What is the strangest thing you have caught patients and/or their family members attempting to steal from your place of work?
We've lost a lot of tympanic thermometers, sphygmomanometers, pulse oximeters throughout the years, linens commonly vanish, and last winter someone made it into our change-room (i.e. a closet with a coat rack and tiny lockers) on our unit and stole the evening shift staff's winter coats. *Sniffles* I miss my winter coat
But this week... This week, I caught a patient's adult daughter trying to steal our brand new bladder scanner (which costs over $20,000). This thing is huge and connected to a large apparatus on wheels, yet she was wheeling it towards the elevator with such confidence and ease. When staff members attempted to address the situation it was quite a Winona Ryder moment.
Had a patient in a chronic dialysis unit steal her own blood cultures! She was very lethargic on this particular day, and had a low grade temperature.
We had a feeling she was smoking weed, and was always anxious when we drew any labs.
Her chair was right next to the lab. At shift change the unit was very busy, I guess she thought we were drawing a drug screen, so when no one was watching her closely, she must have sneaked into the lab and taken them.
We went to pack up the labs later, and they were gone!!
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
When I worked ER as a tech we caught some intoxicated gentlemen trying to abscond with the sharps container. Apparently seeking leftover narcotics and not noticing the biohazard label. They saw the nurses waste narcotic glass vials, carpuject syringes, and partial syringes into biohazard per policy. Too drunk to think about the blood and used needles in there. Didn't care until we mentioned we'd have to call the EPA hotline (I think they thought we said DEA).
(IV bags were wasted down the drain and rinsed. Used patches were dropped in biohazard).
They said they were curious how it felt to try drugs. Um curious how hepatitis and MRSA feel too guys?
Numerous staff have had purses and wallets stolen, and one night someone got into our locked break room and stole everyone's lunches. (Left the lunch bags, just took the lunches.)
I love this Ruby! The rudeness of stealing lunch and having the nerve to leave the empty bags. That is funny!
Maybe in a smaller hospital than mine. Mine has about 9 parking garages (all of them enormous) and a couple of lots. The thief could spend all danged night looking for the right car!
Yep 2 garages and one huge lot. The lot is used by a lot of senior/night shifters as it is right outside the Ed. It's all on camera lol.
Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Hospice,IV Therapy.
When I worked in home hospice and palliative care I went to see one of another nurse's pts and used 2 pleurex drainage kits to drain her pleurex. She would not let me discard them. She said that she had to pay for them so she was keeping them to make vases out of them. I asked her to at least let me see if I could empty them and she would not let me.
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
Working night shift returned to nurses station after first rounds to find locked crash cart med box open and 50cc Bicarb and epinephrine syringe gone..
not the strangest but our hospital loses wheelchairs like it's going outta style. security watches them like hawks but yet we still end up short week after week and are constantly buying more. Well, not buying more, but getting the email from management saying we're buying more and telling us to be more alert. You know, on top of doing everything else, we're playing loss prevention, too.
While on vacation about 8 hours away from home, I saw a group of 3 people on electric scooters that all said "PROPERTY OF *** HOSPITAL PLEASE RETURN" where I work.
We have scooters by the entrance from the ramp for visitors too weak to traverse the whole, huge building. And apparently for said visitors to take home with them.
When my Mom was in the hospital last year, she took the little portable suction canister. Bless her heart, she said that the hospital gave it to her. She's gone now :'( I also think the nursing home she stayed at took the same machine. I didn't receive a majority of her stuff from them >
We had someone steal a glass bottle of morphine right off the pole after their family member passed away. The patient passed away, the nurse took a break while the family had time with the patient. When the nurse came back the morphine bottle was gone.
You know, I've gotta respect this. At least they waited until after their family member was dead so there was no harm to the patient. We keep our controlled drips in lock boxes with combinations because we had problems with family members running off with them in the past while the patient was still alive.
...Not that that really stops people from stealing if they are determined. They used to just take the lock box too because it was just a box that locked hanging off a pole. The new lock boxes have to be opened with the combination before the box on the pole can be moved at all.
Working night shift returned to nurses station after first rounds to find locked crash cart med box open and 50cc Bicarb and epinephrine syringe gone..
We've had visitors rifle through the crash cart, too. I've always said I'd pay to see what that guy/girl's face looked like when they shot up the Epi. I don't think that's the high they were looking for.
Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.
Old story and patient didn't steal, but still it was very odd. Patient came into our Family Practice office and had her yearly pap smear done. She then asked to take home the used, disposable lady partsl speculum. She was insistent. The Dr. hesitated, tried to decline, then tried to offer her at least a clean, unused one. Don't think I was much help dissuading the patient as I was shocked and speechless. Patient became agitated and said as she was paying for the visit and supplies it was hers to keep. Eventually the Dr. gave in, placed the speculum in a plastic bag, and the patient put in her purse, smiled and left.
To this day I wonder what in the world she wanted with that speculum. Then I get all kinds of freaky pictures in my head! Ick!
idialyze, BSN, RN
168 Posts
Had a patient in a chronic dialysis unit steal her own blood cultures! She was very lethargic on this particular day, and had a low grade temperature.
We had a feeling she was smoking weed, and was always anxious when we drew any labs.
Her chair was right next to the lab. At shift change the unit was very busy, I guess she thought we were drawing a drug screen, so when no one was watching her closely, she must have sneaked into the lab and taken them.
We went to pack up the labs later, and they were gone!!