This particular RN (I'll name him Jon) has been working for our unit for two years. We work in a MedSurg unit at a county hospital. Apparently, we DONT do drug tests at all.
Our morning was going fine, we both took report in the same area and had our breaks at the same time. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary (aside from saying "I'm sleepy/tired," but we all say it). Jon did one discharge and completed one admit. He helped me start an IV for one of my patients and cosigned my insulin.
It wasn't until lunch I noticed Jon's phone Snapchat(?) of him consuming edibles. I also saw Jon's text messages saying "he was still high this morning."
I immediately went to the charge nurse and reported my discovery. Our charge nurse was in disbelief and found it difficult to believe. We confronted Jon and he denied everything.
Our charge nurse discreetly followed up on his patients, and they reported nothing but excellent nursing care. We checked his charting and everything was within policy. We also checked all his pyxis pulls and there were no discrepancies. Lastly, we privately spoke to an MD that Jon was speaking to in the morning who also reported that his behavior was completely normal.
I apologized to Jon as there were no evidence of him being high towards the end of the shift. As we were leaving the hospital, one of Jon's friends (from another unit), came up to him and ask him about his 4/20. I saw Jon winked and nodded. I got upset and just left.
The next day, I reported it to the charge. She said to leave it alone since there wasn't any proof and no patients were harmed. I am not sure what else to do at this point.
I understand feeling like someone is impaired and not being able to do anything about it. It's worse when there is only "hearsay" evidence and really very little you can do. You feel angry and powerless and worry for the patients. The truth is all you CAN do is report it and watch for anything in the future.
We have a nurse who is a consistently poor performer, always on the cellphone, going missing on the floor, signing things that clearly were not done, ignoring patients in pain, staying late just to drain the clock, etc. This person also meets people from other departments in the parking lot, has a ton of documentation holes, doesn't chart PRNs, and has been found with a pill in the pocket.
I would bet my job that there are drugs missing, and all the signs are there. But all I can do is give it to the higher ups and let it be, because suspicion is only worth reporting, not worth causing someone to lose their job.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I am responding to the OP only, without reading any comments first.
OP, last year I developed persistent insomnia that at its peak, ended in me going into a psychosis at the end of a shift, complete with hallucinations. Instead of taking seriously the report I'd made to my manager on two prior shifts stating that I'd been dealing with sleeplessness (and me calling out in between those two shifts), the man assumed I was actually high. I received no medical attention whatsoever. Instead, I received a drug test. My manager received the results before I did, and I was fired before proof of one controlled medication validly prescribed was requested.
That is just the BEGINNING of how my life was ruined by a person assuming I was on drugs. That was more than a year ago, and I am still knee deep in the massive pile of crap that dealt me. All they had to do was get me a doctor.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Leave it alone, OP. You were the one who experienced this, not us. You know whether your concerns were well-placed and you know if your intentions were good. You were probably right, even if the way the charge nurse handled it was terrible. I believe you still did the right thing.
The way the OP handled this was terrible. If you absolutely feel you MUST "report" someone based on the sketchy "evidence" provided, report them. But do not involve yourself in "investigating". That was just plain wrong. I'm wondering on which planet folks originate who think that the ensuing witch hunt was "the right thing."
IMHO, If you were concerned, you should have approached the person in question privately FIRST and asked. It is very possible he was joking around or being sarcastic, or you took his comment out of context. why were you snooping on his phone in the first place. I don't see how someone can accidentally see and read someone's text messages on a 4-5 inch screen in passing without intentionally looking and violating their privacy.
@ Kooky Korky, 4/20 has become an informal sort of 'holiday' for pot smokers. The idea is they all light up on 4/20 (more so than usual.) Edibles are food laced with marijuana AKA Alice B. Toklas brownies.
In California the pot smokers were really excited this year given it was legalized November 2016...well, excited for pot smokers, they were not getting off the couch to have smoke-outs that I'm aware of.
Thanks for the info. It just occurred to me that 4/20 might be Hitler's BD. Is it? Is there any relevance to that?
I can't believe that you were snooping on someone else's phone. What on earth were you thinking? Do you not realize that invading someone's privacy like this is immoral and possibly illegal?
I can relate being a bit flighty at times, that and too much coffee! When I became clean and sober in 1989 I lived in a very small town and my reputation had no place to go but up. There were a lot of people who thought I was headed toward jails, institutions or death and were really impressed that I turned my life around, I did not mind if others knew I was in AA; it was a vast improvement over the people I ran with. I was 7 years clean & sober by the time, still on a bit of a pink cloud, still brimming with pride over acing college, happy marriage, beautiful baby. I was not judged in town, in my naivete' I was not aware how harsh medical professionals were, I did not announce it but I did not conceal my past, either. Wow, I was wrong to ever disclose that to any healthcare provider and advise nurses never to open up on this topic. With exception of @ 2-3 RNs I was judged quite harshly, other RNs freely share about how much the hate addicts and what a lowly species they consider them. Being falsely accused is just one of many reasons not to disclose. The recent thread on 'Jake, the drug seeker' only served to remind me not much has changed.
Don't listen to these people!! You did the right thing!! If you see something, even unintentionally and personal, and it could affect patient care, you need to pursue it. YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.
You saw the edibles on his snapchat for goodness' sake. For all you elderly know-it-alls: SNAPCHAT STORIES ARE PUBLIC, it's like Facebook or Instagram. That's not snooping. Also, you saw his reaction to the individual at the end of the shift. It's very likely he was high. If it were my family he was taking care of and I knew there was suspicious behavior, I would be thankful to you, and that's all that matters.
There's not much more you can do at this point. But I will say it again: you did the right thing.
Many of the "elderly know-it-all" are very bit as tech savvy as some of you young folks. Your reply is condescending and ageist. I've seen some of the younger nurses knock back 5 or 6 large energy drinks in a shift. Many hit a nightclub till 2am and th roll into work half asleep. There are many many ways to be unsafe at work.
Did not know origins but given I am old and remember getting information the really slow way (think during library hours ;-)) I love to Google and this is it, courtesy Wikipedia:
It began with five friends who attended San Rafael High School in San Rafael, Calif. They called themselves the Waldos, and in 1971 they heard a rumor that a local pot farmer had abandoned his crop, the location of which was said to be in the nearby Point Reyes National Seashore, which has more than 71,000 acres. They met after school for weeks at, you guessed it, 4:20 p.m.to search for the crop. They never did find it, perhaps because they were baked out of their minds the entire time, but eventually, they came to associate the number 420 with anything involving getting really stoned.
You have to be subscribed to the individual, and that's nothing like IG or FB...oh wait, except for the fact that on IG or FB you have to be following the individual! Lol great attempt at an analogy but nope it's still the same concept
Except that on IG you don't have to be following someone to see their feed unless their account is set to private, and on Facebook depending on their privacy settings you can see a heck of a lot of stuff without being friends with them. But great attempt 😉
sr0273
2 Posts
I understand feeling like someone is impaired and not being able to do anything about it. It's worse when there is only "hearsay" evidence and really very little you can do. You feel angry and powerless and worry for the patients. The truth is all you CAN do is report it and watch for anything in the future.
We have a nurse who is a consistently poor performer, always on the cellphone, going missing on the floor, signing things that clearly were not done, ignoring patients in pain, staying late just to drain the clock, etc. This person also meets people from other departments in the parking lot, has a ton of documentation holes, doesn't chart PRNs, and has been found with a pill in the pocket.
I would bet my job that there are drugs missing, and all the signs are there. But all I can do is give it to the higher ups and let it be, because suspicion is only worth reporting, not worth causing someone to lose their job.