Terminated. Pursue a Lawsuit?

[ERgirlynurse]

So I work in an ER. I am pretty new to nursing. I was called in to HR to explain why I had overridden Benadryl multiple times and not given it. Also a handful of times I did not waste excess narcotics appropriately. I explained my thought process on having the Benadryl in case I needed it and that the issues with waste were due to no one being around to waste with. I acknowledged I was wrong and was willing to do any education/disciplinary things they wanted. This was agreed upon at the time. After having meetings canceled and no phone calls for weeks they finally called me back in. They put me on unpaid leave. Essentially said I was lying. No drug testing or talking to my direct supervisor. I have another better job so I resigned that day. 4 days later they terminated me for performance issues.

So my question is that many friends have recommended I talk to a lawyer. Should I? Or should I just let it go and move on? Please help!

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Apparently taking large quantiles of Imdoium AD is now the new or newer way to get high. I just can't keep up with all this crap. SMH

Addicts turning to anti-diarrhea medication Imodium A-D to get high - CBS News

Wow, just wow.

[Guest219794]

May I say that many of the posters heretofore have not missed the opportunity to offer words of derision but little advice to this nurse. Thirty years and not much changes.

This is precisely why the expression "nurses eat their young" was coined so long ago. In the course of a nursing career there will not be one of you who will escape being accused of malfeasance whether real or imagined;whether from a disoriented patient or a disgruntled family member or, even, worse yet, a desperate substance addicted colleague. In this business no one is immune. Without knowing all the facts, I would advise this nurse to forego a lawsuit, it's futile, and move on. Anyway, you have probably signed an arbitration agreement with your employer and even if you are dead to rights as they say, very few employees short of Jesus Christ ever prevail. Just understand that in a situation like this many are quick to condemn but most disappear when you need a friend. Angels of mercy are few and far between these days,unfortunately.

But this one is so tasty, it's irresistible.

And folks here are not responding to what she is accused of, but what she said she did, coupled with an unwillingness to take responsibility.

Had she titled this "I screwed up, what now?" instead of "should I sue?", she would have been left off the menu.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Wow, just wow.

Not surprised....anyone with a need to continue their addiction and stave off the after affects will do whatever.

It comes to mind when alcohol abusers use NyQuil and Listerine to drink...

[bebbercorn]

I have pulled an epi "just in case" my unstable pt coded in the elevator... I have pulled narcan "just in case" for that young ams coming in... I have pulled heparin and plavix for that STEMI, "just in case"... benadryl has yet to make my "just in case" list.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Aside from the improper waste, "having benadryl in case I needed it" is stealing facility medications. That may not have been your intent, but it is how management could perceive it.

I have known colleagues to be disciplined for taking one tylenol because they had a headache and needed to continue working their shift.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Perhaps I am having a brunette moment this morning, but I need a question answered. Does Benadryl have the potential for abuse and I never knew about it?

Benadryl has the same chemical compounds as many of your standard over the counter sleeping pills, so I can understand why some people would use it.

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

But this one is so tasty, it's irresistible.

And folks here are not responding to what she is accused of, but what she said she did, coupled with an unwillingness to take responsibility.

Had she titled this "I screwed up, what now?" instead of "should I sue?", she would have been left off the menu.

Agreed. There is no way to know what happened with the missing benadyrl and narcotics. Unless I missed it, the OP declined to specify what she actually did with those medications. But whether or not diversion took place is kind of beside the point. She either diverted or showed a concerning lack of judgment about basic nursing practice. Especially when I consider that in my experience, the greener the nurse, the more terrified they are of a narc slip or med error.

Your story is the same one told by countless diverters. And honestly, drug dependence leads us to make terrible choices and often construct quite...interesting..excuses and lies for said choices. I have only ever floated to the ER, so please forgive me if this is a silly question- is benadryl so critical and frequently used that it makes sense to keep a vial in your pocket "just in case?"?

[cayenne06, MSN, CNM]

Did you take it upon yourself to get an outside drug test, if your employer refused to test you? Obviously it's not the same but at least it shows due diligence. And what was their rationale for not testing you? Did you ask to be tested? Did you resign before the issue of drug testing came up?

[Boomer MS, RN]

s benadryl so critical and frequently used that it makes sense to keep a vial in your pocket "just in case?"?

I had only 10 years of ED but in my experience, no.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

In reality a "right to work state" is one in which workers have no rights. You've been brain washed my friend. But you'll learn.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

But this one is so tasty, it's irresistible.

And folks here are not responding to what she is accused of, but what she said she did, coupled with an unwillingness to take responsibility.

Had she titled this "I screwed up, what now?" instead of "should I sue?", she would have been left off the menu.

1. Your tastes I find creepy.

2. With heartless logic like that, what the devil are you a nurse for! You're lawyer material. We need more of those by the way.

3. When it comes to mea culpa, I take my cue from Wall Street-haven't heard sorry yet. Have you? They LOVE responsibility.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I have only ever floated to the ER, so please forgive me if this is a silly question- is benadryl so critical and frequently used that it makes sense to keep a vial in your pocket "just in case?"?

OP has not clarified if the Benadryl was p.o. or IV. If p.o. ... I'm hard pressed to think of a scenario in which a p.o. med with an onset of action of > 30 min. is necessary to keep handy "just in case".