Should I say anything?

[cuddlebug]

A couple of weeks ago I worked on a unit with another nurse. Now, this day I was late and I called in to let my supervisor know. (funny how things work out for a reason).

During this last week I went back to this unit I had worked on previously with the other nurse who I will refer to as . doesn't normally work on this unit either- we both float from time to time. Everything was ok until I went to give my end of shift report to the NOC nurse comming on duty. The NOC nurse said, "What is your name'" I stated my name. She then said, "Oh, you are the one that was here the night the vicodin was missing." (Oh, u can't imagine how I felt at this point. my heart just sank to the bottom of my stomach.) I asked the NOC nurse, "what are you talking about." The Noc nurse explained that the day nurse delegated to the pm nurse that there was a bottle of vicodin in the med room for a patient going out on pass. But the pm shift nurse who received report didn't tell the NOC nurse during report so they didn't count it. At this point the NOC nurse didn't know that there was a bottle of vicodin and then the next shift and the next shift. Apparently, the vicodin bottle ended up missing and it was never even logged onto the narc count. Eventually they found it on a shelf in the med room with 42 pills missing about 3 days later. This is all the info I received from the NOC nurse. I explained that I was late that day and didn't receive report, that received report and I didn't know that there was a bottle of vicodin. The funny thing is that my supervisor hasn't even asked me about this. I didn't know about it till the other night when the NOC nurse told me. The other nurse- is my friend who I actually went to nursing school with. I have noticed that she calls in sick alot and always looks tired. I don't feel comfortable working with her now and I haven't said anything to her about this. Perhaps, I should approach my superviser and let her know what I have heard and that I am not responsible. But I'm not responsible and have no reason to be defending myself about something I didn't do! I need some advice on how to handle this. Maybe I should just stay out of the whole mess.

I will be awaiting your replies. Hope to hear from you soon. [/u

[CyndieRN2007]

Document the dates and times of when you observed her to be tired on the job. Maybe just be alittle more conscious of her med pass activity, and note anything you might think is out of the ordinary. Make sure you keep your documentation private. Only take it to the nurse manager when you have definate proof of that the nurse is diverting or endangering patient well being. If you are approached about the matter before you have concrete proof, pull out your suspicion log. That should be enough to "cya"

[TrudyRN]

Maybe she's tired from work, kids, stress, heaven knows what.

Keep absolutely out of it.

If you do keep a "suspicion" log, keep it totally to yourself, never tell anyone you have such a thing. A suspicion is just that - unproven imaginings. You can easily, easily, easily people by your suspicions, particularly when you verbalize them. To me, it is cruel and unconscionable to speak your thoughts on topics like this unless you have true proof. A lie repeated often enough becomes believed. People are lazy and/or love to gossip. Do NOT partake or indulge in this deadly sin.

I really hope you stay out of this mess.

And since your boss said nothing to you about it and did not accuse you of any wrongdoing, I think you are probably not a suspect or person of interest. Why open a can of worms by bringing it up?

What do YOU think you should do? What will you accomplish by keeping silent? By going to your boss?

Who left the dang bottle on the counter anyway? There's no proof of how much was or wasn't in it at any particular moment, since there's no proof anyone counted it. No proof that there were even a certain number when dispensed by Pharmacy.

[Dolce, RN]

Aside from the diverting issue, why on earth would the nurses be leaving a bottle of Vicodin in the med room???? If there was no place to have it locked up then they should have returned it to pharmacy. I would not want to work on a floor that keeps bottles of narcotics laying around. This is the reason why they are required to be locked up!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Dolce, in LTC there usually is no pharmacy. The med room IS where meds are locked up.

I'd listen to Cyndie and document and keep it private. You did not take report so are not responsible for having signed off on the Vicodin. And you are not being questioned by the boss so leave it alone.

[Dolce, RN]

Sorry, I missed that it was LTC in the OP. Still, the control of narcotics needs to be passed from one nurse to one nurse. Even in LTC we would use a double lock system to secure narcotics. I would not be comfortable having the bottle left alone in the med room unlocked. It should have been locked up in the med room in whatever manner your facilities policy uses.

[cuddlebug]

I am going to start doing a private log. The hard part is that our system of locked narcotics is old. we lock up narcotics in our med carts and write them down on a narc sheet. If I am working on the acute area of this LTC facility and there are 2 RN's than I have to share this med cart with Her. See why I am worried? I went to nursing school with her and so she is buddy buddy with me. The other night I was asked to help with another area of the hospital. I gave her report on my patient and told her that as soon as she was done with what she was doing that we could do a narc count. She acted wierd about me making that request. I am just covering my rear end. I always count anyways when taking someone elses med cart or signing it over to someone else. Every time I work around her now I not only have to watch my patients but watch this other nurse.

[caliotter3]

Be proactive. Document everything and give it to your supervisor. CYA. You don't want this coming back at you in any manner when you least expect it. Looks like you are being set up. Don't stand back and let it happen.

[Alibaba]

Things have a way of coming to bite you in the kaboos. If there is a rumor (obviously there is and it will spread) that you were there when the meds disappeared, I would definitely talk to the supervisor or DON to get the 'official' story. They could be investigating you also.

Come on everyone! Seriously. A bottle of vico is missing for 3 days and shows up later with all those pills missing, and they don't investigate everyone that had access to the medroom at that time? Me thinks not.

As for a 'suspicion log' I would keep one, but like someone else suggested, I would it keep it super super secret. Think what you could do to that poor nurse's career if you raised all these suspicions about her without proof? Then it turns out to be something innocent. Once the suspicion is raised, even if proven innocent, people will still be suspicious of her.

Good Luck

Just ma 0.02$