all along?

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