Nurses Diverting Narcotics.

[NurseCalamity]

Today I caught a fellow coworker diverting narcotics.... she's an RN with a past history of doing this, but it couldn't be proven, not even with a pop up Urine screening. She had patients complaining about not being given the correct pain pill.... she's basically busted now.... so my question is, have you ever turned a fellow Nurse in for diversion of narcotics and how did it all turn out?

[wanderlust99]

These nurses need help and treatment, and sometimes the only way is by reporting. I hope she gets the help she needs.

[Mavrick, BSN, RN]

I am new RN and sometimes when I waste and need a witness, the other RN's will sign as the witness in the Pyxis then leave before I dump it in the sink/sharps container. I asked one if she didn't want to see me waste it, she said no and flew out the med room door. This makes me nervous! We are all super busy but it is protection for both of us.

I really, really try to watch the whole waste and shame on me if I don't as I'm only putting my license at risk and have no one to blame but myself if something were to come back on me as a "witness" to a waste for someone diverting it.

You won't be the only witness. It takes a pattern not just one wasted dose of narcotics to establish that a nurse is diverting. Now if you ARE the only nurse signing as witness to a rash of wastage with a diverting nurse, you will be subject to intense scrutiny and then you will be found out as a co-conspiritor or stupid.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

In 2012, rad tech David Kwiatkowski infected 27 Cath lab patients with Hep C at Exeter Hospital. He diverted drugs by cultivating relationships with the female staff and by making a big production of helping the RN put on her lead apron and thyroid shield. When the RN's back was turned from the tray he switched out the syringes of versed and fentanyl with contaminated syringes. Both he and the RN were contract travel workers. The Cath lab RN was exonerated after an FBI investigation.

I have no empathy at all, none, for people who knowingly involve their coworkers in a criminal act.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I reported. I honestly didn't think it was diversion. I even approached the nurse puzzled, and asked her what was going on.

The explanation she gave made no sense, but I still didn't believe she was diverting. I wanted to believe her. I liked her.

She was fired. License suspended for years.

The last I heard she was a nurse again in another state.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

In 2012, rad tech David Kwiatkowski infected 27 Cath lab patients with Hep C at Exeter Hospital. He diverted drugs by cultivating relationships with the female staff and by making a big production of helping the RN put on her lead apron and thyroid shield. When the RN's back was turned from the tray he switched out the syringes of versed and fentanyl with contaminated syringes. Both he and the RN were contract travel workers. The Cath lab RN was exonerated after an FBI investigation.

I have no empathy at all, none, for people who knowingly involve their coworkers in a criminal act.

When I reported, the DON called each of the RNs who worked with her, and told us that our careless treatment of controlled substances, allowed the diverter to pocket drugs for months. We had poor documentation, we'd not always wasted properly, and if there were a criminal investigation our licenses could be in jeopardy. I didn't doubt her for a minute.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Home health runs on the honor system (intermittent visits, I don't know about shifts)

when I worked in district nursing, any visit involving narcotic meds required two nurses for each visit.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

I had this happen on night duty this week.

Palliative patient required oxynorm, the other nurse came and counted it with me than then started back to her unit. Now I know I would have given the meds however in the interests of protecting my butt, I made her walk me to the patients bedside

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Do not sign for receiving narcotics from pharmacy for any patients other than your own.

This advice is sound.

My former coworker diverted nearly $10,000 worth of Xanax and Hydrocodone from a busy SNF over the course of one year while working the evening shift. She would enter orders for Hydrocodone and Xanax on every newly admitted patient's admission orders. Once the remote pharmacy made their nightly narcotic delivery, she'd sign for the drugs using another nurse's initials.

On the surface, this nurse was helpful. She offered to do everyone's admission orders and sign for everyone's pharmacy deliveries. She also offered to handle narcotic waste. Looking back, it was all a carefully crafted facade to enable access to the narcotics.

By the way, the remote pharmacy was the entity that caught onto the diversion. The nurse's license was revoked because she failed to respond to the certified mail notifications from the Texas BON.

[Libby1987]

when I worked in district nursing, any visit involving narcotic meds required two nurses for each visit.

We must not be talking about the same type of home health, most of our patients have at least one narcotic rx in the home. We don't administer the meds but we handle them for a couple of different reasons ie teaching, reconciling and sometimes filling the medipanner. We would have to travel in pairs to have two nurses at each visit.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

I have been a sucker, or a magnet, for these people ever since I was a new grad in 1991. A very well liked nurse was stealing home meds of out the locked nurse server in the patients' rooms and somehow, suspicion was cast on myself and another new grad. As it turned out the diverter had been caught in another state but it took over a year for the BON to suspend her license and then for our state to receive the notification. She went through treatment but eventually had her license revoked a few years later for stealing medication from hospice patients.

It is incomprehensible to me how anyone could stoop so low as to steal from a dying patient.

I would absolutely support any type of drug testing and surveillance that would screen for and remove these people from the profession.

[NurseCalamity]

Omg that is horrendous.

[NurseCalamity]

Report suspicions or known facts. I don't trust any nurse as far as I can throw her... I can like you alot, but I don't like anyone who steals from anyone under and circumstance. I'm not at a job for friendship. If I find friends, awesome. But my sole purpose is to protect and advocate for the people I care for on a day to day basis.