"Diverting" medications

KJoRN81, RN · Nov 18, 2014

Thanks for the responses! Guess it's something well out of my control

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2014

I worked with a nurse who was on probation with the BON for diversion.

Our facility hired her knowing her history.

She diverted again. Caught red handed. She passed the random drug tests because she was "sharing" her drugs as well as being very careful about when she took them.

The DEA was notified as well as the BON.

I'm not sure what the terminology is, but she couldn't practice as a nurse for awhile. Suspended? Five years later she's a practicing RN again. I look her up on facebook every now and then, as I was one of the nurses that suffered for her theft. The injustice used to make me mad.

You just have to let it go.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2014

I see. This pattern does raise some red flags.

I would check with your state BON. Mine actually has the state's monitoring program linked on the website. In my state, the goal is to help rehabilitate the professional; once one enrolls in the program they are given a list of things they have to comply with...I think they're required to go for CD treatment if it's a chemical health issue, have to do random u tox's, have to go to AA/NA meetings etc. If they test positive for anything, or otherwise don't comply with their treatment plan, then the monitoring program reports them to the BON. Someone who is concerned about a pattern at work can confidentially report this person to the monitoring program and then they will investigate.

But as far as I'm aware, if you have concerns that something is going on, you have the obligation to report it. If she is using, it's possible that the BON (or alternative) knows nothing about it because she's simply been fired before. But firing her is not going to fix anything. If she is using, she needs to not practice while actively addicted, and she needs help.

caliotter3 · Nov 18, 2014

Thanks for the responses! Guess it's something well out of my control

No matter what your level of involvement and the facts, you need to also consider your position within the organization should you decide to pursue this matter. If this person is a facility "darling" being protected by administration, chances are high that you would accomplish nothing more than jeopardizing your own job and professional reputation by bringing this up. Sometimes the facility "darling" is not known to all, a well-kept secret. Make certain that you have sufficient reason to be concerned and that you are committed to pursuing this to the end.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Nov 18, 2014

Unless I see something explicit, catching somebody "red handed" I guess I prefer to stay out of these situations. I think my radar is kind of off on this anyway. I worked with two different nurses that I really liked, hard working, willing to help and easy to get along with. I never suspected diversion, and I still have no clue if any diversion happened in my facility but it turns out that one of these nurses was already suspended [and later revoked] in another state while working in my facility and the other was later revoked for diverting at another local facility. One of these nurses quit and went to work at another facility before again getting fired and subsequently revoked in my state for diversion and the other nurse was fired before her revocation happened, if she was fired for diversion that was never made public knowledge and nobody at work suspected her.

OCNRN63, RN · Nov 18, 2014

It frightening how many nurses are willing to potentially devastate another nurse's career over rumor and innuendo. Be careful, OP; unless you have some solid evidence that diversion is occurring, you could endanger your own career getting caught up in taking down the career of another.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2014

In Texas you would be expected to turn this nurse in to the BON for investigation. They do not have control over the employer, only the license.

Same in my state. If a nurse observes another nurse diverting or working under the influence, any other nurse has an obligation to report the nurse to the BoN. However, the law also says:

Direct observation:
The duty to report to the Board only applies when a licensed nurse personally observes reportable conduct or behavior of another nurse. A reporting nurse who did not personally observe reportable conduct cannot rely on observations made by another person when making a required report to the Board.

Since the OP only has suspicions and didn't actually observe the nurse diverting, she doesn't have much of a case. And I wouldn't rely on rumors. I had a nurse who was working for me who was great. Another nurse who was involved in a case that she was on spread rumors that she was terminated from another position because of suspicion of drug use. The nurse who she accused of this then obtained another position with the same travel agency she was working with when this supposedly happened. Who knows what the nurse's motivations were with spreading this rumor but fortunately, we considered our source for this information and quickly judged it to be unreliable.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2014

I have seen employers cover for "med diversion" because they do not want the publicity.

Bingo! I once worked for a healthcare corporation (starts with 'K') with a shady cash cow reputation that operates many specialty hospitals, LTACHs and transitional rehab centers across the US.

One of my coworkers diverted almost $10,000 worth of Xanax and Norco over a year's period. Since she never appeared impaired and hid her actions well, she got away with it until the remote pharmacy caught onto her scheme.

Her employment was terminated and her license number was quietly referred to the state BON along with the pertinent facts. She worked at a few other facilities before losing her license. The only reason her license had been revoked was by pure default: she failed to arrive at the BON hearing to discuss her case, and no attorney arrived on her behalf to represent her.

If she or a lawyer had been present, chances were high that she would have been placed on the state's peer assistance program for nurses. In addition, she probably would have been fined and had her license suspended or placed on probation. But because she failed to appear, her license was revoked by default.

My point is that this was all done quietly to avoid publicity.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2014

Thanks for the responses! Guess it's something well out of my control

It might not be.....check your state nurse practice act...some states have mandatory reporting of other nurses or you are just as guilty and can face discipline yourself.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 28, 2014

At what point does someone's license get revoked? How many places must they get fired from before they're permanently done?
I am so mad I could spit.......

There's no magic number.

However, if the BON isn't notified about something they can't act on it. So a person could be fired from a ton of places yet keep their license because no report was ever filed.