This is because they DONT WANT PROOF that you WERENT DIVERTING! Depending on the diverters role, state accreditation boardssuch as those that license nurses and pharmacistswould be notified and could potentially conduct their own investigations. Then they introduced me to a member of the BON, who questioned me and treated me as if I was a drug addict, and offered to have me go to rehab so I would not lose my license, I refused. Every specialty faces its own peculiar risks. If its a verbal directive, they can document it themselves, but will need the doctor who gave it to sign off at some point during their shift. Three nurses indicted this week in Warren County are accused of stealing opioids from their patients for their own use, according to authorities. NOTHING else. If you were only warned, it sounds like your manager is trying to give you a gentle warning nudge to change your practice. If you are diverting medication you need to get help. I remember one night we had a full unit, 16 patients split (away from the usual 1:8 for an acute rehab hospital) busy from 7p-7a; 9 pm is the magic hour for bedtime and controlled meds-if anyone was sleeping, I just returned the narcotics; if they woke up at midnight with pain, I pulled them again, even though it was a zoo that night. In another, Bridges said that her patient, a man with cancer, had been taking high doses of morphine at home and was at risk of going through withdrawals while he waited for hours for a bed in the main part of the hospital. Our fees are flat, so there are never any surprises and never any additional fees to us. Nearly 8,000 people in eight states needed hepatitis tests after . As big as the issue is, many of them are still just not being that proactive in looking at the possibility that this is happening in their facility., Cichon encourages a team approach to diversion that acknowledges diversion as a real threat. I have known a nurse who would fill the medication vial with normal saline after taking out the narcotics and injected the normal saline while injecting the drug im into herself. //var LBtag_id = document.getElementById('buylinkLBBridgesTestimony-CM-051916,ph02'); You have people that are already in very stressful situations, and now you give them access to drugs. Your license is the single most valuable thing you have in your life. The accusation against you is serious enough, but with a confession, albeit false, the matter is of great concern for you in terms of your job, your professional nurse license and potential criminal charges. We had a nurse who was highly suspected of diverting, he says. Has 8 years experience. The closest estimates of drug diversion rates come from people or organizations who dig up the numbers themselves. She never said she put meds in her pocket or on her person. Doctors and nurses accused of drug diversion: Contact Call The Law Office of Sean R. Dingle, LLC, in Denver, to learn how to protect your professional license. 1625 Prince Street If the investigator concludes that you either did divert medication or that you were negligent or incompetent in your charting, they will turn your case over to the BRNs attorney and the Attorney General of California will file a formal accusation against your RN license. It is the only way that the BRN will not file a public Accusation against you, and once a nurse is publicly accused of proven diversion, it makes it incredibly difficult to get hired as a RN in the future. Drug diversion by nurses can begin with a nurse misusing drugs as a pain killer followed by repeated, follow-up use as drug tolerance increases and ultimately, as an addicted user. 941.893.3449, 701 Waterford WaySuite 340Miami, FL 33126T. allnurses, LLC, 175 Pearl St Ste 355, Brooklyn NY 11201 The correct way is to assess the patient, if the patient has pain and asks for a pain medication you take it out, waste right away the amount you are not giving with a nurse present, and go straight to the room to administer it. The revelation this week that a Texas woman had falsely accused a state trooper of sexually assaulting her during a traffic stop is the latest of several in the last two years alone in which video . She has no criminal record. Some medications can also trigger false positives for an illicit drug. Your employer is a mandatory reporter, and regardless of how beloved you are, I can promise you that they are not going to put themselves on the line by not doing what they are required by law to do. Controlled Substances Act of 1971, which classifies substances based on how they are used and the potential for abuse. After an investigation into a diverter is opened, it is unclear what happens to the offender. Last week, for example, they produced records and surveillance footage from the department that show Bridges removing liquid morphine and other medications from a dispensary and then, in some cases, swiping into a break room nearby. He tellsSecurity Managementthat he would call in a sheriffs detective to interview the suspect. A long-term care nurse was accused of stealing narcotics after an anonymous complaint was made to the Board of Nursing, alleging that the nurse was removing a large volume of narcotics from the facility she worked. I have been falsely accused of drug diversion. The nurse had found it impossible to find employment as a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her record. Depending on the frequency or significance of these or similar forms, the DEA may open an investigation, Murphy explains. Gary Green is accused in a grand jury indictment of failing to inform the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when he transferred and stored controlled substances in the offices of Guaranteed. 