Tired of impaired nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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Ok...I have been a nurse for almost 20 years and thought I had seen it all. My current employer seems to be a becon for impaired nurses. We currently have 3. The latest one is causing loads of issues. She was a great nurse that worked with us for 1 year. It was found out that she was removing approximately 40 percocets per shift for patients she was not assigned to. Management aproached her and sent her for a drug test. Since she had a personal prescription for the drug, nothing was done. Many of the staff were very uncomfortable when she was around. (She was not signing the MAR--you had to look in the pxysis for the last dose given) Management pushed the issue and she up and quit. Well 6 months go by and she is back (rumor has it that she was terminated from the last place). I questioned my manager about this and she said there would be stipulations. I see none. Her first day back was today and I snooped around in the pxysis. She gave 10 percocet in one shift and once again failed to sign them out on the MAR. None of these patients are alert enough to report that they had not gotten the medication.

What can I do? Does any one know what actions I can take if management continues to turn a blind eye? I know we are short on RN's, but this is crazy. We already have a tough enough job without worrying about team members stealing drugs! A group of us are really upset and not sure what steps to take next. Help!!!

if you can, a heads up for their pts....

leslie

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

wow what a story... gees...

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Obviously she is not impaired (she knows exactly what she is doing). I thing you did everything you could. Be very careful, because your job could be on the line, too. If they know about the problem and don't do nothing about it, probably it is because they don'e want to. I would suggest that you concentrate on taking care of your assigned patients. If she screws-up, soon or later it will be evident, but your conscience will be clean 'cause youtold them. Really, let it go!

If the institution won't do anything about this, then patients are still in danger, and may be experiencing pain from undermedication, etc.

I don't think a nurse can ignore an ongoing, dangerous situation just because the people who are supposed to deal with it aren't.

Follow up to protect your your patients, and your own you know what. Confirm, in writing, that the administration is actively pursuing the matter, citing any incidents since the original notification to the manager.

Contact the BON as well, and keep copies of all your correspondance, notes, etc. The impaired nurse is obviously adept at working the system, and the longer she has at the place, the more she will be able to make it look like others are at fault.

You also don't want to find yourself answering, in a depostion r/t a patient death, questions about why you didn't take further steps to get the dangerous nurse off the unit though you knew she was still stealing and using drugs.

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I lived with this situation for almost 9 months at a position where I recovered Open Heart patients. This nurse was hired by the hospital (we found out later that they KNEW she had TWO prior remediations). The trouble with her started the very first night....she disappeared on me (she had a fresh heart as did I and she went missing for 50 minutes "I was in the bathroom with diarrhea" - no, she wasn't cause I checked the BR first and then again and you know when someone's been sick)..anyway, the drug count was always off... dayshift complained and everyone who worked with her complained.. I turned in a plastic sealed 5 pack of Demerol which had each syringe opened and a different level of fluid and placed back in the lock box in the torn Demerol pack - she was always dry-mouthed...jeez, I lost all respect for the administration of the hospital.

One night the DON came in to see ME! He wanted to address my complaints about her... I pointed out number of times she worked the shift out with blood seeping through her pants (rear end) or blood seeping through the forearms of her long sleeved turtleneck which she wore under her scrub top in the dead of summer in Florida!... wimpy boy (DON) promised to do "something" oh yeah, he did - he told her I was one of her accusers..

Shortly after that, she came screaming at me at start of shift over my fresh post-op CABG (as I hooked them up to the monitor fresh from the OR)-- screaming at me that she would sue me - poor silly *****, I calmly turned to her and said, "Bring it on, baby, my husband's a lawyer in downtown SUPERLAWFIRM- maybe you've seen their TV ads?" oh, and my uncle is a partner!!!...

So here is what finally got her out of nursing and out of our hair:

Someone (and no, it wasn't me - wish I had thought of it) wrote a letter to the Sheriff's Office in the county where the hospital is located and said basically so-and-so is stealing drugs and the hospital is not dealing with it.... well, next thing you know they put a camera (the sheriff did - took the matter right out of the hands of the hospital) in the drug room - 12 hours later they have enough film for a two hour movie (just kidding) - there she is pulling the Demerol out of the bottom of the vials and replacing it with NS...smile, *****!!

Now they come into the unit on the next night (I was off, DAMNNNNN) and arrest her - and the news is filming her on the eleven-oclock news with her hands handcuffed behind her!!!! Her patient was a two day post-op who saw the whole thing!

