Floridababe

I don’t know the answer, but just know you’re not alone. I’m in a somewhat similar situation except that I did not divert, therefore I did not self report, and I’m still working. However, ‘they’ seem to think otherwise, and everyday I wake up, and think is today the day I’ll find out what exactly is going on with this ‘investigation’. This whole ordeal has also made me not even want to continue nursing-it’s not even worth the stress and anxiety of the what if’s/the unknown. They love to try to intimidate and scare you. I just don’t have any job to fall back on and make decent money to quit nursing yet. Ugh it’s so stressful and I get what you’re going through. It messes with your mind and your everyday life!! I hope it all works out for you, and good for you for going back to school and moving forward with something different. What did you end up going back to school for? I hate the thought of going back, but I’m just over nursing at this point!

Thank you both for your advice. I still haven’t heard anything from them. It’s like every single day I wake up thinking, maybe today I’ll hear something. I did reach out to an administrative defense attorney right after this, but they wanted $4500 just as a retainer fee! No freakin way am I paying that right now especially since I don’t even know what they are going to try to come at me with?! As of today, my license is in good standing and I’m working. I just don’t trust these people when I was able to prove 100% without a doubt that I did nothing wrong…I don’t know if I need to look into hiring an administrative defense attorney or a criminal defense attorney. These jerks sure love to try and scare and intimidate you, but no, I will not and have not spoke to them except when I told him I would absolutely not be willing to meet with him until I know exactly what for and why. Since then-(around 3 weeks ago)-I haven’t heard anything more from him. Im sure something is coming, but I don’t know what yet! That’s the most stressful part!

Can someone please give me some insight on this-a while ago I was terminated from my job for ‘not putting orders in.’ I knew that was complete b.s. as I could prove I put orders in. Several months pass, and I receive a call from an AG investigator asking my side of the story regard my termination. I start going on and on about these orders, and he interrupts me, and states no I’m referring to the 30 missing opioids they’re claiming that you took. I told him I literally had NO idea what he was referring to and I hung up. Two months later, I receive a complaint letter from the AG that I’m under investigation and could submit any information I have to back up my story. I had texts between the other individual listed in the complaint-who they claim we both admitted to not verifying the meds together-I had never even met this girl! She was a qma and left before I came on shift. I was never on the medication carts-only the qmas passed meds! The complaint stated that the meds were delivered in the evening while I was still in the building finishing up charting-again, not true. The meds were delivered everyday around 5am! It gets even better-the DON at the time reached out to me shortly after I received this complaint letter, asking if I was okay, and apologizing for everything. Admitting it was all a lie made up by the administrator of the facility! In fact, I was not even in town when supposedly these narcotics came up missing. The cart would’ve been counted at least 8-10 times once it was finally noticed. I sent all of this to the AG office-65 pages of evidence clearing me-yet they didn’t clear me! Now I’m just waiting to find out what happens from here. How is this even possible?! The qma who was also listed, still works there and just got written up, yet I got fired, and reported to the AG. Apparently the AG doesn’t care about administrators of facilities lying-I was actually told this by a legal nurse-HOW?! HOW TF IS THIS POSSIBLE?! This terrible administrator has ruined my confidence, trust, reputation, and career! I’m scared of going to jail! I’ve never been in any sort of trouble ever. Okay I’ve gotten a couple parking tickets, but I paid them right away!! ?

No she did not report me to the board surprisingly. I’m scared to report her because I can see her making lies up to retaliate against me in someway. She already got me fired from my job after the one with her by telling her BFF administrator lies about me. Her BFF reported me to the Attorney General accusing me of diverting THIRTY norcos! I didn’t even work the cart ever! The QMA’s did. I also can prove 100% without a doubt that I did not take take anything. They called me 3 days after I worked while I was in Florida and fired me for ‘not putting orders in.’ Five months later I find out from the attorney general that I’m under investigation. The other girl whose name was written in the complain got wrote up and still works there-I got fired. The DON texted me in January apologizing for all of it admitting it was all *** from the administrator!! And it’s alllll thanks to the administrator who talked terrible about me to her friend and fired me after auditing the cart herself! It’s all a bunch of sh*t and makes me so mad, upset, and scared to even go back to working in nursing ever.

