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 L&D, High Risk OB, OR, Med-Surg, PHN.

]I am a L&D nurse and I will go to the pts room and ask before I go pull meds out just because I was told in report that the pt took 2 Percocets that is called an assessment maybe the MD could be notified and new pain medication orders received to help give better pain control.

Lisa:idea:

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Uh...

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

Here's the thread, it made it sound as if she was targeted because of giving a PRN early. https://allnurses.com/forums/f86/fired-reported-bon-250498.html

You didn't give the whole story here, Sallie...

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Specializes in L/D, and now Occupational Health.

jlsrn,

The entire story is too crazy to have to post it every time. I think in my posts above I got most of the story out. I took meds home, brought them back the same day, they did a review of my MARs found on some occasions I had given meds "early", and that was their official reason for termination. Did I make a careless error by leaving with the meds, YES, do I think it would have happened if I were not ill, NO. Did I desirve to be terminated for using a practice that was common on my unit, and thought to be OK, NO. I am no saint, or perfect nurse, I made a mistake and thank goodness that was all it was. The fact remains that I was not given a chance, I begged for a drug screen, anything, and they had no interest.

If a nurse has developed a drug abuse problem for what ever reason, most of the time they are not able to get help for themselves and my point was that she needs help, and everyone who knows of this problem and does nothing to stop/help her is letting her down.

jlsrn, I am sorry if you felt I was being shady, I have no secrets when it comes to my "situation". It is just very complicated, and hard for even me to understand. I guess I cant expect you to be able to understand it when even I cant.

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Specializes in MICU/SICU.
...and myself who made an honest mistake and took home two percocets in my work jacket pocket that, yes I failed to return...

...I took meds home, brought them back the same day...

i'm confused...

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Specializes in L/D, and now Occupational Health.

what is the confusion ?? I stated that I failed to return them as I left work ill that day, I did however return them to the pharmacy later that evening once I realized what I had done.

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Specializes in MICU/SICU.

gotcha. that's what i was confused about. i figured i was just not catching something.

it's a crappy situation, that's for sure. i hope it all works out for you!

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Specializes in last 10 yrs in busy ER'S.
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?

Reading the interactions regarding this topic is quite entertaining to say the least. I have to say first that I am glad that you are clean now, unfortunately there is still an undertone in your words that casts blame to those around you. This is contradictory to you professing to assume the blame yourself. "Good people" fall every day, that is no secret. But your analogy with the paranoid schizophrenic is absurd. Thats like having the paranoid schizophrenic put in charge of evaluating someone else's mental health and determining their treatment!!!! What a crock!!!!

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Specializes in Lie detection.
But your analogy with the paranoid schizophrenic is absurd. Thats like having the paranoid schizophrenic put in charge of evaluating someone else's mental health and determining their treatment!!!! What a crock!!!!

I think she was just trying to make a point about addiction being viewed as a disease like many other diseases. A lot of people do not view it as a disease. Or they "blame" the addict.

We addicts beat ourselves up enough. We don't need the rest of the world doing it too. We don't beg for sympathy, just treat us as a human being! As for the *why* of picking up the first drug or drink: Addicts typically don't have good coping skills. We have different brain patterns than non-addicts. So picking up a substance seems o.k. at first. Or maybe we try and justify it somehow even if we think it may be wrong.

Whatever the case is, it's not a matter of throwing guilt at the addict for the beginning of using. The fact is, that addicts DO start somewhere for a variety of reasons. If any non-addict ever sits in at a 12 step meeting, rarely will you ever hear an addict say " I've always been well adjusted and just like to get high". there is usually a lot of emotional baggage behind substance abuse. In my NA meetings, there is so much sharing of feelings, it's amazing. Especially coming from men!

So this is all coming from a recovering addict who used to believe that addicts "chose" to be that way. I believed that I myself wasn't an addict, I just "misused" drugs. Well, reality and life can change thinking in huge ways.

I know that some people won't ever change their minds and that's their right. I just love the opportunity to share my thoughts and connect with my fellow recovering nurses.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
jlsrn,

The entire story is too crazy to have to post it every time. I think in my posts above I got most of the story out. I took meds home, brought them back the same day, they did a review of my MARs found on some occasions I had given meds "early", and that was their official reason for termination. Did I make a careless error by leaving with the meds, YES, do I think it would have happened if I were not ill, NO. Did I desirve to be terminated for using a practice that was common on my unit, and thought to be OK, NO. I am no saint, or perfect nurse, I made a mistake and thank goodness that was all it was. The fact remains that I was not given a chance, I begged for a drug screen, anything, and they had no interest.