Now, here's the kicker - she gave up her nursing license (3 trips to remediation and you are gone!) for a realtor license - she is now a freaking million dollar seller with her own freaking web site!!! DAMNNNNNNN!!!

She is obviously under the influence of the devil. Sometimes I stop to think about all the sorrows and pain in the world, and you know what-people would save themselves sooooooooooooo much heartache if they just lived their life like God wants us to live it, and do their best to follow His rules. In the end you are ahead though. What is all the money in the world worth compared to your soul? No price on life, and what comes afterwards. She won't be able to take anything with her when she goes, it's ALL about what you leave behind you when you go.:lol2:

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Obviously she is not impaired (she knows exactly what she is doing). I thing you did everything you could. Be very careful, because your job could be on the line, too. If they know about the problem and don't do nothing about it, probably it is because they don'e want to. I would suggest that you concentrate on taking care of your assigned patients. If she screws-up, soon or later it will be evident, but your conscience will be clean 'cause youtold them. Really, let it go!

WHAT THE FUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello, the impaired nurse is everyone's problem. If she is doped up, she is potentially harming her patient's. :nono: Every single pt on the floor you work on is essentially your responsibility. This hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil policy of yours is absolute bullshi*. You as a nurse are an advocate for all pt's. If I know a nurse is impaired and taking of ANY pt, you can bet your bottom dollar that I AM telling someone. I do not have the heart to knowingly let a pt(whether it is mine or not) be cared for by an impaired nurse, how could I sleep at night. I think you need to recheck your moral standing.

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Yes I agree. Ignoring this dosen't clear my mind. It is still happening! I like the Sheriff idea and am looking into it.!!

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Simple answer. Call the BON. It is your duty as a registered nurse to report this if your employer won't. It is like being a mandated reporter to DSS if you suspect child abuse. I think your license might even be in jeopardy if you know some diversion is going on and you don't report it.

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That is a good idea all until it is you the one that is falsely accused

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Tele, DOU.
That is a good idea all until it is you the one that is falsely accused

If an innocent person is accused, then drug screens should be able to support their statements. Also, previous employment and character references should count for something, I would think.

If the innocent person, has a previous drug use history, then yes, this is going to get very tricky. One of my close friends had participated in a rehab program through our BON and had been falsely accused. That particular friend, had attended all the required support groups and also, made themselves available for all random drug screens that our BON required. To a point where they could call that nurse anytime day or night, which they did, to check for drug use. My friend was found to be clean and our BON supported(s) their continued practice.

My friend is still clean. Everyday is still tough but they are making it.

Many of us are aware of that persons' situation; because, that nurse was honest about their past. Quite frankly, I am glad to know this nurse; and many of my colleagues are too. We support them as best as we can, which for the unit where I work--that's pretty darn good support .

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Tele, DOU.

OP

Sorry about the above off topic response.

To address your concerns:

Your NM isn't willing to confront this issue?! Dang!!!! That, is bad!

Yes, I agree, a call to the BON is absolutely necessary. Also, keep a journal with dates, times, of who you have talked to and when. Just in case.

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Now, here's the kicker - she gave up her nursing license (3 trips to remediation and you are gone!) for a realtor license - she is now a freaking million dollar seller with her own freaking web site!!! DAMNNNNNNN!!!

You hear about stories like this...and you wonder....did they sell their soul to the Devil or what?

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I know this is an old thread but I had to reply. I am one of those impaired nurses. I think it is unbelievable that a licensed professional would feel this way about this. Do you not know that addiction is a disease just like all the other ones that you treat wherever it is that you work. It is not a moral issue. It is a disease. We are not bad people we are sick people. And if you people would start treating it as such alot more of us might get help alot sooner. But it is people like you who keep us from coming forward because you want to put us in jail and strip us of our licenses. Instead of seeing to it that we get the proper treatment. Yes by all means turn her into the BON. You can do it confidentially. I only wish that some educated, caring individual would have turned me in. I went for 20 years before I finally got help. No thanks to my peers who knew long before I did. They were like you all and just stood by watching me dying and did nothing. I think you are just as guilty for letting it go whenever you see one of us "impaired" nurses in the throws of our illness and do not turn us in. I only pray that it is never one of you who are ravaged by this disease. And yes, NEVER SAY NEVER. I was the model nurse and would have never dreamt it could happen to me but it did and it could happen to you too.

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