Student caught stealing....

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Dec 11, 2010

uh, hell yes. Why is this even a question? thieves don't belong in Nursing anymore than idiots do (see other thread, lol)

noahsmama · Dec 11, 2010

I think you should report her to the police, but as others have said, be aware that it's possible that nothing will come of it. It's not up to you to decide if this person will ultimately be prosecuted, it's up to the police and the district attorney to make that decision -- but yes, do report her. Very sorry to hear that this happened to you.

merlee · Dec 11, 2010

My question is -why weren't the police involved immediately? Make a report now.

Mulan · Dec 11, 2010

I hope you have learned a lesson also.

The money should have been kept on your person.

CanuckLPN73 · Dec 11, 2010

Would you press criminal charges if one of your students took money from your wallet? The student has been expelled from the program but has not returned the money If I press charges theres a chance I could get my money back and hopefully she would be prevented from applying to another nursing school... Just looking for opinions. Thanks!

Im not an instructor...Im just a student, however YES! Stealing is wrong and heck Id even take my own child to the cop shop if I caught them rummaging around in my purse without my permission!! (which yes I have done) :)

kesr · Dec 11, 2010

thieves don't belong in Nursing

While I completely agree with this - just where do they belong? No job is a place I would want to hire a thief. Someone rummaging through co-workers purses happens everywhere, or taking from the job site, etc and should not be tolerated.

My question is -why weren't the police involved immediately

Probably the same reason shoplifters used to get a pass - it takes a big crisis to get action. Most institutions just want the problem to go away by magic. No controversy, no mess.

AOx1 · Dec 11, 2010

This student is horrible and needs to never become a nurse. The student saw nothing wrong with breaking the trust of someone trying to help her learn and nothing wrong with stealing time meant to be spent with an ill patient. Please file a report. We don't need people like that in this profession.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 11, 2010

file a report; let the police investigate it and prosecute the guilty party. but unless i caught the student red-handed with my wallet, or observed her rummaging in my bag, i wouldn't draw conclusions about who was the guilty party.

and keep your wallet either locked up or on your person. i had a patient's daughter steal from me one time -- a well dressed woman with an enormous diamond wedding ring. (ok, she admitted to rummaging in my bag and then my money was missing, but i guess i don't know for sure that she was the one who stole my money.) i went out and bought the teeniest little wallet i could fine -- holds my driver's license, insurance card, atm card and a wee bit of cash. it stays in my pocket when i'm at work. when i'm off, i take my big wallet bursting with quarters, various store credit cards, my visa, grocery store loyalty cards, business cards, etc. but i don't need all that stuff at work.

indigonurse · Dec 11, 2010

IMHO it is a law enforcement issue if it were me I would leave the situation in their hands. Is this something you can report to the nursing boards?

tainted1972, ASN, RN · Dec 11, 2010

Pressing charges will give her a record of theft, which will always show up on bci/FBI background checks. There is a good chance she will never be accepted into another program.

Have you talked to the student and asked why she stole the money? I know that stealing is stealing and it is wrong. But when I was a nursing student, life was hard, there were times I had to pawn things just to get gas money to make it to school, or buy some groceries. My family struggled greatly while I was in school But, with my husbands support we suffered through it and I finished.. now things are much better .. thank goodness :)

I am absolutely not making any excuses for this girl. but sometimes people get desperate for many reasons.

Maybe you can talk to her and get some information, maybe she is truly sorry and had (what she thought) a good reason. Have a heart to heart talk with her. At least give her the opportunity to make things right, by paying back the money, apologizing to the housekeeper/hospital.

The Fact that she eventually confessed proves that she has some sort of conscious.

Honestly I would hate to see someones life ruined over a bad choice.

Everyone makes mistakes and maybe she deserves a second chance.

That being said, I am responsible for getting a classmate kicked out of nursing school .. forever perhaps. She told me she stole some pain medication from a patient where she works, in addition she bragged about other thefts and abusing prescription meds. This girl came to clinical high on something.. and was MY partner! She was a real threat to patient safety. I went to our school director along with other classmates ( I had encouraged them to do so) and told her what I knew. .. Thankfully she was immediately removed from clinicals and eventually from the school altogether. I know without a doubt that my classmate would have eventually hurt someone due to her negligence. She was unwilling to get help and saw nothing wrong with stealing morphine from a cancer patient ( "because the patient can always get more").

greenfiremajick · Dec 11, 2010

Would you press criminal charges if one of your students took money from your wallet? The student has been expelled from the program but has not returned the money If I press charges theres a chance I could get my money back and hopefully she would be prevented from applying to another nursing school... Just looking for opinions. Thanks!

wow...

greenfiremajick · Dec 11, 2010

Well, if you need us to help you decide....PLEASE press charges....

Your reasoning is sound, to me.....If you press charges then maybe she will not be allowed into another program. Can u imagine the harm she could do to patients??

I noticed $20.00 missing from my wallet last week. This Thursday I owed money to a co-worker (She makes American Girl Doll clothes) and there was a book fair at work. On Thursday morning I stopped at the ATM before clinicals. I knew I was taking a chance by having the $94.00 in my wallet (spent 6 on coffees and fruit cup. breakfast of champions! ) This week I chose to put our belongings in a more secure breakroom. No lockers for students but a room that clearly says staff only. When the student came back from MRI she went right to the breakroom. 15 minutes later she came to me and asked where did you put my things? I put her bookbag in the breakroom as her patient was going off to MRI right as the students arrived..
Given that I was missing money from the week before I checked my wallet when I showed the student where her belongings were. My money wasa gone. I had the students check theeir belongings and this one student claimed her credit card was missing. I had no choice but to notify security. They came and interviewed us then informed us they's check the security camera tapes, and that it really helps that we know that it happened in a 2 hour window. Ony a housekeeper and the student were in the room. The housekeeper was questioned and sent home pending the investigation. My student let them send an innocent woman home!
Security had me watch the tapes. I noticed the student went into the room and spent 6 minutes in there before comeing to get me to ask where her things were. Later on the tape you see me showing her where her items are. She claimed to have cancelled her sredit card. Security checked...no cancelled card. Security caled the student at home and got a confession. Student expelled. Meeting with the dean pending to formalize. It's now up to me to decide if I want to press chartges or not. It's not about the money. I don't want her to be able to get into another nursing program. I'm thinking that by pressing charges she'd have it on her record...maybe preventing her from being able to do clinicals.
The most distressing part about all of this is that she diverted from patient care. Her patient is in renal failure with uncontrolled HTN and needed his BP meds. Her priority was not to administer meds...it was to steal:mad::mad:And she watched an innocent woman take the blame:mad::mad:
I guess I am a little mad...I'm waiting to see if I hear from the Dean tahat she intends to return the money with the other items she owes the school. I'm giving it until Monday....any opinions are appreciated/
Thanks!