Drug addicted nurses

Nurses Recovery

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I am a nursing student and in one of my classes we have recently talked about nurses and substance abuse. I think that it is hard for me to wrap my brain around the issue. My questions are:

1. what do you do as a fellow nurse and friend of someone who is involved in substance abuse...especially in the workplace?

2. is this really prevelent and have any of you been put in this position?

Thanks!!

From what I've heard, it's considered a disability and so it's legally difficult to fire someone on the first incident.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Anyone ever know of a nurse that was allowed back to the same job after drug rehab, if the nurse was stealing drugs on the job?

YES! I worked with one. She was allowed back, on the condition she had to complete rehab and have no access to the narcotics cabinet. The only reason she is no longer with us today, is she relapsed and quit rehab.

There's quite a few things i've doen in life that i shouldn't have, yet i cannot imagine stealing somoene's medicine, someone who's in pain, for my own selfish reasons.

Of those "quite a few things" you've done in your life that you shouldn't have, did you ever imagine doing them? Probly not. While some nurses do withhold pain medication from patients, the majority do not. They just steal it outright from the hospital or do not dispose of waste properly. But it is easier to demonize someone if you believe they "stole from the poor old person in pain".

YES! I worked with one. She was allowed back, on the condition she had to complete rehab and have no access to the narcotics cabinet. The only reason she is no longer with us today, is she relapsed and quit rehab.

I knew a nurse who was caught, allowed to turn herself into the impaired nurses program, successfully completed it and has been working for her employer since completing the program, ten years ago. And she has no restrictions on her license. Some nurses, and some employers still hold the outdated view of addiction. Fortunately, most employers, nurses and BON do not hold such views.

Grannynurse:balloons:

Gianna 2111, I really do wish you the best. A few months ago, I had the good fortune of reading a wonderful book on this subject. Gianna 2111, I think it may help you and give you hope. It is called Walking Like A Duck by Patricia Holloran RN. I found out about it in another discussion on this subject a few months ago, and I bought it on Amazon.com. It is the true story of a nurse walking from addiction to recovery. My heart went out to Pat Halloran as she became addicted to a pain killer, diverted and in the end got well. It tells in detail how she came to take pain killers, how she became addicted, how she diverted and the pure hell she went through trying to recover and get her license (which meant the world to her) back.

IMHO, I believe that we as nurses need to read the research that has been done and if we don't know, find out why drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases. No matter what kind of nursing we do, we will come in contact with people suffering with this disease-and I truly mean suffering. We need to not judge and know how to help just like we would with any other disease. If you don't believe it is a disease, read the above book, and read all the research done. I really don't want to start listing it here.

Of course I believe that diverting is unacceptable, but to put the person in jail and never give them their license back is terrible too. I have known some of the most amazing, honest, spiritual people that are in recovery. As a nurse and as a human being, I am not in the position to judge anybody who is ill, and in my heart and soul, I know addiction is a serious and sometimes lethal illness. Let's help and not judge please. Krisssy RN MA soon to be MS student-can't wait!

Great post, krissy!

But i also don't see how this is really the facility's responsibility, refering someone to rehab.

I don't know that it is necessarily a professional responsibility but it is the right thing to do, perhaps a personal responsibility. Someone who is addicted to drugs needs help, it's the right thing to do to attempt to get someone that help.

Anyone ever know of a nurse that was allowed back to the same job after drug rehab, if the nurse was stealing drugs on the job?

I don't think I have ever known anyone that wanted to come back to the same facility, same job. There is an issue of shame, etc. Perhaps it is better for some folks if they get a new start on life after a drug addiction issue. Maybe new surroundings is better? I don't really know.

And Marie, it most certainly is a disease.

Gianna 2111, I really do wish you the best. A few months ago, I had the good fortune of reading a wonderful book on this subject. Gianna 2111, I think it may help you and give you hope. It is called Walking Like A Duck by Patricia Holloran RN. I found out about it in another discussion on this subject a few months ago, and I bought it on Amazon.com. It is the true story of a nurse walking from addiction to recovery. My heart went out to Pat Halloran as she became addicted to a pain killer, diverted and in the end got well. It tells in detail how she came to take pain killers, how she became addicted, how she diverted and the pure hell she went through trying to recover and get her license (which meant the world to her) back.

