Two of my friends who are CRNA's take recreational ecstasy almost every weekend. They will take it on Saturday night...stay up all night....and then try to sleep it off on Sunday. When Monday morning comes around they go to their contract per diem positions and perform anesthesia mostly in private practice plastic surgery clinics.
I am worried that one day they may provide anestheisa while the ecstasy is still running through their systems.
A couple of questions for those of you who are currently CRNAs.
1. How do you approach a CRNA and tell them you are worried they might harm a patient while under the influence.
2. What else would you do to make sure they don't harm anybody? Should I contact the state board or should I mind my own business? For the record I am just a nursing student.
They have both been practicing for 8 years and have never had any problems in the past. I just know I wouldn't want to be patient under their care.
I think she said "underage" which would imply it was not between consenting adults.
I happen to agree with you, although I don't appreciate the implication that Australians are ignorant fools sitting in the "outback". Personally, I live in a city of ~5 million, and have the same access to news that you do.
I never said or implied that Australians are "ignorant fools sitting in the 'outback' ". I made a textual analogy to the expansive and lightly-populated American west/midwest, which has a high rate of drug addiction along with a "live and let live" attitude that contributes to that rate. I had also just read this article within the last couple of days:
Let's keep this on topic please folks. The topic is whether CRNA's who use recreational ecstacy prior to coming to work should be reported. Not sure how this morphed into a political hotbed.
My input: why is the OP hanging out with the drug-using CRNA's? As a law-abiding person, I would report it or not associate with these folks.
Let's keep this on topic please folks. The topic is whether CRNA's who use recreational ecstacy prior to coming to work should be reported. Not sure how this morphed into a political hotbed.
My input: why is the OP hanging out with the drug-using CRNA's? As a law-abiding person, I would report it or not associate with these folks.
if your best friend was using, would YOU stop hanging out with them?
Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
And that brings me to this: a license from the government to engage in a specialized occupation is a PRIVILEGE, not a right. When you violate the requirements for maintaining that privilege, you lose your license. We don't care if the kid at McDonalds used Ecstasy last night, because his cash register is preprogrammed to give the correct change. At the worst, I may get someone else's order in my bag. But we do care about airline pilots, and doctors, and nurses, and bus drivers, and child care workers, etc.
Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
if your best friend was using, would YOU stop hanging out with them?
If my best friend was using any illegal substance, I would first try to get him/her some help.
If the use continued and this person was in severe denial of having a problem....I would ABSOLUTELY stop "hanging out" with them.
You have a license, a family, and a personal reputation to protect. In my town, if one is stopped for a traffic violation and any passenger in the car is found to have an illegal substance on their person, the police officers have the right to take everyone to jail. If you 'hang out' with the drug users frequently with full knowledge of their habit, then others may assume you do the same and you leave yourself open for false accusations. It is against my personal values and those of my family to enable such poor judgement and I choose not to expose myself to such behavior.
I'm still a few years away from even thinking about applying to a CRNA program, and yet I'd prefer to know the effects of a drug before I take it. A quick look at Wikipedia is enough to convince me that I have no need to take ecstacy... Some good info here.
These people insult health care and damage the reputation of their peers.
As for ceasing to hang out with my best friend... yeah, I recall that happening in JR high when my friends all decided pot was in... then in high school when my best friend at the time could consume an entire case (24) of beer at a party. I found it impossible to remain friends with these people, and I'm glad I thought so... otherwise I'd surely have gotten into trouble right along with them.
Since I'm from a small town and remain in contact with many of my friends, I know for a fact that none of the pot smokers ever went to college, and that the raging alcoholic got at least 2 DUI's (he was over 2.0 for his first one and couldn't find his driver's license... which was in his back pocket). Correlation may not equal causation... but I'm happy with the path I've taken and while I'm sorry that they chose these behaviors, I'm never sorry that we didn't remain friends.