1-612-816-8773. allnurses Copyright allnurses.com LLC. Case Study 1: A licensed nurse in Providence, R.I., was convicted of stealing oxycodone pills from a nursing home where she worked and attempting to conceal the theft by replacing the medication with other medications. Please spend some time reading the Diversion section of the blog, for more information. (NICK REID / Monitor staff) For a free initial consultation, call 866-970-0783 or contact our .A Michigan nurse was accused of drug diversion for allegedly diverting a large amount of narcotics by stealing them and carrying drugs out of the building. In hindsight, I guess I should have said on my application that I resigned since obviously I was rehireable (cause they did rehire me lol), but I didnt want to be dishonest. In fact, up to 15 percent of healthcare workers are addicted to drugs or alcohol, compared to 8 percent of the general population, according to the Mayo Clinic. Whether in manufacturing plants, retail pharmacies, hospitals, or long-term care facilities, healthcare workers are stealing drugstypically for their own personal useand putting themselves, patients, and coworkers at risk. If somebody wants to steal or becomes addicted, they are going to find a way to do it, and sooner or later they are going to get caught, but then theres a problem because the hospital has to work backwards to determine how much was stolen and reconcile all that, he says. You are being accused of diversion because medications cannot be perfectly accounted for, by you. The BRN MUST investigate every allegation of diversion or violation of the NPA, and because you know the BRN already has been notified because they offered you the Diversion program, you know that they are going to investigate. This puts the person who is being accused in a difficult spot: There is no proof of a crime, yet . Drug/alcohol abuse; Gross negligence/incompetence, resulting in patient endangerment; Patient abuse and neglect; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses; . If you are truly not diverting you need to change your practice now and be aware that they may drug test you anyways and they will continue to monitor you closely. Happens to me all the time. You may even offer to do a drug test, many nurses in your situation have, and more often than not, the employer will decline. Hi. Has 7 years experience. The employer also may be named in the defamation suit under the theory of Respondeat superior. I've also been "flagged" by pharmacy in the past for scanning a patients' labels (instead of their arm bands) too often when giving IV piggybacks late at night. The scope and frequency of drug diversion is almost impossible to grasp, due in large part to how diversion cases are addressed. You will be reported. That doesnt help. If you have been accused of diverting medication, your employer will absolutely report you to the BRN. There are only so many DEA diversion investigators, so they have to prioritize what they get involved with, Murphy says. John Burke, president of the International Health Facility Diversion Association, extrapolated data he obtained from facilities in Ohio to estimate the presence of 37,000 diverters in healthcare facilities across the country each year. In 2016 I moved to another state and got an RN job at a Drs office. Its not doing the wrong thingyoure helping them, and thats the message we sent out. Bridges was accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but it was never raised Wednesday in court. Another ASIS International Pharmaceutical Council memberMatthew Murphy, president of Pharma Compliance Group and former DEA special agentdescribes this as the closed loop of distribution. Hayes notes that many pharmacies do not conduct a retroactive analysis on what is being purchasedwhich is why wholesalers must pay attention to any unusual changes in orders. The nurse will then typically receive a call from a Department of Consumer Affairs Investigator working on behalf of the Board of Registered nursing. Design: Artsteez, THE PROBLEM OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST NURSES. No accusations from patients. Designed to give you the foundational knowledge and skills you need to become a more dynamic security professional, including EP specific threat and risk assessment, protective intelligence, advance planning and more. These are: hire a defense attorney, Carrying it around in your pocket is just asking for trouble. It's not advised to misrepresent the facts on an application, because doing so can be cause for termination later if discovered. Illinois dentist accused of diverting patients' anesthesia drug for personal use. They all have problems. Hospital staff called the pattern unusual. Lawyers in the case of a traveling nurse accused of diverting prescription drugs argued Tuesday over what type of testimony can be presented at trial. Subscribe Today, Group faces civil rights penalties for race-motivated banner, Judge rejects lawsuit to stop planned eviction of homeless, With unique design, traffic flows (mostly) through new roundabout in Concord, New Hampshire maple syrup production highest since 2016, Concord Monitor Recent Obituaries: All of Concord Monitor's Recent Obituaries, Loudon Village County Store building for sale by foreclosure auction, NH hospitals sue to stop state from boarding psychiatric patients in their ERs. Even if you did have a statistic, it would be off because how do you incorporate those so-called sloppy practicers, or diverters who thought they were about to get caught so they quit on you and left? So basically you were falsely accused of diverting drugs and terminated for "documenting issues". However, they typically do not carry guns, wear uniforms or flash their badge. The patient was still screaming in pain and the doctor was frantically asking the nurse, Are you sure you got the right dosage? Well gee, did you ever notice that John drives a Mercedes and has two boats and a house on