Should diverting nurses be prosecuted?

[Emergent, RN]

https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/nurse-facing-charges-for-diverting-patient-medications-has-a-history-of-fraud

I read this article, it seems like a run of the mill diversion case to me. I've known nurses who have been caught diverting and nobody got prosecuted. 

There's a section in the article where the daughter of one of the nursing home residents was so shocked that her mother might have gotten cheated out of a 0.5 mg clonazepam pill. I thought her comments were pretty dramatic. It doesn't sound like anybody got hurt, but maybe got cheated out of their pain medicines. Nothing like the case in Tennessee.

On the other hand, the whole system for dealing with diverting nurses seems disorganized and unfair. It will take a long time for BONs to get around to even doing an investigation after the nurse is reported. Then, there seems to be a crazy system for rehabilitating them that doesn't differentiate between minor offenses vs stealing from patients. A nurse who took her sister's Vicodin because she sprained her ankle is definitely not on par with someone who repeatedly stole patients meds instead of giving it to them, and used on the job. 

What do you all think?

 

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

This article is a little suspect.  We don't have enough information to make a judgement.  She went to a 5 days :rehab' program?  Maybe that works for chocolate but not for drugs.   There's no mention of drug testing.  Did the employer get her to an ER for a drug test?  Every state has a dependency program and some are separate from the BON.  The number of suspect nurses is overwhelming for the few state investigators.  BON's do not so the investigations.  What's disorganized about the programs?  Maybe this woman is "retiring' because she found out she's under investigation.  The daughter sounds like a drama queen looking for a lawsuit.

[Emergent, RN]

subee said:

This article is a little suspect.  We don't have enough information to make a judgement.  She went to a 5 days :rehab' program?  Maybe that works for chocolate but not for drugs.   There's no mention of drug testing.  Did the employer get her to an ER for a drug test?  Every state has a dependency program and some are separate from the BON.  The number of suspect nurses is overwhelming for the few state investigators.  BON's do not so the investigations.  What's disorganized about the programs?  Maybe this woman is "retiring' because she found out she's under investigation.  The daughter sounds like a drama queen looking for a lawsuit.

What do you think about the prosecution of drug diverters?

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

Emergent said:

What do you think about the prosecution of drug diverters?

It's usually out of line and unproductive.  Most BON's offer an alternative to arrest.  I come from the day when nurses were escorted out of the ward by police and helped shape a state alternative program.