Nurse Calling In Scripts to Pharmacy Illegally

Nurses General Nursing

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I have a question and a concern. There is a nurse where I work that calls in prescriptions to the local pharmacies for anyone that wants one. Not for narcotics or anything like that but if someone needs a refill for their lasix, or an antibiotic called in she will take it upon herself to call it in. She uses a the name of a doctor that she says will always cover her. She doesn't check with this doctor, she just uses his name.

So staff or friends will call her to call in a script for themselves or a family member and she does it. This happens on a daily basis.

If fact I was having some symptoms of a UTI and mentioned it to someone else and next thing I know this nurse came to me and said she called me in some Bactrim and I should go pick it up after I got off work. She had no idea of my allergy status (I'm not allergic but still). And I have never seen this particular doctor before.

My concern is I know this is illegal and normally I try to mind my own business but what is my legal responsibility. I'm pretty sure our Nurse Manager knows about this.

Oh, ok.

Wow, the doctor in question would probably kill this nurse if he found out.

Normally I advise to stay out of these things, but this nurse has got to be stopped.

Specializes in Med Surg.

A nurse here got her license grabbed up asap due to calling in meds for a family member in the name of the physician for whom she worked - antibiotics I believe. It wasn't the first time she'd done it.

OP, you are happy where you are now. Do you really want to transfer? When I am happy in a work situation, it takes more than one person to cause me to leave. There has to be a way to resolve this and allow you to stay where you are. After all, you didn't do anything wrong.

"The Management" is afraid of this woman? I can't imagine why one person would have that much influence unless she has something on an influential person in the chain of command (i.e., knows where the bodies are buried). Perhaps she has a special relationship with the Doctor.

You need to proceed with caution, but definitely, proceed.

To look at this another way, maybe some of your information could be subjective. You do not KNOW that this nurse didn't have conversation with the MD on any prescriptions that she called in. Stick to what you DO know. She took it upon herself to obtain your information (DOB) and may have not used your insurance, but called a prescription into a pharmacy that you did not ask for, you did not see the MD for, and did not want. She then went to said pharmacy, picked up the prescription, all on her own accord. You do NOT know if she also picked up a prescription for a little vicodin for your pain, but neither do I, so I will stick to what you do know. One of the pp are correct. You need to bring the bottle back, state that you did not ask for/see an MD for/not picked up this medication, therefore, you want your account with them flagged that only you can pick up (or your s.o.) your own medication. Places like Walmart have risk management, people who deal with fraud--let them then take the ball and run with it. In the meantime, explain this to a nurse attorney (just what you know, not what you don't know) and how it could affect your license. If this woman is dangerous (and stalking one's manager--REALLY???? and it was never reported to the police????) then it is high time she stops holding everyone hostage to her delusions and scams which now seemingly everyone around is a party to. She now "hold the power" in this situation. This is not just about antibiotics. And however well meaning your family and attorney friend, I would tend to agree if you were just overhearing her calling in prescriptions--as I said before subjective information. But that she has now pulled you into her web, I would do what it took to protect myself.

Specializes in ER.

I agree with the above pp's. You have to notify someone, the doctor, the pharmacy, the BON. I am concerned that this nurse has dragged you into her web by calling in a script for you....now she knows you cannot say anything.

I cannot believe a lawyer of any kind would advise you to avoid saying anything. Ran this scenario by a lawyer friend of mine last night (does criminal law)---he stated if you know someone is breaking the law, you are required to do something. Otherwise you are an accessory, or worse, guilty of collusion, in that you have benefited from her lawbreaking by her calling a script in for you.

You don't know for a fact she is not calling in narcotics for herself or others. Where I live, this is a felony. You need to walk, not run to the pharmacy who filled your script, the BON, or better yet, local law enforcement. They will know how to proceed, and hopefully, you will be off the hook by reporting this very illegal issue.

Best of luck with this! Bad situation!!!

I agree with the above pp's. You have to notify someone, the doctor, the pharmacy, the BON. I am concerned that this nurse has dragged you into her web by calling in a script for you....now she knows you cannot say anything.

I cannot believe a lawyer of any kind would advise you to avoid saying anything. Ran this scenario by a lawyer friend of mine last night (does criminal law)---he stated if you know someone is breaking the law, you are required to do something. Otherwise you are an accessory, or worse, guilty of collusion, in that you have benefited from her lawbreaking by her calling a script in for you.

You don't know for a fact she is not calling in narcotics for herself or others. Where I live, this is a felony. You need to walk, not run to the pharmacy who filled your script, the BON, or better yet, local law enforcement. They will know how to proceed, and hopefully, you will be off the hook by reporting this very illegal issue.

Best of luck with this! Bad situation!!!

AMEN.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Why would a doctor do this? Why would he just fill out random scripts for random people of some nurse friend of his? It doesn't seem like these people are paying him for these illicit prescriptions. What's in it for him?

He's not filling out paper scrips. She's calling them into pharmacies on his behalf. When I worked in OB at a small community hospital, the nursing staff would do that, for things like antibiotics. Of course, we would only do that after consulting with the physician by phone and getting a telephone order.

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

OP should have RX bag, med bottle in her possession which is all the proof she needs to report to Pharmacy director requesting investigation. If confimed by pharmacy RX called in by RN under doc she never saw, then report to state BON should be made.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.
I say leave it alone. It sounds like this is the culture of the workplace. Let the nurse and the doctor work it out between themselves, without interfering in their relationship. Nurses fill out paperwork for doctors all of the time, and then just have the MD sign it. At our hospital, we fill out restraint order forms for them and just bring it to them to sign; because it's expected. Just leave it alone.

And you are not legally responsible to report this either. Mandatory reporting applies in cases of elder abuse, child abuse, etc.

OMG - are you licensed? How can you reconcile this with ignoring an illegal act? In TX, our nurse practice act requires us to report violations of our Nurse Practice Act as well as unsafe/illegal acts of other medical professionals.

Good luck getting Walmart to take it back though. They would have to throw them away, couldn't return them to stock and resell them, because you could have stores them improperly or tampered with them. I worked as a pharmacy tech for 12 years for 3 different pharmacies before I was an RN. I can count on 1 hand the number of Rxs we took back in those 12 years. People would try to return them, but mostly understood why we couldn't take them back after we explained.

Doesn't matter if they throw it away, burn them, whatever.....I'd bet they WOULD take it back, considering the person would be holding a bag that shows that a prescription was filled--AND picked up--by the same person, one who had no authority to call IN that prescription and then buy it herself--in someone else's name.

No, I'd be willing to bet that a manager would be willing to listen to THAT story.

If they take it back, a return slip for the meds would be issued---the OP should of course have a photocopy of the original bag/receipt/pharm slip. If they DON'T, well she tried and will have the name of the manager that told her "no".

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

She has been there 24 years? The nurse manager is well aware of what is going on? Then I would just get away from the situation. I would probably report it to the BON, but you may face retaliation if you do that. I do not think it is on you to fix this. It is the nurse managers job. And I don't think you should sacrifice your future on a long tolerated situation like this/ That is admins job.

Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.
OMG - are you licensed? How can you reconcile this with ignoring an illegal act? In TX, our nurse practice act requires us to report violations of our Nurse Practice Act as well as unsafe/illegal acts of other medical professionals.

Yes, I am a licensed, working RN in an acute care setting. I think that reporting this is folly.

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