If a nurse has developed a drug abuse problem for what ever reason, most of the time they are not able to get help for themselves and my point was that she needs help, and everyone who knows of this problem and does nothing to stop/help her is letting her down.

jlsrn, I am sorry if you felt I was being shady, I have no secrets when it comes to my "situation". It is just very complicated, and hard for even me to understand. I guess I cant expect you to be able to understand it when even I cant.

Yes, there did seem to be a discrepency in your story, thanks for the explanation.

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Specializes in L&D, High Risk OB, OR, Med-Surg, PHN.

]CATTITUDE well put, I am a recovering nurse and have heard many, many wonderful stories in the rooms, uplifting, sad, hopeful. I have a terminal illness and it is in remission all it would take is the ONE drug. I feel some of they store is not being told..

Lisa ;)

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Specializes in Acute/ICU/LTC/Advocate/Hospice/HH/.

I need some advice about TPAPN and some of the requirements for completion. Contracted with them June 06 (1 semester short of my RN) and they denied my request to return to school. Went to work in July 06 and did my 6 months narc restriction. Allowed to finish my RN and started in Jan 07. Narc restrictions lifted Jan 07, fired Jan 07, wrongful termination was looked into by TPAPN and they decided I had no liability for my temination and allowed me to continue school and would consider it part of my 12 months safe work practice. At their suggestion, filed EEOC complaint currently under investigation. So, they are counting my work as July 06 to May 07, so after graduation and boards, I needed two months of safe practice to complete the 12 months. Finally found a job in LTC and had to beg them to hire me (bad experience with TPAPN nurse in past). 30 days after I started, I was on the phone with TPAPN begging them to let me quit, very unsafe facility, went home crying daily, worried because DON and ADM didnt care or correct problems. TPAPN said that my former employer (fired Jan07) had reported me to the board for Narc issues and my case was being reevaluated by TPAPN and it was not a good time to rock the boat. So, I stayed. Miserable. I was making $1 more than I made as an LVN, was responsible for 100+ patients and 20+ staff and stressed daily. Finally, after 90 days I had lost my desire to be a nurse. Called TPAPN and they said the referral from board was a malicious complaint, and I was still in compliance. So, I quit my job. TPAPN called the employer and they told TPAPN that I was "emotional" and they were concerned about me. TPAPN asked me to get a Psych eval to see if I needed meds to balance my moods. Told TPAPN that quiting that job was the smartest decision I had ever made. Saw the MD and he said I was fine and did not need meds, but he wanted me to work with a therapist on some childhood abuse issues that may have been the cause of my drug addiction. GOOD GOD!! So, TPAPN won't allow me to go back to work, even though I found a home health co that knows about TPAPN and has a job waiting for me. Then TPAPN told me that they wont let me work home health, and they want me to start any job I get with all the restrictions in place. Including the ones I have worked so hard to get lifted like the narcotic access no supervision. I have done everything asked of me from TPAPN and have never had a + drug screen, all paperwork in on time, MD evals, treatment recommendations, I put up with so much crap from my job and co workers during that first 6 months, I never cried so much or felt so small. They are questioning my performance at the last job and said that anyone else would have had to start TPAPN all over again. Which is crap cause a girl I worked with had relapsed twice after I started and was referred to the board and she is scheduled to complete TPAPN just 2 months after I do and she is working unsupervised as a nurse assessor for LTC center, which is anothe job they wont let me take. It is so unfair. I am supposed to be done in June, but this work thing may extend that. What happens if I dont go back to work until after I finish TPAPN, does the work I did from July to January still count? They said that my hours as a student counted towards my work requirements, so there is safe practice from January to May. Then that crap job I suffered through for 3 months so my work requirements should be done right? I know that I have made the decisions that have put me here and I accept that fully, I love my therapist and will continue to see her after TPAPN for my own well being. But what can I do??? My advocate is on my side but has limited influence. HELP HELP HELP:angryfire

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Contact your Board of Nursing to find what to do next. They may do an investigation independant of the hospital. You taking action against the nurse may be the first step to their recovery. It may be the best thing you can do for them. Most states the process of turning someone in the the board is anoymous. Many times addicts, alcoholics will not take responsibility for their actions until they are forced to. Good luck.

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