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.
What does 4/20 mean? Edibles? Please translate for us oldies.
OP, I understand your worry for patient safety, but if your Charge is aware of your concerns and has taken steps to follow up on them, and has declared the matter at rest barring new evidence, follow her lead.
Just do your own job. The Charge is responsible for the floor as a whole and for Jon.
Or go over her head to the Manager. But be ready for some stormy weather if you do that.
BTW, I think the way so many here have jumped down OP's throat is typical treatment, terrible treatment, of someone who cares about the unit as a whole. Nurses love to crucify their own and love to complain about problems but never try to help correct them.
Can you further clarify your last paragraph? It seems to be a little contradictory there. Posters are "jumping down the OP's throat" out of concern that OP potentially could have cost someone their job ... despite that someone performing exemplary care. There was no proof, no evidence ... but an invasion of privacy on the OPs part and a horrible accusation of substance abuse x2.
This could have gone very badly for Jon. Ixchel's case is bad enough; OP's case is perfectly embracing this "ask questions maybe later, if at all" approach.
Unfortunately it is the OP who is crucifying her own under the guise of caring about her unit.
OP: I worked with a nurse who was accused of diverting meds (it was a serious and active issue at the facility I worked at). She was fired, reported to the BON and crazy as this sounds, they never asked for a urine drug screen on her. The only evidence they had was she was "flighty". well, yes, she was a bit flighty, but she was a good nurse. Her behavior had not changed since the day she started. The person who was most vocal about her suspected drug use DID have a major behavior change, but admin just wanted to a scape goat. the nurse (A) was eventually cleared (by the BON) but she had a hard time getting a new job.
There were no complaints about her quality of work, families and residents had no issues with her, she was doing her job, and pretty much leaving everyone else alone. Except she was flighty. Fortunately, A has gotten a new job and is doing well.
You can seriously ruin someones life this way. If you see this nurse with a needle in his arm, or joint in his mouth or his taking meds you are 100% sure are narcotics(and he is on duty), by all means, report it. But all you have is speculation. That's all it is. You have speculation and suspicion.
Ask yourself this: how would you feel if someone accused you of drug use with flimsy evidence? How would YOU feel if it went all the way to the board? How would YOU feel if someones ruined your life? Start worrying about your own nursing practice.
As someone who can also be a bit "flighty" at times (very forgetful sometimes lol), this is scary to think about.
edited to add: I selected the picture of Dory and Marlin as my profile pic because I very much identify with Dory's "short term memory loss."
Edibles are an edible form of pot. Could be gummy bears or brownies.
I think it is funny that I'm responding to this. I honestly have no experience.
I could see my husband responding like the OP. While I've never tried it and it is illegal in my state, I'm not over the top about it. I think what I'm still trying to understand is how do you know someome is "high" unless they are visibly impaired?
What does 4/20 mean? Edibles? Please translate for us oldies.
OP, I understand your worry for patient safety, but if your Charge is aware of your concerns and has taken steps to follow up on them, and has declared the matter at rest barring new evidence, follow her lead.
Just do your own job. The Charge is responsible for the floor as a whole and for Jon.
Or go over her head to the Manager. But be ready for some stormy weather if you do that.
BTW, I think the way so many here have jumped down OP's throat is typical treatment, terrible treatment, of someone who cares about the unit as a whole. Nurses love to crucify their own and love to complain about problems but never try to help correct them.
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.
By going against what you say is the unit culture, you are only putting yourself in the target range of others. Again, best to mind your own business and leave others to their own concerns. If it does not involve imminent patient safety for the other nurse's patients, it does not need your involvement.
Lol if you think the (piece of ****) culture of a unit is more important than patient safety, or if you think that because Jon was able to handle being high for a day that such behavior should continue.
There is absolutely no evidence besides heresay that "Jon" was high ... and that heresay was taken from Jon's private property (text messages) and a wink from a co-worker. That wink could have been directed at you, for all you know (Jon could have texted his friend about his "busybody co-worker" who accused him of some serious stuff).