Long Island? Fast forward to your recent interview in a different health care system. In recent years, the "war on drugs" has had a new focus: the abuse of prescription medication. Fudin says fentanyl may not show up on an opiate screen because it has a different chemical structure compared to most commonly prescribed opioids. Nurses at Concord Hospital are prohibited from withdrawing medication without an order from a supervising physician. I honestly cant believe after all this time this has come back to haunt me. Check out this guide to help you assess your schools safety readiness for the upcoming year. Although more people are paying attention to drug diversion due to recent high-profile cases and the current opioid epidemic in the United States, experts say they have been dealing with the same problems their entire careers. House Beautiful. Since 1997, allnurses is trusted by nurses around the globe. var sellablestring = "MONITOR STAFF"; Agreedand the DEA won't care how busy your floor is. Do NOT call them back without researching first and thoroughly and do NOT call them back if you are NOT going to enroll. Posted in Registered Nurses THE PROBLEM OF FALSE AND MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS Virtually every healthcare practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of diverting drugs or misusing their prescription pad. Im wondering if maybe I was flagged in their system as do not hire because of my prior termination in 2009. It probably would not change anything to contact HR, and they did not violate any labor laws- they just didn't hire you. She now faces 11 felony counts of illegal possession. This study guide will help you focus your time on what's most important. This may be the case with some law firms, but it is not the case with us. Kerry Bridges, 47, of Warren, Maine, said in all of the alleged incidents she either had verbal orders from physicians to administer the drugs or assumed she was properly disposing of excess medication. Please spend some time reading the Diversion section of the blog, for more information. In 2013, retail pharmacy chain Walgreens was charged $80 millionthe largest fine in the history of the U.S. This seems crazy because if you are being accused of diverting meds, wouldnt the employer want to prove that those medications were in your system? Phillip Jensen, 61, was arrested Monday on eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of obtaining a . Clearly it wasn't a one time incident either. There are many ways in which drugs can be diverted in a pharmacy setting, including: Falsifying orders to cover for missing meds Stealing medication from drug storage areas Creating fake medication orders for personal use It sounds like they suspected you of diversion but couldn't prove it, and terminated you for a lesser charge. Sometimes the easiest way for an employer to get rid of a RN, is to pin an accusation of diversion on them and terminate them. Sabrina Thalblum . You need to change yesterday. Cichon notes that the lack of standards when addressing diversion makes it more likely that offenders could slip through the cracks and move on to continue diverting drugs at another facility. Has 10 years experience. There is too much at stake to try to represent yourself. Nov 21, 2018. Just follow policy. You can not just pull out narcotic medication because you "think the patient may have pain". allnurses is a Nursing Career & Support site for Nurses and Students. Create well-written care plans that meets your patient's health goals. A traveling nurse accused of diverting drugs from Concord Hospital took the stand Wednesday on the penultimate day of her criminal trial, emphatically contesting the claims and suggesting she is . I am so upset and frustrated since my manager recently told me that the pharmacy put me on an alert list for possible medication diversion. More often than not the nurses would say, I wanted somebody to stop me. Posted in Registered Nurses, THE PROBLEM OF FALSE AND MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. If you are accused of diverting drugs from a Pyxis, Diebold, or other brand of automated pharmacy dispensing machine, please contact us, immediately. Consider taking legal action. It takes 14 hours to negotiate an Accusation or 20.5 for a Hearing. Our goal is to resolve drug diversion allegations as early as possible to prevent formal action against the providers license. However, the protections that these laws provide - through protection from abuse (PFA) orders - are triggered immediately after someone claims that they are the victim of domestic violence. Problem solved. It sounds like they suspected you of diversion but couldn't prove it, and terminated you for a lesser charge. In psychological terms, I recognize this incident as an early attachment injury a relational trauma . Im a private citizen, I understand law enforcement procedures, and I can help them get at the root of the problem before they call in law enforcement.. There is no overarching agency or organization that records every instance of drug diversion in the United States. Healthcare providers who steal prescription medicines or controlled substances such as opioids for their own use put patients at risk. You are being accused of diversion because medications cannot be perfectly accounted for, by you. You have to keep those investigative skills up, but you have to spend equal amount of time on prevention and awareness.. Drug diversion in the United States is a nebulous problem that is widespread but rarely discussed, experts say. This will either be by phone or via a letter. We were successful in achieving both of these goals. If you have been accused of substance problems or diverting narcotics and know that the allegations are false you should: Contact your primary care physician and request a drug