So I suppose the analogy could be made... if your friend insisted to get in his car and drive through a school playground after having a case of beer, what would you do about it? Seems to me that I'd have to hold myself accountable for doing nothing... not something I'd choose to live with.
Yes, I would most certainly not hang out with my best friend if he/she was using drugs.
And...I don't hang out with my own son because of his drug use. You'd better believe I worked way too hard for this license to let it hinge on other people's issues.
I'm still a few years away from even thinking about applying to a CRNA program, and yet I'd prefer to know the effects of a drug before I take it. A quick look at Wikipedia is enough to convince me that I have no need to take ecstacy... Some good info here.
These people insult health care and damage the reputation of their peers.
As for ceasing to hang out with my best friend... yeah, I recall that happening in JR high when my friends all decided pot was in... then in high school when my best friend at the time could consume an entire case (24) of beer at a party. I found it impossible to remain friends with these people, and I'm glad I thought so... otherwise I'd surely have gotten into trouble right along with them.
Since I'm from a small town and remain in contact with many of my friends, I know for a fact that none of the pot smokers ever went to college, and that the raging alcoholic got at least 2 DUI's (he was over 2.0 for his first one and couldn't find his driver's license... which was in his back pocket). Correlation may not equal causation... but I'm happy with the path I've taken and while I'm sorry that they chose these behaviors, I'm never sorry that we didn't remain friends.
So I suppose the analogy could be made... if your friend insisted to get in his car and drive through a school playground after having a case of beer, what would you do about it? Seems to me that I'd have to hold myself accountable for doing nothing... not something I'd choose to live with.
kudos to you for having the maturity to make those kinds of decisions in jr high.
Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
....a person who takes anti-depressants daily and has formed an addiction, in that sudden cessation would precipitate physical and mental discomfort.....
cheers
kaeri
developing a physical dependence is not addiction. while it may be one of the signs of substance abuse, it is not considered a major sign or symptom of addiction.
"taking drugs may begin as a voluntary choice to seek a pleasant stimulus, but for addicts, that choice is no longer volitional, even in the face of terrible personal consequences.
physical dependence refers to the adaptations that result in withdrawal symptoms when drugs such as alcohol and heroin are discontinued. those are distinct from the adaptations that result in addiction, which refers to the loss of control over the intense urges to take the drug even at the expense of adverse consequences."
simply exposing someone to a mood altering substance for a prolonged period of time does not lead to addiction. many chronic pain sufferers will develop tolerance (reduced effect with the same dose) and physical dependence when taking opioids for prolonged periods. however, if their medication is reduced in small amounts over a period of time, withdrawal signs and symptoms will be significantly alleviated. once they have been weened from their opioids, they don't have the compulsion to find and ingest opioids despite the lengthy exposure.
even though the addict has been weened to reduce withdrawal symptoms, they continue to "crave" the drug. this compulsion will decrease over time until it's almost completely gone. however, it never goes away completely and it's quite possible the cravings can be triggered by certain sights, sounds, smells, or environment.
pet scans in addicts/alcoholics in documented, long term recovery have been most interesting. in these individuals, showing them videos, pictures, or actual "instruments" they associate with using can "light up" the reward systems deep in the brain, showing that the brain is altered for quite awhile, perhaps even permanently. this explains why someone can relapse even after decades of no use.
this disease can be kept in remission by working a solid plan of recovery everyday. there are interesting new treatment protocols and medications that may significantly improve the treatment of addictions. but first, every professional health care provider must become familiar with this disease in order to intervene as early as possible. early intervention and treatment signifiantly improves the prognosis for long term recovery.
:yeah:
jeroboam
33 Posts
I never said or implied that Australians are "ignorant fools sitting in the 'outback' ". I made a textual analogy to the expansive and lightly-populated American west/midwest, which has a high rate of drug addiction along with a "live and let live" attitude that contributes to that rate. I had also just read this article within the last couple of days:
http://subs.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10401906
Don't be so sensitive.