falsely accused of diverting drugs

Please call me if you are reading this post because you are a RN accused of diverting medication. Expectations Are Changing]. God forbid it falls out in front of another nurse, or you take it home, or you lose it, you are going to be in a world of trouble. You want to try to find them before that.. Click the link below to download our compliance eBook now! *For licenses in other states, please visit TAANA. While filing a complaint with the BRN is not mandated by law . 6. She said she routinely visited the break room to grab a snack, check her cell phone or use the staff restroom inside, which she assumed was cleaner than the public ones. Immediately. I think the combination is almost deadly.. Every specialty faces its own peculiar risks. [5] Take the initiative and invite someone out for coffee who you haven't seen in a while. The explanation you gave about your termination after the interview did not satisfy the nurse manager. Taking data such as medicine cabinet access, shift hours, time to waste, and departmental access allows software to identify anomalies, such as a nurse whose time to waste is often high, or a doctor who accesses patients files after they have been discharged. Cichon notes that many hospitals throughout the country have no plan in place to actively look for diverters. Through a series of tough negotiations with the prosecutor and by portraying a strong defensive position, we were successful in dismissing four of the five counts and obtaining diversion pursuant to MCL 333.7411. I hired a lawyer, and went through all the steps to have this . Specializes in Pediatrics, Rehab, Trauma. 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. Since 1997, allnurses is trusted by nurses around the globe. I have been falsely accused of drug diversion. Create well-written care plans that meets your patient's health goals. If we allow this person to resign rather than take action against him, then we dont have to report it.. Susan Hayes has been a private detective for healthcare facilities for more than a decade and says the opioid epidemic has magnified the drug diversion problem in recent years. Perhaps you failed to properly waste a med. The Royals' New Family Photo Is Causing Major Drama Right Now. Under a plea bargain, a defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for some benefit, such as a reduced sentence or lesser charge. 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. Maybe his prints are on the container in which the drugs were found. Nicole Irmer | Posted in News on December 8, 2021. Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry. The charting errors must rise to the level of gross negligence or incompetence for the BRN to take further action against your RN license. 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. If you are accused of diverting drugs from a Pyxis, Diebold, or other brand of automated pharmacy dispensing machine, please contact us, immediately. Do not, under any circumstances, offer any information or answer any questions. The jury's award came after the criminal charges were dropped seven months after being filed and a letter was sent by the State Attorney's office stat-ing she had been cleared of suspicion. Concord Monitor. Virtually every healthcare practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of diverting drugs or misusing their prescription pad. They have called all of their witnesses, and Bridges is the defenses only witness. Healthcare workers are not immune to the draw of opioids. I would definitely think about changing your practice. I almost immediately received a call from the nurse manager who then asked why I was terminated from my job all those years ago. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Markus Rashad Tull, 28, was arrested at a Morgan County Walmart on Saturday after he was accused of "skip scanning" items in the self- checkout lane. You could lose it, you could accidentally take it home, someone could see you pocket it and report it, etc, etc. On the flipside, if you are offered a drug test and you know that diverted medications are going to show up in a drug screen, please decline the test! If you know that the medication you are accused of diverting is NOT going to show up in a drug test, please go get one on your own. Its not doing the wrong thingyoure helping them, and thats the message we sent out. You will be reported. Bridges was accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but it was never raised Wednesday in court. You need to change yesterday. Mitchell explains that all hospitals have different wasting proceduressome require nurses to waste the medication immediately, before they even leave the medication rooms, while others may have a 20-minute window. The information provided has not been reviewed or approved by the StateBar. Instead, they insist she was unfairly and haphazardly targeted, and that the case exposes the serious flaws of an emergency department that still depends on paper records and whose administrators dont realize how divergent policy and practice become in the rush of the job. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been snubbed from a royal portrait that was taken at a reception they were "uninvited" from. In one alleged incident, Bridges said she withdrew 100 micrograms of fentanyl, went to the bathroom, then administered half of the drug and disposed of the rest, sending a paper copy of the disposal to a separate department. Listen to what they have to say and then please hang up. 