Tired of impaired nurses

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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 OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.
uh, I think its time to report it to the board.

This manager is putting herself, you and the entire facility at risk. :selfbonk:

Also patients are at risk, as well!

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

If you think she is stealing drugs.

That is theft

Call the police.

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Specializes in Med/surg,Tele,PACU,ER,ICU,LTAC,HH,Neuro.

Definitely talk to the BON. You could also address your concerns to the pharmacist personally and the FDA that licenses them. They have a lot to lose because of this unchecked behavior.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU,ER,ACLS/BLS instructor.
Definitely talk to the BON. You could also address your concerns to the pharmacist personally and the FDA that licenses them. They have a lot to lose because of this unchecked behavior.

Easy to say,report to the BON. Been there,done that,would think twice next time.(would do it again). The person,or persons reporting inappropriate behavior,possible drug/alcohol abuse,or even pt abuse, is not protected at all. Unless you have whistle blower laws in your state covering Health Facilities, everything is public. Once you report, the acused has all the rights, and you have none. It is still the right thing to do,but very hard and exhausting. The"process" takes forever and longer if they are protected by a union. Like I said, I would do it again, but at least I would know what was in store for me.

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Specializes in L/D, and now Occupational Health.

:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire It makes me SOOOOOOOO angry that nurses like this are allowed to continue their path of distruction, and myself who made an honest mistake and took home two percocets in my work jacket pocket that, yes I failed to return before I left work ill with strep that day, gets TERMINATED from a job of 10 YEARS and reported to the BON !!! That was back in April, and my "case" is still not closed yet !!! The amout of time it takes to get through this system is CRAZY !!!! So since April, I have been unemployed, not for lack of looking, I am legal to work, but because I am "under investigation" who do you think is going to hire me. This will all be over soon, the 25th, I hope to get back to normal then.

This nurse sounds like a HUGE train wreck waiting to happen !! What is worse is it sounds like she REALLY needs help and no one is calling her on it. She cant do it for herself, her employer is letting her down by not reporting her to the BON, and getting her into the CARE program. :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

I hope that all is well for this group now !!

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myself who made an honest mistake and took home two percocets in my work jacket pocket that, yes I failed to return, as I left work ill with strep that day gets TERMINATED from a job of 10 YEARS and reported to the BON !!!

Uh...

I thought you were fired for giving prn meds too early?

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Thats what I thought also, must have missed something????

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Specializes in L/D, and now Occupational Health.

:uhoh3: WHO REALLY KNOWS ?!?! I returned the meds the same day, unopened, and untampered with. At that point they decided to come up with this other "issue" as cause for my termination. The physician of the patient happened to be one of our OB-GYN doctors and she threw a fit as if I was some druggie. I am not saying that I have no fault here, on my unit percocet is given out like candy and I guess it is easy to loose respect for the drug, which you should never do. I did make a careless mistake that day when I left with the meds. I was ill and I know otherwise that would have NEVER happened. As for the other issue of giving meds early, I was, on occasion, giving meds within the 30 min. window that the nurses I worked with thought to be OK. Obviously, if a patient is asking for meds early over and over either you have a drug seeker, or you have someone in poor pain control. The MD needs to be notified either way.

It is hard to explain the entire situation here in this setting, heck it is hard for me to describe to myself because I dont fully understand it myself. I was told inmy termination meeting that leaving with the percocet alone would not have been grounds for my termination, but the fact that I had "given meds early" went against hospital policy and was grounds for termination. I understand the fact that if PRN meds are given early all day a patient would get an extra dose. Most of these patients sleep all night and then want pain meds when they get up and moving during the day.

In the paperwork sent to the BON, there are three other nurses just in the info I have, that gave meds "early", SO WHY ARE THEY STILL EMPLOYED AT THIS HOSPITAL ??? :nono:

PS: that's not a middle finger by the way ;)

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OK, i got it now. I missed the part about you taking those home with you. If thats all that happened, you should be ok. Did you already sign those out for that patient but forget to give them?

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Specializes in L/D, and now Occupational Health.

Sort of, I was told at the beginning of my shift that this pt called out for 2 percocet. Because the Unit sec. specifically told me which drug was asked for, and how many they wanted, i went to the omni and took them out for that pt. I went to the pts room, and she stated she had not called out for meds. I put them in my pocket and proceeded with my AM assess. of the pt. My symptoms progressed and I qiuckly made my way to the restroom. After that i reported off on my pts and left, I went straight to the clinic, where I sought treatment for myself. I failed to return the meds to the omni. and the rest is a very painful history.

I know it all sounds crazy, it is so easy to judge. I am not a careless or sloppy nurse, I made a human mistake, which it seems we are not allowed to do. I ment no harm or wrong doing.

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I worked with an impaired nurse one time who took a lot of pills from the narc box. She did it to me and a very nice temp who worked with us sometimes. She was eventually layed off due to low patient census. I never heard from her again. She seemed very nice. I'm sorry that she had this problem ruining her life and work.

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How can one grab a handfull of pills from the narc box when every single one of those pills have to be accounted for?:o

I worked with an impaired nurse one time who took a lot of pills from the narc box. She did it to me and a very nice temp who worked with us sometimes. She was eventually layed off due to low patient census. I never heard from her again. She seemed very nice. I'm sorry that she had this problem ruining her life and work.
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