Stealing drugs!! what's your opinion?????

RN30years · Jun 17, 2004

I was questioned 18 months ago for a narcotic discrepency, found during chart audits that the nurses did themselves. I charted I had given 4 mg and a waste of 5mg, they found 5-6 times where what I had given and what I'd wasted didn't add up to the total. I worked in a busy PACU. When I started ther 7 yrs early none of the nursed reported what they wasted, At my prompting we started keeping track of wastes. I had come from a large hospital and knew by law we had to document waste.

Any way, my place of employment reported me to the BON. I had a clean tox screen that day. The BON contacted me 1 month later saying they were investigating and had found multiple charting errors and wanted to help me with any drug problem i might have! Just confess!

I have never abused drugs and never plan on starting!

Well the investigation is still going on. ........ They questioned everyone I have worked w/ at that facility for 7 yrs and all say I was a very good experienced nurse, perfect attendance praise from patients, excellant preformance reviews! But one nurse told them she could not beleive I would ever take a drug but she also knew my husband had a bad back so maybe I WAS STEALING FOR HIM!!!!!!!!( can you believe that) my husband doesnt have a bad back!!

So the board calls me and tells me they are going to the DA and ask for drug trafficing Charge!!!!!!! so I better confess or I will land in Jail........

I wasn't about to confess. So I remain in limbo just were the board wants me.

It has nearly cost me my marriage( bad back and all) and my life. I have a good attorney now and some day I plan on getting back what I have lost!

not much help huh?

subee, MSN, CRNA · Jun 17, 2004

what are the signs of a nurse who might be abusing? other than sweating and missing narcotics mentioned thus far? just curious...

For Rhon and others who want to educate yourself about substance abuse in nursing, check out AANA.com -it's the CRNA's association website - click on peer assistance. For the nurse who stole for her husband, its co-dependence at its worst. She needs a lawyer and her SNA to help her get the treatment she needs and help her get back into nursing. Since she's not the one using the drugs, her prognosis is good.

RN92 · Jun 17, 2004

It's an act of despiration by an addict. It's easy to do actually.
However, addiction (like overeating) is something we should never judge an individual on. It's not a moral issue with me. They need help.
Stealing is wrong, same as drug addicts on the street who steal, I'm not condoning that.

I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that we not judge our peers. There has to be some level of accountability in any profession. Otherwise, you would have many more nurses abusing the system and trust that our patients and doctors have placed in us. We do have the right to Judge each others abilities, skills, addictions, etc. That doesnt give us the right to mistreat them - but it definitely keeps the standard of care for which we ourselves would expect to receive if we were the pt

cnyrn · Jun 17, 2004

I resent floating and the mandatory ot to cover the nurse while they are "rehabbing."Why does their problem have to be my problem,too?

Often, these thieves will try to divert the focus off themselves by accusing other staff members of being thieves. I was victimized this way myself, the accused party denied any knowledge of missing narcs, but said I was stealing baby powder and beanie babies from peds!

fab4fan · Jun 17, 2004

Brother, cnyrn...hope you're not planning on having children and asking for maternity leave. I get so fed up with covering because other people choose to procreate. Same goes for calling off sick because your child is sick. And while we are at it, I hope YOU never have a serious or chronic illness that makes you miss time from work. I get so tired of covering for others whose health fails them. Oh yeah, and if you have a family member who has a serious illness, please don't think of trying to use that lame FMLA option...it might inconvenience me.

After all, why should your problems/life situations impact me?

vwgirl · Jun 17, 2004

I resent floating and the mandatory ot to cover the nurse while they are "rehabbing."Why does their problem have to be my problem,too?
Often, these thieves will try to divert the focus off themselves by accusing other staff members of being thieves. I was victimized this way myself, the accused party denied any knowledge of missing narcs, but said I was stealing baby powder and beanie babies from peds!

