Diversion

[Frina]

I have a question regarding med diversion and how it is addressed. Recently a relatively new hire (not new nurse) was accused of narcotic diversion. She came into work and was met by the nurse manager, director, and HR with reason to believe she had diverted narcotics . The nurse did not know why and when she asked them where this was stemming from or if there was any incident or error, she was told that they were not allowed to give any details or share any evidence. She was then told that it would be better for her to cooperate, and that she would have a better chance of the board working with her if she basically confessed to the accusation, even with no information as to what she was confessions to.

I believe she ended up giving some sort of confession although she still denies having any idea what they were talking about.

My question is has anyone ever heard anything like this? Is someone actually helping the self by confessing to something they didn't actually do? And are managers really not allowed to tell the nurse the reason or evidence regarding the accusation?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

I hope you aren't judging. This happened to me. And that is exactly what happened, and I wanted someone else's opinion bc 1. I didnt do it. 2. I was blindsided by this and still have no earthly idea why they couldn't tell me anything

I had 3 people telling me I didn't something wrong, but couldn't tell me how or what specifically. I haven't been there that long so I just wanted to know if I made some kind of error or a little insight to what was going on. I don't know if someone said they thought I was and they didn't want to say. I worked in another hospital for 6 years prior to this and never had any issue. And if there was any kind of mistake, the nurse was always told

Please use the quote feature. I think you are referring to my comment. Not judging, making an observation.

If you were confused about your previous accusations, you should have consulted an attorney.

As you are required to be a patient advocate, you must first, advocate for yourself.

Best wishes.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

If the nurse didn't do anything, then why the hell did she confess? It's incredibly difficult if not impossible to retract a confession, even if the confessor was innocent since day 1.

Unless she actually did do it and is trying to save face, e.g., "I have no idea..." That wouldn't be the first time I've seen that happen.

Not passing judgment on the OP, but it has happened and is a possibility...

OP: if you were innocent and management wasn't willing to provide evidence, then you should not have confessed.

If you have a union, you should have called your union steward to seek their counsel, and no, management can not forbid you to do that.

If you don't have a union, then you should have called your malpractice insurance carrier and/or an attorney...and no, management can't stop you from doing that either.

As for what to do now...since you've painted yourself into quite the corner, I wouldn't do anything more without the guidance of the union and/or an attorney. You don't want to make things worse by bumbling around on your own. And while an attorney may not be able to reset things back to how they were before all this happened, they could help mitigate the damage to you both professionally and criminally (as controlled substances are involved).

And you may want to start searching for your next job. Even if you get this all sorted out, your reputation there has taken quite the hit.

Best of luck.

[Frina]

They took my badge, so fired yes. I didn't sign any kind of termination. They didn't escort me off the property or anything. They said if the board contacts me to be cooperative- that it woill make it easier for me. Which is the same thing they said the entire meeting

[Frina]

Yes, it is easy now for me to think I shouldn't have said anything, should have seeker advice first, etc. But I went into work at 7pm, expecting to work, and was met by them. I repeatedly said I don't know what this is about, that if I made a mistake, can you let me know. Asked over and over why they couldn't tell me anything or at least give me something to go on. HR sat there and said nothing. The only comment made about them regarding evidence was "none of your coworkers said anything or anything like that" I tried to think of a time that maybe something didn't scan or anything like that but couldn't. After an hour of this going on and feeling like I didn't have a choice I made a vague statement. I don't even think I used the term narcotic and definitely didn't name any type of medication.

[Randomnurse3]

You should have gotten up and walked out after an hour. Especially if they were not giving you an explanation or evidence. At that point you were already fired in their minds. What vague statement did you make? It's important to know exactly what "vague" statement you made.

[Crush]

At this point I would be seeking legal advice as in at least a consult. Best of luck.

[Randomnurse3]

At this point I would be seeking legal advice as in at least a consult. Best of luck.

Yes!! Definitely seek out an attorney. They may not be able to completely reverse the damage but may be able to soften the outcome.

[jetsy62]

Pay out of pocket for a drug test asap. BON will want to see negative results. Consult an attorney.

[TriciaJ, RN]

If they have evidence they're going to tell you exactly what it is they have. Maybe your friend is not been all the way forthcoming with you. Maybe she is embarrassed or ashamed.

This is my thought, too. Your friend knows the whole story. You only know what she is choosing to tell you.

[Farawyn]

This is my thought, too. Your friend knows the whole story. You only know what she is choosing to tell you.

She is the friend.

[Have Nurse, ADN, RN]

She should have had an attorney or Union Rep with her if they had one. She is not obligated to answer any questions and should not have.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

Yeah whatever was confessed to will be treated as gospel now. I have no idea what she confessed to in detail but I'd expect the BON to get involved and her life to get a lot worse quick