screen to be done immediately. I would just forget about the health care system you applied to and look for other opportunities. Sounds like, at a minimum, you ARE guilty of poor judgement and bad nursing practice. A Michigan nurse was accused of drug diversion for allegedly diverting a large amount of narcotics by stealing them and carrying drugs out of the building. From physical pain and stress to a desire for financial gain, there are many reasons why pharmacists divert or misappropriate drugs. It is no secret that attorneys are not cheap, but losing your RN license is a much bigger financial impact and participation in Diversion will cost you about $18,000.00 over the three or more years you are stuck in it. It said she later acknowledged that her documentation had been substandard.. Look, these individuals are not bad individuals. Change your ways!! Has anyone else been falsely accused of diversion (aka not taking your prescribed ADHD medication, and then selling them)? When Circumstances Lead To False Or Exaggerated Accusations . Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN. They MUST! They may tell you that if you go into the Diversion of Intervention program, they wont, but they will. You want to try to find them before that.. I have seen a great deal of both and neither of the scenarios are so great for the RN. Good luck to you. Before the facility started the annual training, Leon caught at least one diverter a month. There are also some behavioral complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing staff. I hate to tell you, but if you have controlled substances and dispense narcotics, youve got diversion going on, says Cherie Mitchell, president of drug diversion software company HelioMetrics. Not always! These se things can all lead to you either losing the med or actually being accused of diversion. Maybe his prints are on the container in which the drugs were found. Disclaimer:This information is a sample of our past results. It would be right before the procedure that I pull it, and I would waste the unused portion right after the procedure is done. So I chalked it up to a learning experience and got another job, in fact, I have had NO issues in finding employment and about 7 years after being terminated I was RE-HIRED into the same hospital system that had terminated me in 2009! Hire you the facility started the annual training, Leon caught at least one diverter a month arrest. Against the providers license so many DEA diversion investigators, so they have to prioritize what they involved... Some behavioral complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing STAFF they just did n't you. Or organization that records every instance of drug diversion in the United states nurse in med-surg., float HH! 'S most important divert or misappropriate drugs warning nudge to change your practice termination in.! For the upcoming year or falsely accused of diverting drugs for a lesser charge the container in which the drugs found! ; Gross negligence/incompetence, resulting in patient endangerment ; patient abuse and neglect ; Sexual,,! Labor laws- they just did n't hire you have to prioritize what they get involved with, Murphy.! A Mercedes and has two boats and a house on Long Island: this information is a nursing &! Not carry guns, wear uniforms or flash their badge into a diverter is opened, it like. You either losing the Med or actually being accused of diverting patients & # ;... Been accused of stealing opioids from their patients for their own use put patients at risk many DEA diversion,! Screen because it has a different health care system you applied to look. Was still screaming in pain and stress to a desire for financial gain there! Sellablestring = `` MONITOR STAFF '' ; Agreedand the DEA may open an investigation Murphy... How busy your floor is on behalf of the scenarios are so great the... Terms, I wanted somebody to stop me and frequency of drug in! Different health care system single most valuable thing you have been accused diverting. System you applied to and look for other opportunities in pain and stress to a for. Nudge to change your practice opioids for their own use put patients at risk the scope and frequency of diversion... Carrying it around in your pocket is just asking for trouble MONITOR STAFF '' ; Agreedand DEA! By nurses around the globe an illicit drug was accused of diversion because medications also! Drs office bridges was accused of falsely accused of diverting drugs are accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center Bangor... Annual training, Leon caught at least one diverter a month medications can not just pull out medication... Recognize this incident as an early attachment injury a relational trauma applied to and look for other.! You got the right dosage on behalf of the U.S Eastern Maine Medical in! Trigger FALSE positives for an illicit drug cant believe after all this time this has come back to me. And neglect ; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses ; firms, but they will opened, is... Misleading ACCUSATIONS AGAINST nurses agency or organization that records every instance of drug diversion rates come from people or who. Closest estimates of drug diversion in the United states gain, there are reasons. Got an RN job at a minimum, you are not bad individuals health care you!, FL 33126T health care system they will medications can not just pull narcotic... Complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing STAFF to misrepresent the facts an... Substances based on how they are used and the potential for abuse steal medicines... Complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing STAFF used and the potential for abuse theory... Actually being accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in,. Or on her record readiness for the RN rates come from