Do you resent all sick co-workers, or only the ones who have something wrong with them that you don't like?

laurakoko · Jun 17, 2004

I found a nurse, a few years ago, passed out on the bathroom floor, after I had noticed her lunch was longer than expected. In finding her, she was obviously drugged, and had about 40 fentanyl patches on her body. When she would remove them from the patient, after a 72 hours change, she would attach them to herself. She had also stolen many narcs, and was injecting IM wastes at work and home. It is theft. The hospitals should prosecute like it was shoplifting.

susanna · Jun 17, 2004

I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that we not judge our peers. There has to be some level of accountability in any profession. Otherwise, you would have many more nurses abusing the system and trust that our patients and doctors have placed in us. We do have the right to Judge each others abilities, skills, addictions, etc. That doesnt give us the right to mistreat them - but it definitely keeps the standard of care for which we ourselves would expect to receive if we were the pt

Of course, there's always accountability. Accountabilty is something that will never go away in our world of economics and efficiency. But, I think "not judging" was meant to mean, not to think these people are any less than any other person because they have a drug addiction/stealing problem.

jodidax · Jun 17, 2004

Not to be unkind, jodidax, but your post made my eyes bleed. You will probably get more repies if you use a little punctuation. I gave up reading your post purely because it was too hard to follow.

i am so sorry i asked, you know what i did not know it was a english class, and perfection was needed to find out other people's opinions what you said was mean and hateful, seems to me if you can judge me for my handwriting,which is not perfect especially since i just had carpal tunnel release two days ago, i thought i was doing good, but you shot me down, all i wanted was an honest opinion on a subject if you do not like my typing do not READ IT. SOME NURSE YOU ARE:angryfire

jodidax · Jun 17, 2004

I was questioned 18 months ago for a narcotic discrepency, found during chart audits that the nurses did themselves. I charted I had given 4 mg and a waste of 5mg, they found 5-6 times where what I had given and what I'd wasted didn't add up to the total. I worked in a busy PACU. When I started ther 7 yrs early none of the nursed reported what they wasted, At my prompting we started keeping track of wastes. I had come from a large hospital and knew by law we had to document waste.
Any way, my place of employment reported me to the BON. I had a clean tox screen that day. The BON contacted me 1 month later saying they were investigating and had found multiple charting errors and wanted to help me with any drug problem i might have! Just confess!
I have never abused drugs and never plan on starting!
Well the investigation is still going on. ........ They questioned everyone I have worked w/ at that facility for 7 yrs and all say I was a very good experienced nurse, perfect attendance praise from patients, excellant preformance reviews! But one nurse told them she could not beleive I would ever take a drug but she also knew my husband had a bad back so maybe I WAS STEALING FOR HIM!!!!!!!!( can you believe that) my husband doesnt have a bad back!!
So the board calls me and tells me they are going to the DA and ask for drug trafficing Charge!!!!!!! so I better confess or I will land in Jail........
I wasn't about to confess. So I remain in limbo just were the board wants me.
It has nearly cost me my marriage( bad back and all) and my life. I have a good attorney now and some day I plan on getting back what I have lost!
not much help huh?

I GUESS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND ALL OF THIS ABOUT THE NURSING BOARD, DID YOU LOOSE YOUR LICENSE SEEMS TO ME THERE IS NO PROOF OF NEGLECT AND HOW LONG BEFORE YOU CAN GO BACK TO WORK , DO YOU MEAN UNLESS YOU CONFESS TO SOMETHING YOUR NOT DOING THEY STOPPED YOU FROM WORKING, DO THEY REALLY BRING IN THE DA AND WHAT PROOF OF STEALING

Dialyzin' Dar · Jun 17, 2004

A few hours after my kidney transplant, a nurse stole my dose of morphine. I'd had three shots of it (one per hour) and I knew that first it burned my arm, then made me nauseous, then started to work. Well, the shot that this nurse gave me didn't do ANYTHING. I said, "What did you give me?" She said, I gave you your morphine. I said, "I don't know what you gave me, but it wasn't morphine-- morphine burns, and this stuff didn't!" She got this scared look on her face and left my room, never to be seen again! I told the new nurse what had happened and I eventually got a shot of REAL morphine.

How's this for ironic-- when I came home from the hospital a week later, Oprah was doing a show about nurses with drug habits stealing narcotics from patients. I figured that's what happened to me-- unfortunately, I didn't know that I should have reported it to anyone.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2004

If they seek help before they get busted I will have sympathy for them

Once they are busted and they say they are sick and want rehab as a way to get out of trouble and maintain their license, Then I have no sympathy whatsoever