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. The diverting healthcare worker typically isnt one whos going to be selling or diverting his or her drugs on the street, but they are abusing the drugs while they are working., Leon worked hard on diversion prevention at HCMC after discovering a surprising pattern: almost all of the diverters he investigated wanted to be caught. 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. Depending on the diverters role, state accreditation boardssuch as those that license nurses and pharmacistswould be notified and could potentially conduct their own investigations. This study guide will help you focus your time on what's most important. Please spend some time reading the Diversion section of the blog, for more information. Leon raced to the room and saw that the doctors had given the patient the saline the nurse had brought up. When a patient needs medication, a nurse goes to the medicine cabinet and dispenses the drug for the patient. In 2013, retail pharmacy chain Walgreens was charged $80 millionthe largest fine in the history of the U.S. It doesn't take long to got to the Pyxis for a med once patient asks for it. USA, Whos Liable for an Active Shooter Incident? 13,952 Posts. 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). And one should not rely on a union rep to come to the rescue. We give them CEUs of classes on charting. This will either be by phone or via a letter. Happens to me all the time. Drug/alcohol abuse; Gross negligence/incompetence, resulting in patient endangerment; Patient abuse and neglect; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses; . I know thats the standard practice, and thats what we strive to do, she told prosecutor Brooke Belanger, but as youve heard others testify, that doesnt always happen., Bridgess attorney, Jim Moir, criticized the hospital and state investigators for never reaching out to Bridges for explanations before arresting her in Maine and labeling her a fugitive from justice.. Your attorney can advise you about how best to handle this entire matter, including the false confession. When Circumstances Lead To False Or Exaggerated Accusations . The employees appreciated the cameras because it showed they werent diverting medication, they just made a mistake.. Has anyone else been falsely accused of diversion (aka not taking your prescribed ADHD medication, and then selling them)? This is something that is probably happening but were not finding it, he says. If you did divert, only you can decide if the BRNs Diversion or Intervention is right for you. When prospective employers are doing reference checks, who are they calling? Weve made it our career to save yours. 1,509 Posts. The employer also may be named in the defamation suit under the theory of Respondeat superior. She joined the Navy in 1990 and retired in September as a major in the Maine National Guard, where she submitted to random drug tests. They pull out meds and "hold" them or document as given but take them themselves or take them home. Not always! Perhaps you failed to properly waste a med. He also notes the importance of following up internally on each diversion case and figuring out what went wrong, and adjusting procedures to address any lapses. THE PROBLEM OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST NURSES on Tuesday, 04 August 2015. I will spend as much time as you need listening to the details of your specific case, confidentially and without judgment. Having support is essential when you're accused of something that you haven't done. This study guide will help you focus your time on what's most important. Is it possible to be a decent nurse if I'm a sociopath or have antisocial personality disorder? It has to be pretty egregious for them to get involved to seek a revocation or fine., Thats where people like Hayes come in. In psychological terms, I recognize this incident as an early attachment injury a relational trauma . Placing a narc in your pocket can be grounds for immediate dismissal. 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 that area, I knew immediately, this patient could have a broken bonethey were in intense pain and requiring this medication, Leon says. South African nurse wants to work in Canada. Seek support. contemporary art in region 7 brainly; marc klopp instagram. Decline plea bargains. 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. They are under a lot of pressure to catch instances of diversion, and repeatedly pulling a narc an hour of more before you give it is a definite red flag. Controlled substances were going missing at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), and the hospitals security investigator, William Leon, was determined to get to the bottom of it. It takes an average of 4 hours to review your case. They MUST! This act is illegal and opens up offenders to criminal prosecution, including those related to felony charges. These se things can all lead to you either losing the med or actually being accused of diversion. There are medical boards, nursing boards, pharmacy boards, and not every worker even falls under some sort of licensing board for that state. . Has 14 years experience. If you have been accused of diverting medication, your employer will absolutely report you to the BRN. If you were only warned, it sounds like your manager is trying to give you a gentle warning nudge to change your practice. People who are falsely accused tend to get angry --which makes others believe that they are indeed guilty. If a nurse or anesthesiologist or physician is speaking with you and telling you they are having these issues, then you should say something, Leon explains.