Recovering addict needing some advice or anyone that cares to listen please

RCLPN · Mar 26, 2016

If I get exonerated do you think I should pursue a suit?

nURse_dEZi · Mar 26, 2016

I'm really sorry this has happened.... I'be always wondered what would happen if I wore with a bunch of nuts that would make up crap like this.

I don't know the laws where you live but this is complete and utter cap, I can't believe they jumped the gun on you so quickly without evidence or the evidence they showed... frankly even the police to arrest you without any evidence is also mind blowing and for the fact you were kept for so long.

It may be a rough battle but I hope you can be strong and get those guys. This company needs to be exposed for this crap... who knows what other unprofessional/ ethical things they are doing if they could go this far.

RCLPN · Mar 26, 2016

OMG thank you. This is exactly what I needed to hear. I can't believe she called the police the same day my urine and blood work came back negative. It had only been 2 days since I got accused. The only thing I am guilty of is I failed to document the PRN narcotic in the pts. MAR. Narcotic count was correct. Last time I checked you can't get charged with 3 felonies for forgetting to document the narcotic in the MAR. I was working for an agency who said the won't fire me because it's all alleged. Wrong! In 2 weeks time I get accused, lost my job and went to jail. So I forgot to mention while I was in jail this DON accused two other agency nurses of the same thing. But I'm the only one with charges. I believe this was a retaliation towards me. Because a few days before I got accused this DON abandoned me when a PT was in distress. And I called her out on it

Toastedpeanut · Mar 26, 2016

Last summer, there was a DON in a nearby LTAC who was found to have been stealing narcotics from the workplace for quite some time. He was a friend of a friend, and my friend told me this man would never be able to work in nursing again. I mean, it was all over the news and everything. If I were this guy, I'd move at least 10 hours away! For all we know, he could've been blaming other nurses for missing drugs & getting them into trouble the whole time. This might be what was going on in your workplace. Maybe it needs to be investigated?

Workitinurfava, BSN, RN · Mar 27, 2016

I hope you are able to overcome this ordeal and I hope it doesn't affect future jobs. If you feel it is worth the fight then stick it out, if you have other options away from medication, maybe do something else, save yourself the headache and stress of all of this. I am curious as to what caused you to start the habit. Many nurses are taking prescription medications to cope with nursing stress. Quite a bit of the nurses I work with talk about the medications they are on to deal with the stress of the job. Like you can't forget the things you are forgetting with the history you have, it will look suspicious, is that fair to you?, no but it is the reality of it all.

RCLPN · Mar 27, 2016

Thank you for your kind words. How did I become addicted to narcotics. I was diagnosed with MS. years ago. Had lots of pain once we found the correct combinations of medications my pain almost never existed, but I became so reliant on them that I found myself lying to my doctor to stay on the pain pills.

RCLPN · Mar 27, 2016

Well she seems to be the only one in the facility accusing the agency nurses. The thought did cross my mind

Cowboyardee · Mar 27, 2016

I don't have any personal experience with abusing narcotics or being accused (thank God). But I have worked at a facility where a number of nurses were fired for suspected diversions in what I now believe to have been a witch hunt. I feel quite confident that at least some of the nurses fired were never diverting. This experience and watching to fallout among some former coworkers has led me to believe that the system tends to be weighted against you as a nurse once an accusation has been made, regardless of the truth of the matter.

I wish I had better recommendations for you. At minimum I would suggest the following.

- Get a good attorney. Court appointed lawyers may not afford you the resources that you need to stand up for your rights and your reputation.

- Keep in touch with coworkers that are sympathetic to you and suspect you might have been railroaded. You might have a tendency to withdraw in shame, but the more people who've worked with you that are sympathetic and willing to go to bat for you, the more resources you'll have in dealing with this situation re:future employment. I had one coworker who was fired and who never got in touch with me afterwards. We never got along especially well at work. BUT I worked with him pretty much every single shift (weekend nights) and was confident he was not diverting (he encouraged his patients to take pain medications so that he could have a calm night, and was subsequently investigated and fired for withdrawing significantly more narcotics than his coworkers). He never contacted me, probably because he assumed I wouldn't be sympathetic. But in truth, even though I didn't hold him or his job performance in particularly high regard, I would have readily told anyone who asked that I thought he was innocent, be it a jury, a BON, or a future employer. Reach out.

- Consider hiring one of those firms who manage online reputations. You don't want unsubstantiated allegations attached to you name at the top of a google search for the rest of your life.

Best wishes.

