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!!!

Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU, Neuro ICU.

Are you kidding me??? What about those times that you took/stole drugs BEFORE you were addicted - I mean "diseased"? Sorry, but I am not sympathetic on this one. We are talking theft, endangering patients, dishonesty. I am stunned that you are blaming the whole world, instead of taking responsibility. This is not about being mean - it's about some pretty serious inappropriate behavior.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
I think the hospital CEO should be very concerned about this nurse, and about the manager who is turning a blind eye. This is a liability to the entire hospital.

That is point on gr8rnpjt!

I would talk to the next up in the chain of command (unless this person is in with the NM, go one more step up). Ask to speak to this person confidentially. I have done this once before in my career with excellent and confidential results.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.
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.

I think you are to be commended for your attitude, not condemmed. I admire your honesty.

The problem I have with impaired nurses comes more from the BON's attitude on the issue.

I have worked with several nurses who have been out and out caught stealing narcotics, tested positive for narcotics at work, stumbling hanging onto the walls at work in order to walk down the hall, smelling of alcohol at work, etc...they were reported. Two that I know personally know of were actually arrested at work. Their licenses were put on probation only. They went on to get other jobs within a week, one was arrested at the next job, the other fired for stealing Lortab; licenses still on probation only.

Now if a nurse gets arrested twice at work within a couple of weeks, refuses to go into treatment and is able to find a third job without the new employer finding out...what on earth does it take to stop these impaired nurses?

I think the fault lies with the BON. If I go to the BON verification site and imput these nurses names it comes up with the dates of arrest, the charges, the fact that treatment was refused, all of it. The perspective employers can access this information as easily as I can. Why are the employers not at fault? Because the BON should have at least suspended the licenses. Thereby making it impossible for them to get another job, at least until they complete a treatment program. I think if you refuse treatment, you lose your license. If you go for treatment but relapse...ok, maybe once...after that...out permanently. We're not talking about a food server who messes up your food order we're talking about a health care professional who could potentially be responsible for your life or that of a loved one.

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Are you kidding me??? What about those times that you took/stole drugs BEFORE you were addicted - I mean "diseased"? Sorry, but I am not sympathetic on this one. We are talking theft, endangering patients, dishonesty. I am stunned that you are blaming the whole world, instead of taking responsibility. This is not about being mean - it's about some pretty serious inappropriate behavior.

Yes it is serious inappropriate behavior. A paranoid schizophrenic is some serious inappropriate behavior too. But you would try to help her wouldnt you? You wouldnt look at them the same way would you?

I did take responsibility. And I am not blaming anyone for my behavior. I didnt steal from places of employment until I was far into my disease. Do any of you actually think we would do all those things that you describe above if we werent truly sick? I worked hard to get my license and would never have put it in jeapordy. But it is impossible for you to understand because you have never been there. Im not asking anyone to excuse our behavior. Im asking you to get educated. And to treat this as a legitimate disease just like all others in the textbooks. And yes the BON is partly to blame. I was reported in 02 and theyre investigation lasted until 07. I didnt meet with the BON until this year. If you see one of us doing these things we are out of control. We need help. Intervention. Stopped. In anyway possible. We dont need your sympathy. We need to be treated as if we were having a heart attack right in front of you. Would you just let that go? What if she was your sister? Your mother?

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Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.

What is the update on this situation?

I would certainly take it to the next step if your NM is not addressing this behavior.

I am shocked that pain meds as not signed out by two people. Or is this not common practice?

Do update on what is going on now.

I also feel that the nurse you are describing also needs help for her obvious problem. Needs disciplinary action and HELP.

I do pray it works out for all parties.

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i really wish drug addiction was comparable to having an mi....

that they are both diseases and should be treated as such.

even in acknowledging addiction as a disease, there remains a boatload of damage that has been inflicted on pts and colleagues, as a result of this disease.

i do understand the nature of addiction.

and when one is actively using, they know they are out of control.

it is not as if they don't know what they're doing.

i have seen the addicts who know they need to stop, aeb the destruction of their family unit and themself.

i'm not buying that some other needs to intervene and make it/them stop.

that's a bunch of bunk.

with that said, i very much admire those who have clawed their way back.

it takes a boatload of strength and determination.

but frankly, i do have a problem with most who are actively using.

if the s/s of this disease only affected the pt, then perhaps sympathy would go a lot farther.

but as it stands, it's a disease that affects many innocent bystanders.

leslie

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Are you kidding me??? What about those times that you took/stole drugs BEFORE you were addicted - I mean "diseased"? Sorry, but I am not sympathetic on this one. We are talking theft, endangering patients, dishonesty. I am stunned that you are blaming the whole world, instead of taking responsibility. This is not about being mean - it's about some pretty serious inappropriate behavior.