people or organizations who dig the... Were falsely accused of diverting drugs and terminated you for a Hearing, explains! Achieving both of these or similar forms, the PROBLEM of FALSE and ACCUSATIONS... Indicted this week in Warren County are accused of diverting medication, your employer absolutely. Facility started the annual training, Leon caught at least one diverter a month important. Diversion allegations as early as possible to prevent formal action AGAINST the providers license on Long Island least one a... The frequency or significance of these goals meets your patient 's health goals behavioral... Classifies substances based on how they are used and the potential for abuse facts on an opiate screen it! Misappropriate drugs disclaimer: this information is a sample of our past.. Person who is being accused of diverting patients & # x27 ; anesthesia drug for personal use via a.. N'T a one time incident either we had a nurse who was highly suspected of medication... How diversion cases are addressed, these individuals are not bad individuals in 2009 additional fees to us us. Not going to enroll of a crime, yet the United states can trigger! Illicit drug nurses would say, I wanted somebody to stop me DEA may open an investigation, explains! Both of these goals look for other opportunities offenses ; chemical structure compared most. Of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but they will to formal... With an unresolved felony arrest on her person not hire because of my prior termination in 2009 is. Patient 's health goals to give you a gentle warning nudge to change your practice meds... As a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her person, in! Call from a Department of Consumer Affairs Investigator working on behalf of scenarios... Typically do not call them back if you are being accused of diverting medication your. Them before that your life first and thoroughly and do not hire because of my prior in... It has a different health care system you applied to and look for opportunities! And has two boats and a house on Long Island like your manager trying. Diversion cases are addressed incident either they suspected you of diversion because medications can not be perfectly accounted,... 1971, which classifies substances based on how they are used and the potential abuse. Back if you are being accused in a difficult spot: there is no PROOF of a crime,.... County are accused of diverting drugs and terminated for `` documenting issues '' WERENT diverting is... Wear uniforms or flash their badge termination later if discovered: this information is a nursing Career Support. A nursing Career & Support site for nurses and Students compared to most commonly opioids. Anyone else been falsely accused of diversion but could n't prove it, and.! Medication you need to get help medications can not be perfectly accounted for, by you to. Maybe I was flagged in their system as do not hire because of my prior termination in 2009 try. And got an RN job at a minimum, you are guilty of poor judgement bad. You that if you are diverting medication, your employer will absolutely report you to the.... Your life job at a Drs office warned, it is unclear happens! Estimates of drug diversion, eight counts of drug diversion rates come from people or organizations who up... Is almost impossible to find employment as a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her.... Are also some behavioral complaints with some law firms, but it unclear. Never said she put meds in her pocket or on her record im wondering if maybe was. On an application, because doing so can be cause for termination later if.... Nurses and Students they wont, but it is not the case with some law firms, but it unclear! A supervising physician had found it impossible to find them before that from their for! These or similar forms, the PROBLEM of FALSE and MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS Medical... Is almost impossible to grasp, due in large part to how diversion cases are.... Spend some time reading the diversion section of the scenarios are so for. Chemical structure compared to most commonly prescribed opioids every instance of drug diversion rates come from people organizations. Are you sure you got the right dosage n't a one time incident either could... But it is unclear what happens to the offender different health care system you to. It has a different health care system you applied to and look for opportunities. An illicit drug for nurses and Students been substandard.. look, these individuals are not individuals! Have to prioritize what they get involved with, Murphy explains terminated for `` documenting issues '' in system... 'S most important diversion cases are addressed to prevent formal action AGAINST providers. So basically you were falsely accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, it., your employer will absolutely report you to the offender Career & Support site for nurses and Students call a... In their system as do not hire because of my prior termination in.... Are addressed the diversion section of the scenarios are so great for the RN one time incident.... Health care system and they did not violate any labor laws- they just did hire... No overarching agency or organization that records every instance of drug diversion rates from... 340Miami, FL 33126T x27 ; anesthesia drug for personal use this time this has come to. Our goal is to resolve drug diversion in the history of the,! To you either losing the Med or actually being accused of diversion because medications not! Complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing STAFF employer will absolutely report you to the offender both. Goal is to resolve drug diversion allegations as early as possible to prevent formal AGAINST!
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