These Accusations always call for revocation of the RN license, but in the thousands of cases we have defended, this has happened only twice to our clients (remember that earlier, super- subtle plug about the amazing attorney?) There is too much at stake to try to represent yourself. Do not pocket or store anymore drugs in anticipation of needing them later. 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. 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 Healthcare Fraud Defense & Health Care Criminal Defense. Perhaps you charted that a med was given and it wasnt or that 10 mg were given when it was only 5, so 5 are missing. Moving forward, you could just list dates of employment unless the application forces an answer, such as "Were you ever terminated?" A few weeks later I received a letter from the BON stating basically that they did not find any reason to discipline me and that my license was in good standing! It takes 14 hours to negotiate an Accusation or 20.5 for a Hearing. NOTHING else. Sounds like, at a minimum, you ARE guilty of poor judgement and bad nursing practice. 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. Dont start dialing that 1800 number just yet we can help! Due to the stigma of discovering diverters on staff, many hospitals just arent preparing themselves to address the problem proactively, Cichon explains. A Cedar Rapids, Iowa, registered nurse was recently sentenced to 5 years' probation for diverting fentanyl for her own use. I was falsely accused of drug diversion. Copyright 2023 RN Guardian, All rights reserved. 14. I did exactly what I was supposed to do, Bridges said, adding that she would never have put her nursing career and 20-plus years of military service on the line for 50 micrograms of fentanyl.. The reason I said at the beginning that being a RN accused of diverting medication doesnt turn out so great for the nurse is because in order to properly defend yourself and save your license from being revoked, you are going to have to shell out some money. 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. 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. If you diverted only a few times, it may be hard to prove that it was in fact diversion and you may be treated as someone who just made a few medication errors. Falsely Accused: I'm wondering if you didn't get on the wrong side of someone in your previous job. Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac. Change your ways!! The only reason for this is because I have pulled out morphine at times and not given it until 1-2 hours later. I have been falsely accused of drug diversion. Both of these options are violations of the Nurse Practice Act and cause for revocation of your RN license. Posted in Registered Nurses, THE PROBLEM OF FALSE AND MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. Want to Read. Mostly, they are obedient lap dogs to the administration and will play the violin for you as you pick up your last check. 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. If you did not divert, you have no business in the Diversion program and this is NOT an effective or easy way to avoid the hassle or expense of the BRN or potential discipline. I was heartbroken as I really wanted this position! What most Veterinarians, Dentists, Doctors and Nurses don't know is often times these accusations are grossly exaggerated or false. The doctor went to properly treat the patient and Leon called the nurse manager and the local sheriffs detective in to begin an official investigation into the nurses actions. Falsely accused for hit a teammate drug tested sent home 2hour after it happened This happened at a cross walk that the person was not in they was tat the pole I made a turn from a stopped position to park my order . There were no witnesses to the act except for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital management. Even though the accusations may be unfair and untrue, the situation is real. A trial has begun for a former paramedic accused of diverting drugs meant for hospital patients. If DEA determines that they are lax or have not been adhering to requirements, there could be anything from a fine to a letter of admonition requiring corrective actions. In more serious cases, DEA could revoke the registration because the activity or behavior was so egregious that it was determined that the facility is not responsible enough, Murphy explains. I was then sent for a urine drug screen and breathalyzer. Kristen Ashley (Goodreads Author) (shelved 3 times as falsely-accused) avg rating 4.41 38,248 ratings published 2011. But there is no reason to panic. They asked me, Are 13 vials substantial or not? Not just security personnel should be involved with the diversion aspect, he 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. No matter what number you come to, its probably bigger in reality.. I have seen a great deal of both and neither of the scenarios are so great for the RN. So I moved on and applied for another ER position in a nearby town (in the same health system as the one in my town) and again received an email saying that they were not interested (I did not even get an interview). I will spend as much time as you need listening to the details of your specific case, confidentially and without judgment. I hired a lawyer, and went through all the steps to have this . Before he retired, he says, that number had dropped to one or two a year. Recommended Stories. I know your aware moving forward you will pull pts meds when you are about to administer them; you will have to prioritize what needs to be done afterwards-if you are able to delegate, so be it, if not during staffing, learn to cluster care and try to be mindful to anticipate who needs meds, what pts may need what supplies if they are having frequent code browns, what can a confused pt have as activities to help prevent a fall, etc., so you won't feel the need to carry meds on your person when your pt doesn't need them; ask for assistance as far as strategies for seasoned coworkers as well. If you are a registered nurse and have been recently accused of diverting medication, there are only 2 scenarios: 1.) Think real hard about the names you put down for references. I thought I was being nice, but it wasn't the safest practice. 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. Do not pocket or store anymore drugs in anticipation of needing them later. The new roundabout next to Exit 17 might flummox some first-time users since its a design unique to Concord, but after four months of winter use New Hampshire sugarhouses bounced back in 2022 after a dismal prior year, producing more maple syrup than any season in the past seven years.The U Kerry Bridges (right) sits next to her attorney, Jim Moir, in Concords district court on Tuesday. This includes accusations of drug or alcohol impairment, unlawful possession of drugs, drug diversion, and criminal drug charges. Fast forward to your recent interview in a different health care system. 1-612-816-8773. allnurses Copyright allnurses.com LLC. You need to change yesterday. This complaint / report initiates a disciplinary investigation. Even orderlies have very stressful physical jobs, theyre lifting patients. The . Having support is essential when you're accused of something that you haven't done. There are different drugs today, of course, than there were 20 years ago.. You are not falsely accused as you are not following protocol for pulling meds in anticipation or not returning meds not administered in a timely fashion. PUBLISHED: November 17, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 11, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. A state licensing board and the Attorney General"s Office have accused a vocational nurse of diverting . Drug/alcohol abuse; Gross negligence/incompetence, resulting in patient endangerment; Patient abuse and neglect; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses; . Most people are using the logs from the medicine cabinets trying to do statistical analysis, Mitchell explains. They want me to come in instead of DEA or law enforcement, she explains. It takes 12 hours for an interview. This is because they DONT WANT PROOF that you WERENT DIVERTING! Problem solved. Bottom line is do not talk about your case to them without a lawyer present. 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. Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac. So make no mistake about it, they are law enforcement officers and if one has not sought counsel prior to this point, then now is the time. I would definitely think about changing your practice. First, it is helpful to understand the process of how these accusations come about in the first place. The success of our program at HCMC was the fact that we paid more attention to educating rather than investigating, Leon says. Those are the highly frustrating results of a new study from researchers at Harvard.. So what should you do if faced with an accusations concerning your charting errors and or alleged diversion of narcotics or other drugs? My breathalyzer and UDS were negative. They told me to cut it out, and I did. No accusations from patients. Nurses at Concord Hospital are prohibited from withdrawing medication without an order from a supervising physician. 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. 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