Thanks for the response. I’m not sure if anything would either; and I’m sure she’d lie just like her bff administrator! I tried reaching out to that administrator at the new job that I loved after they fired me for reasons which were lies, and I was able to prove them all to be lies, but she never had the decency to contact me back. She’s just as big of a b*tch as her friend. However, I’m wondering if it would be appropriate to contact the actual ceo guy of my last job (the one I loved) and inform him of what has happened and can prove they’re all lies. I’ve tried their HR corporate people, but got NO where with them. I’d rather cut the BS and go straight to the head person...but I’ve had some people tell me yes do it, and others have said not to so I’m torn.

Her reasoning was because with Covid last Spring, the pharmacy wasn’t coming in to the facility to do their monthly audits I guess?! From what she told me, her and the DON alternated weeks to audit the narc drawers for the whole facility; the DON happened to be off for a couple of days that particular week as well. She acted like since she’s the administrator and also an lpn (even though she rarely worked as one, and never helped out on the floor of course) that she was allowed to audit the drawers. Which ya maybe she is, BUT she should still always have a witness! Basically her word vs mine and it’s total BS. I got a job not even 2 weeks later and I absolutely loved my new job. Well apparently the administrator at the new job is best friends with her-so guess what, I got fired from there as well with complete BS reasons. The DON of that new job reached out to me in January and apologized, and said the administrator lied about me and made him fire me! So I haven’t worked since June because of all of this. I’d love to report her to the BON, but honestly, I’m really scared of retaliation or what she’ll make up about me (again). It’s a crappy situation, and I don’t even know what to really do from here. I appreciate all of your amazing replies. You guys all rock!

Thank you @K. Everly for the kind words. It is very much appreciated. I hate that others have gone through this, but I’m glad to know others can relate with similar situations, and know the emotional trauma it can really cause. I hope things get better for you as well, and hopefully you’ll find a job you love somewhere. Thanks again ❤️

I’ve been trying to find anything under Indiana’s nursing website to see if there is anything that states there should be a witness, and one individual can’t audit narcotics without one, but I can’t find anything. Maybe with her being the administrator, she’s allowed to? I don’t know-but it seems wrong to me. I’m glad I don’t work there anymore anyways as she’s turned the place for the worse, but it still bothers me. LOL not to mention she fired me over this last year on Good Friday!

Thank you for responding...yes I for sure counted before I’d take the keys, and counted with the 3rd shift nurse before she’d take the keys. This administrator/nurse has been on a power trip since she came to the facility I had been working at. After we’d finish a card of narcs, we’d have to tear off the top with the residents name, medication, and quantity; then we’d have to staple it to the sign out sheet and place it under the DON’s door. Most of us put it in the hanging file above the nurses station, which is where I put the signed out drug and stapled paper. When she called me, she stated she found it in the DON’s office (who was out of town at the time). Then proceeded to tell me there should still be one Norco left and fired me right over the phone! I was blindsided because I followed protocol and would never count a cart alone. I just find it odd that she audited/counted the cart without a witness, and then proceeded to fire me after 3 shifts had passed prior to me working.

Hope someone can offer some advice...to make a LONG story short. I had given a resident a PRN norco-signed it out and that was that. A couple of days later, I receive a call from my boss-who is the administrator of the building as well as a nurse. She claims she was auditing the narc drawer and remembers from her last audit (of every single narcotic in the facility), that the resident I gave the Norco to should’ve had one more. She didn’t-and she only came to us with 3 norcos. I also don’t feel she should’ve been auditing narcotics without a 2nd person-administrator and nurse or not, there should always be 2 people. This happened when I was living in Indiana, and she ended up firing me over this over the PHONE! I just would like to know if anyone else feels like this is just wrong? By the way, this happened a year ago, but still bother me quite a bit!!

I don’t, but I’d love to find one as well! Most I see are bridge programs for BSN, but I don’t want my BSN right now. I’d love to do an lpn-RN online bridge also! I’ll let you know if I end up finding one!

I don’t suffer from addiction issues, but I was falsely accused of diverting. It’ll be 2 years next month this happened, and despite passing every drug screen, hair test, being cleared by the attorney general and BON; it unfortunately still follows me wherever I go. As soon as an employer finds out my prior situation-out the door I’d go for dumb lies that were not true. It’s happened 3x since my initial job of 11 years that falsely accused me. It’s literally damaged my reputation, self esteem, and I ended up quitting nursing in June. I’m sorry to hear you’re going through something similar, and hope whatever it is doesn’t affect your career as it has mine. I miss it. I miss my residents. I’ve even been thinking of going back somewhere PRN lately, but the minute I start looking, I get bad anxiety and almost ptsd like symptoms happen. It’s no fun and I truly hope things turn around for you.