RCLPN · Mar 27, 2016

I don't have any personal experience with abusing narcotics or being accused (thank God). But I have worked at a facility where a number of nurses were fired for suspected diversions in what I now believe to have been a witch hunt. I feel quite confident that at least some of the nurses fired were never diverting. This experience and watching to fallout among some former coworkers has led me to believe that the system tends to be weighted against you as a nurse once an accusation has been made, regardless of the truth of the matter.
I wish I had better recommendations for you. At minimum I would suggest the following.
- Get a good attorney. Court appointed lawyers may not afford you the resources that you need to stand up for your rights and your reputation.
- Keep in touch with coworkers that are sympathetic to you and suspect you might have been railroaded. You might have a tendency to withdraw in shame, but the more people who've worked with you that are sympathetic and willing to go to bat for you, the more resources you'll have in dealing with this situation re:future employment. I had one coworker who was fired and who never got in touch with me afterwards. We never got along especially well at work. BUT I worked with him pretty much every single shift (weekend nights) and was confident he was not diverting (he encouraged his patients to take pain medications so that he could have a calm night, and was subsequently investigated and fired for withdrawing significantly more narcotics than his coworkers). He never contacted me, probably because he assumed I wouldn't be sympathetic. But in truth, even though I didn't hold him or his job performance in particularly high regard, I would have readily told anyone who asked that I thought he was innocent, be it a jury, a BON, or a future employer. Reach out.
- Consider hiring one of those firms who manage online reputations. You don't want unsubstantiated allegations attached to you name at the top of a google search for the rest of your life.
Best wishes.

Thank for the kind response. I guess I came to this forum more to vent than advice. Everything you suggested I have done so far. Witch hunt is exactly what this DON was doing. Why? She simply hated agency nurses. I was the first accused. But the only she pressed charges on. Yes SHE , not the facility. She filed the police report. The facility/company did not pursue it. She alone did. When I go to court in May I have the 3 other nurses she falsely accused willing to testify on my behalf as well. We recently were told that the Facility dismissed the DON . Apparently she wasn't qualified to be a DON. So she can nor work there until she gets certain qualifications. My guess is they got tired of her accusations. I

crazin01 · Apr 1, 2016

wow. I knew women can be petty but WOW. If you're still in contact with any nurses (hopefully supervisors, actually) I would try to get a copy of any documentation regarding that incident where you called her out on abandoning you with a distressing patient. Or any other issues prior that came up between you & her. I realize incident reports and good documentation would hopefully be part of a medical record, for court purposes. However, sometimes things are forgotten or conveniently 'misplaced' and I've learned the hard way, to have a copy of anything pertinent in my possession. Put the patient sensitive info in a metal lock box or secure location until your lawyer can get the papers in discovery.

I am sure it would violate something for you to reach out, but the patient who got the undocumented narcotic, did he/she like you? realize there was an issue regarding such & it had such ramifications? Be willing to speak for you? Regular staff employees of the facility, as well as the other agency nurses? as well as the issues surrounding the accusations for these other agency nurses. I'm sure all of this would be attorneys' job, but... I would try to document electronically if possible, dates, times, witnesses, event b/w you & fired manager. All correspondence regarding discussions about anything pertinent, etc etc. (sorry, i'm a dork) but as time passes, i'm sure you'll remember the patients' name and everything since this is all happening, but it doesn't hurt to have more information.

And although expensive, a good private attorney is the way to go. if all you're saying is true and especially if it can be proven in court, a public defender wouldn't have the time to go after them. I recently was shocked at having to wait until the DAY BEFORE a hearing, arraignment, whatever until getting an urgent email or phone call from my defender after numerous emails and 2 months of calls/voice mails. So, if all is accurate, a private attorney would probably encourage you to go after her/facility. How the heck did she get her job, if not qualified? Was facility/her supervisor aware of accusations being made by her before the day of her termination & were hoping to have things magically disappear before dealing with her.

I also find it odd, she was able to accuse, fired and have you arrested in only 2 days time. Definitely sounds like she was on a vendetta & knew somebody or something is off.

sorry you're going thru such drama. Good luck & please let us know what happens with everything..

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Apr 3, 2016

Perhaps the DON was fired because she was diverting and blaming everyone else?

Sorry that this happened to you. What is crazy to me is that this person made it personal by pressing charges HERSELF? How is that even possible?

If you have malpractice insurance, call them. If the AGENCY has malpractice insurance on you, (and most do) call them. An attorney of your own is not a bad thing, but you need to have some sort of legal advice from people who specialize in this.

1sttime · Apr 4, 2016

I would be suing the pants off of that facility- the DON was acting as the representative of that corporation... if she wasn't qualified that is an automatic win for you- much like if I am working in patient care and perform CPR without having my BLS up to date- if anything bad happens that fact alone makes me the fall guy....