Your co-worker appeared to provide excellent care throughout the day, which appears to be the norm for him. Going out of your way to catch him is ridiculous, unless you have a legitimate reason to suspect him.
You certainly did owe Jon an apology. You could have cost him his job ... over a guess. That's awful.
Watching him eat edibles on a snapchat story (snapchat stories are public...) is KIIIIIND of more than hearsay, if I do say so myself
Jon had time in his day to provide excellent care and help you start an IV? To me it doesn't look like Jon is the problem. And FYI, being "high" doesn't necessarily mean he's shooting up his patient's dilaudid. Marijuana is legal in a few states and soon will be legal in many more. I am not condoning it for nurses and would certainly never condone smoking pot before work, but I think you are making this into something that it's not.
Unless you witness something blatantly wrong with his rendering of patient care, probably you should just tend to your own business. He probably now sees you as an enemy and might decide to make things somewhat difficult for you in return. So, be wary of him on the personal front.
ACTUALLY UM NO
Waiting until he does something blatantly wrong to a patient is frickin terrible advice!!! Also, I highly doubt she cares if this dude thinks she is an enemy. Bullying because you got caught is a sign of some serious issues.
If you know someone is not sober and taking care of patients, you should probably do something about it. And watching someone eat edibles, well, that's kind of some solid evidence right there
Jon had time in his day to provide excellent care and help you start an IV? To me it doesn't look like Jon is the problem. And FYI, being "high" doesn't necessarily mean he's shooting up his patient's dilaudid. Marijuana is legal in a few states and soon will be legal in many more. I am not condoning it for nurses and would certainly never condone smoking pot before work, but I think you are making this into something that it's not.
Yall are pissing me off. Alcohol is legal but you aint gonna be caring for my grandma after taking shots at the bar. It IS a big deal and she DID do the right thing.
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
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.
Snapchat is nothing like FB or IG and it is not public for everyone to see. People have to be subscribed to you to see your stories and even then you get to determine who can see your story and who can't. He also didn't have any suspicious behavior. In fact he was getting outstanding reports from everyone and was even HELPING the original poster who was complaining about him. She didn't see a picture he took that morning of him smoking a joint, hitting a bong, snorting a line of coke, injecting some heroine, popping some shoddy pills. How did the OP even know the "snacks" in question were really even made with pot? His reaction at the end of shift to the co-worker meant he was most likely high???? Why because he winked and laughed. Are you high???:sarcastic:
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Yall are pissing me off. Alcohol is legal but you aint gonna be caring for my grandma after taking shots at the bar. It IS a big deal and she DID do the right thing.
Yikes!!! You seem very on edge and angry, almost like someone on drugs.:sarcastic:
Snapchat is nothing like FB or IG and it is not public for everyone to see. People have to be subscribed to you to see your stories and even then you get to determine who can see your story and who can't. He also didn't have any suspicious behavior. In fact he was getting outstanding reports from everyone and was even HELPING the original poster who was complaining about him. She didn't see a picture he took that morning of him smoking a joint, hitting a bong, snorting a line of coke, injecting some heroine, popping some shoddy pills. How did the OP even know the "snacks" in question were really even made with pot? His reaction at the end of shift to the co-worker meant he was most likely high???? Why because he winked and laughed. Are you high???:sarcastic:
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
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:sarcastic:
pixierose, BSN, RN
882 Posts
Can you further clarify your last paragraph? It seems to be a little contradictory there. Posters are "jumping down the OP's throat" out of concern that OP potentially could have cost someone their job ... despite that someone performing exemplary care. There was no proof, no evidence ... but an invasion of privacy on the OPs part and a horrible accusation of substance abuse x2.
This could have gone very badly for Jon. Ixchel's case is bad enough; OP's case is perfectly embracing this "ask questions maybe later, if at all" approach.
Unfortunately it is the OP who is crucifying her own under the guise of caring about her unit.