IMHO, I believe that we as nurses need to read the research that has been done and if we don't know, find out why drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases. No matter what kind of nursing we do, we will come in contact with people suffering with this disease-and I truly mean suffering. We need to not judge and know how to help just like we would with any other disease. If you don't believe it is a disease, read the above book, and read all the research done. I really don't want to start listing it here.

Of course I believe that diverting is unacceptable, but to put the person in jail and never give them their license back is terrible too. I have known some of the most amazing, honest, spiritual people that are in recovery. As a nurse and as a human being, I am not in the position to judge anybody who is ill, and in my heart and soul, I know addiction is a serious and sometimes lethal illness. Let's help and not judge please. Krisssy RN MA soon to be MS student-can't wait!

Great job on the post, Krisssy! Really, great post!

I've been in recovery for 1 year, 8 months and 7 days .

Today is also the day of my one year anniversary with TNPAP. I am one grateful addict in recovery. I am grateful for the woman that did my intervention, I am grateful for St Marys and their wonderful program for impaired nurses and I am grateful to Cornerstone of Recovery for giving me the tools to save my life.

I am grateful I have to make that phone call every single day for 2 more years to see if I have to pee today.

I am grateful for those loving nurses I work with. I was terrified to tell them that I was an addict and going thru treatment. Not one of them, not a single one, shunned me. Every single nurse I work with has loved and supported my recovery for the past year.

I stayed at my same job. It was hard to have to look everyone in the eye with them all knowing I was a drug addict. But I did stay, and I went to rehab and I have stayed clean and sober. They know I am different by my actions.

Some people say I dont deserve to be a nurse? Thats fine and thats your opinion and I respect that.

Like it or not, addiction is a recognized disease by the AMA.

I was one of the lucky ones. I made it thru today!

I've been in recovery for 1 year, 8 months and 7 days .

Today is also the day of my one year anniversary with TNPAP. I am one grateful addict in recovery. I am grateful for the woman that did my intervention, I am grateful for St Marys and their wonderful program for impaired nurses and I am grateful to Cornerstone of Recovery for giving me the tools to save my life.

I am grateful I have to make that phone call every single day for 2 more years to see if I have to pee today.

I am grateful for those loving nurses I work with. I was terrified to tell them that I was an addict and going thru treatment. Not one of them, not a single one, shunned me. Every single nurse I work with has loved and supported my recovery for the past year.

I stayed at my same job. It was hard to have to look everyone in the eye with them all knowing I was a drug addict. But I did stay, and I went to rehab and I have stayed clean and sober. They know I am different by my actions.

Some people say I dont deserve to be a nurse? Thats fine and thats your opinion and I respect that.

Like it or not, addiction is a recognized disease by the AMA.

I was one of the lucky ones. I made it thru today!

I just have one thing to say to you.

Big, huge, mega (((((HUGS)))))

I have not had to suffer as you have, my Mom died an alcoholic/addict. My Dad was sober for the final 20 years of his life. I cannot totally relate to what you deal with on a daily basis, but I come as close as they come to understanding without having to experience the illness first hand.

My hat is off to you. Congrats on the 1 year, 8 months, and 7 days. With your hard work it will be 1 year, 8 months, and 8 days.

I have worked with a nurse whom we all knew was diverting. Noone in management would do anything (this was at my last job). Myself and otehr nruses printed out the evidence- this nurse was taking out pain meds on EVERYONE's patient, then stating "oh, they told me they were hurting and I didn't want to bother you." One time she did this on her day OFF. ("I came in for my check and a lot of people down in the gym said they were hurting so I did you guys a favor"). She would also sign out narcs on her patients liek clockwork, sometimes a coupla hours early. Patients would complain, but since this girl was an RN and we were understaffed, nothing was done about it until she was caught. Not caught by my facility, even though we had reported her over a dozen times, but caught because her addiction had surpassed what she could get at work. She stole a prescription pad from one of our docs, wrote scripts for Oxycontin in both her and her husband's names, and turned them in to a local pharmacy to be filled. The pharmacy checked them out, and called the police. When this nurse found out, she took an entire bottle of Ambien, almost died, and spent three weeks in a psych ward. The saddest thing? She was pregnant while this was all going on. SIX MONTHS pregnant. I have no idea how her baby turned out. The thing that really pisses me off, though, is apparently she is back working as a nurse, just one state over. I have no idea how that happened or what has happened with her forged script charges. Maybe they were thrown out on a technicality or something. Sad, sad story that could have been so different if our DON had been willing to turn in an RN and work short for a while.

Lori

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