I think you should become a licensed nurse and get some real world experience before you go judging a licensed nurse so harshly. It's oh so easy to be superior when you're still a student. Well, you never know what can happen in your life. Instead of beating up on a fellow professional, we should be thankful that she has found her way back and is in recovery and is with us.

And they talk about nurses eating their young...

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Yes it is serious inappropriate behavior. A paranoid schizophrenic is some serious inappropriate behavior too. But you would try to help her wouldnt you? You wouldnt look at them the same way would you?

I did take responsibility. And I am not blaming anyone for my behavior. I didnt steal from places of employment until I was far into my disease. Do any of you actually think we would do all those things that you describe above if we werent truly sick? I worked hard to get my license and would never have put it in jeapordy. But it is impossible for you to understand because you have never been there. Im not asking anyone to excuse our behavior. Im asking you to get educated. And to treat this as a legitimate disease just like all others in the textbooks. And yes the BON is partly to blame. I was reported in 02 and theyre investigation lasted until 07. I didnt meet with the BON until this year. If you see one of us doing these things we are out of control. We need help. Intervention. Stopped. In anyway possible. We dont need your sympathy. We need to be treated as if we were having a heart attack right in front of you. Would you just let that go? What if she was your sister? Your mother?

Don't pay any mind to that unkind post. Take into consideration that it came from someone with no real life experience as a nurse. As someone with half my life in nursing, I'm just glad you finally got the treatment you needed.

It took a lot of courage for you to post your thoughts. (((((Hugs)))))

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Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
Don't pay any mind to that unkind post. Take into consideration that it came from someone with no real life experience as a nurse. As someone with half my life in nursing, I'm just glad you finally got the treatment you needed.

It took a lot of courage for you to post your thoughts. (((((Hugs)))))

Kudos to reesern63!!! You are exactly right in all aspects of your previous post. Someone who is still a student or just out of school does not have the wisdom gained while working, not just the tidbits gleamed while in clinicals. And, yes, I was one of the students that when we got the little bit of instruction about addiction and impaired nurses, my thought was "Glad that won't be me!" Well, guess what. My name is Anne and I am an addict. I have 16 years as a nurse under my belt and 6 of those as a recovering nurse after becoming an addict. Also, some of the best nurses I know are addicts and I would welcome them to provide care to my family members.

Anne, RNC

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Kudos to reesern63!!! You are exactly right in all aspects of your previous post. Someone who is still a student or just out of school does not have the wisdom gained while working, not just the tidbits gleamed while in clinicals. And, yes, I was one of the students that when we got the little bit of instruction about addiction and impaired nurses, my thought was "Glad that won't be me!" Well, guess what. My name is Anne and I am an addict. I have 16 years as a nurse under my belt and 6 of those as a recovering nurse after becoming an addict. Also, some of the best nurses I know are addicts and I would welcome them to provide care to my family members.

Anne, RNC

And kudos to you for 6 yrs sobriety (and 16 in nursing!).

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"Tired of impaired nurses"

I don't know why you call them "impaired". The word, to me, implies some physical or mental handicapp that you cannot help, something you were born with or a result of a bad accident, stroke, or some disease...If they have a problem they should get help first before doing anything else.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I don't know why you call them "impaired". The word, to me, implies some physical or mental handicapp that you cannot help, something you were born with or a result of a bad accident, stroke, or some disease..

The word "impaired" as it applies to nurses means that they are functioning poorly or incompetently due to alcohol comsumption, the use of narcotics or illegal drugs.

If they have a problem they should get help first before doing anything else.

That doesn't happen in the real world...they do not go for help until they realize that there is a problem. The OP did eventually realize there was a problem, she owned it, got treatment and should be applauded.

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