Nurse stealing Dilaudid

[susiesmith21]

I would like some advise on whether I should stay at my job. I have been suspicious of my direct supervisor (I work the night shift in a 250 bed nursing home/rehab facility) of stealing narcotics for a while. She has lost her license in two states for abusing narcotics/stealing them from the hospital, and this is the only place that she has worked since getting back her right to work in this state. A couple people have reported her where we work now, but she always passes the drug test. Whenever I work her behavior is irratic, and at times she appears "high". She always seems to be needing to borrow Dilaudid from my Wing for other wings, and even though some patients on my wing have dilaudid prn they never ask for it from me; but when she works they want it every 4 hours. Last night I went to get a patient 2mg Dilaudid and found that the narcotics card had been taped at the bottom, and the pills looked a little different. Turns out, after some investigation the pills were not dilaudid, they were Atenenol 25 mg! Somebody had replaced all of the pills; I went straight to my supervisor; even though she is the first one I suspected, and was the last one on that cart, and reported it. She told me that pharmacy must have made an error and sent the wrong pills. I demanded that our DON be called, whom she is friends with, and reported it to her as well. The package was put in the DON's office and I was told not to bring it up with anyone or worry about it. I am uncomfortable that my place of employment would cover something like this up; not sure what my next step should be.

[leslie :-D]

an anonymous report to the BON, with all pertinent details included.

you can also do this online.

*shaking head*

stuff like this sickens me.

leslie

[caliotter3]

I would start looking for another job. This place is toxic for anyone who is not the thief or the management that is covering up for her. When you are told not to mention anything to anyone that is a clear red flag. Instead of keeping quiet, the appropriate thing to do would be to have a discussion at a staff meeting or inservice regarding the issue at hand at the same time a thorough investigation is being conducted. At some facilities, they would require everyone to be drug screened over missing narcs, so why are you being told to keep quiet?

[Simba&NalasMom, LPN]

Do what Leslie said: report it to the board. Then, if you can afford it, run run Rudolph!!! Ay Chihuahua.

[alem-tsahai]

Get out ASAP!!!!!! And good for you for bringing it up with the DON.

I was in a similar situation several years ago. Let me tell you, if in any way your documentation is not right and your count is off, you will go down right along with your supervisor when the DON decides to act. Even with a clean drug test, your supervisor can be accused of intent to distribute narcotics and they can look at you as a potential accomplice. Don't trust those people telling you not to worry about it. That's like handing your nursing license over to a thief for safekeeping.

I don't mean to scare you but I'm speaking from experience. Report it to the DON, BON, and get out. Your license is worth much more than that job.

[heron, ASN, RN]

Agree with the advice to search for another job. However, I think you'll get more action on this place if you report to the Pharmacy Board or public health dept. in your state ... after finding a new job, of course

[caliotter3]

If you are going to report this to the nursing board, you should take the effort to file a report with law enforcement. The nursing board will not take action against the nurse without a conviction and they don't bring criminal charges. Best bet to get anything accomplished is to make a police report. Of course, as you leave for another job. Good luck.

[SWS RN, ASN, RN]

Absolutely report to the BON. I would also report it to the facility administrator. The buck truley stops there, especially if the nurse in question is buddies with the DON. If the DON is smart, she should intervene, however, friendship is a funny thing.

You can also report your suspicion (and it sounds like more than that) to your IPN (intervention group) administration in your state, (if you have one). Fl does and it is relatively strict. They exsist for patient safety---and if this nurse switched atenolol for dilauded, then she is placing her patients in harm's way. Someone could have asked for the prn and recieved Tenormin...potential for adverse reactions or drop in BP, especially in the elderly.

This nurse has done this before and will continue to do this unless intervened on, she is obviously not rehabilitated, until someone or somthing prevents her.

Please, do not just quit, try to get this taken care of--HOWEVER--watch your back and if something like this happens again, before she is found out--YOU call the pharmacy...the DON...the administrator...and the Medical Director and report.

This is a set up for a tragedy, if she does not kill or harm herself,,,she will eventually harm a patient.

I happen to know what I am talking about, as I am in an IPN program and although I never substituted meds or diverted at work, I was impaired many times while on the job...The sad thing is, I really never thought I was impaired or dangerous and because my meds were all narcotic prescriptions and legal, I thought it was fine...WRONG. Now that I am totaly drug free (don't even use an aspirin) and working recovery, I understand how messed up I was at times. Thank GOD,no one was ever harmed.

This nurse has been down this road before--please stop her.

Good Luck,

sws

[Simba&NalasMom, LPN]

Come to think of it, I'm also thinking a call to local law enforcement may be in order. A couple years ago I went to a facility to work an agency shift and had to go around during narc count to count Fentanyl patches on bodies! A CNA had been taking patches off patients who were unable to report it. Management fired her the same day. This same person subsequently got hired and fired by at least 2 more facilities before the board caught up with her 3-4 months later, did an emergency suspension over a weekend, and got law enforcement involved (I read all about it in the paper). The moral: do not rely on management OR your BON to put an immediate stop to this wrongness.

[leslie :-D]

Agree with the advice to search for another job. However, I think you'll get more action on this place if you report to the Pharmacy Board or public health dept. in your state ... after finding a new job, of course

Please, do not just quit, try to get this taken care of--HOWEVER--watch your back and if something like this happens again, before she is found out--YOU call the pharmacy...the DON...the administrator...and the Medical Director and report.

sws

yes- to reporting to the aforementioned...esp pharmacy!!

they will jump on that.

our facility is 90% narcs, and we've had pharmacy and public health, investigating diversions/missing meds/reports from others.

i have seen DON's cover suspected employees, so keep in mind that DON's can be just as unscrupulous as anyone else.

please, don't let this one go.

and thank you.

leslie

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Frankly, i think you already have "put your foot in it", and shouldnt set foot in the place again. report to police, maybe even DEA? If you go back you are putting yourself at risk of being set up, if they havent done it already.

[SWS RN, ASN, RN]

NO, NO, NO, I would not leave until this situation has been resolved. For one thing, if you leave now, even though you are innocent, it does not appear well for you. I would be very worried that the Nurse in question would blame you for the whole incident and whatever else she is planning.

Also, I wouldn't be suprised if she influences the DON to turn against you. You need to return to at least make sure that you are not being set up as a scapegoat. It would be very easy to blame everything on you...and if one is innocent, why would they leave? I believe that is what you will face.

The whole situation is lousy, I know, but please do the right thing and REPORT this nurse. Do not do anything that will cast doubt on you, like leave....without seeing this through.

sws