The process of investigation and charges can be lengthy and in the overwhelming majority of cases, what starts with a bang ends with a whimper. Kristen Ashley (Goodreads Author) (shelved 3 times as falsely-accused) avg rating 4.41 38,248 ratings published 2011. 3. 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. She now faces 11 felony counts of illegal possession. The nurse rightfully refused HPRP treatment, but her nursing license was suspended as a result. Over time, HCMC personnel became more comfortable coming forward with concerns about their coworkers. Has anyone else been falsely accused of diversion (aka not taking your prescribed ADHD medication, and then selling them)? By using the site you agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and Terms of Service Policies. 1-612-816-8773. allnurses Copyright allnurses.com LLC. CONCORD, N.H. A group accused of displaying Keep New England White banners from an overpass in New Hampshire faces state Civil Rights Act A judge on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit against New Hampshires largest city to prevent the planned eviction of homeless people at an encampment. We give them CEUs of classes on charting. Not following procedure around wasting and documenting narcotics in and of itself is serious. 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. Im wondering if maybe I was flagged in their system as do not hire because of my prior termination in 2009. How many times have you had things spill out of your pockets when pulling out a pen or bending over or something? There is too much at stake to try to represent yourself. We were successful in achieving both of these goals. Weve made it our career to save yours. The statistics Ive seen at hospitals that are being proactive and looking at this are finding at least one person a month who is diverting drugs in their facility. Are you sure it was hydromorphone? and she was insisting she had, Leon says. Virtually every healthcare practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of diverting drugs or misusing their prescription pad. So be smart and get a lawyer. Has 42 years experience. Experts agree that the most egregious diversion occurs during the wasting and dispensing process in scenarios similar to the incident Leon witnessed at HCMC. After receiving the complaint, the Board of Nursing issued an Order of Summary Suspension pursuant to MCL 333.16231 for drug diversion. Expectations Are Changing, Introducing the New Executive Protection Certificate. THE PROBLEM OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST NURSES on Tuesday, 04 August 2015. I am a physician who has been falsely accused of drug diversion, given mandatory fmla and inpatient addiction evaluation versus being fired. Theres a lot of people investigators really suspected were diverters but had to be chalked up to sloppy practice due to a lack of concrete evidence, so any statistic is talking about known diverters who are fired for diversion, she tellsSecurity Management. House Beautiful. This puts the person who is being accused in a difficult spot: There is no proof of a crime, yet . 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. You find out 60 days or six months later, or you dont see that pattern emerge by just using one or two data sets. Have honest, non-judgmental talks with family and friends, and seek counseling if a serious rift has occurred. 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. The patient was still screaming in pain and the doctor was frantically asking the nurse, Are you sure you got the right dosage? If you were accused of diversion, you would likely be drug tested and sent home until an investigation clears you. 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. The Royals' New Family Photo Is Causing Major Drama Right Now. Decline plea bargains. (NICK REID / Monitor staff) '"; They MUST! Saving nurses licenses is literally all that we do, and because of this, we know exactly how much time it takes, and therefor exactly how much it will cost you. HCMC has cameras set up in the medication room to monitor controlled substances, and Leon watched as the nurse began gathering prescribed medication for a patient in the emergency department. Reported incidents of diversion at about 1,200 VA facilities jumped from 272 in 2009 to 2,926 in 2015, the data revealed, and the VA inspector general has opened more than 100 criminal investigations since last October. The circumstances of your case may differ from the results provided. However, if youve done any research, you may think that youll have to mortgage your house or cash out your 401K because fees can run in the tens of thousands. A person cando five thingsif he/she is falsely accused of a crime. At this point, Leon knew exactly what was going on, and watched with increasing alarm as the nurse headed to a patients room in the orthopedic area of the hospital. tag_id.innerHTML = ''; This required a successful result at two hearings: asummary suspension hearing and a Board of Nursing formal administrative hearing. Find out your top seven security news stories, delivered to your inbox weekly, and powered by ASIS International. We had a nurse who was highly suspected of diverting, he says. Drug/alcohol abuse; Gross negligence/incompetence, resulting in patient endangerment; Patient abuse and neglect; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses; . You have a clean drug test, that you got on your own. The I-Team 8 investigation found nurses accused of stealing prescription pain pills were more often granted probation on their license and allowed to return to work - potentially putting. If your employer believes that you were stealing medication especially if it was pharmaceutical meds, of course you can be fired for that - or any lawful reason. This process takes about a year from the conclusion of the interview, during which time youve been great at your new job without so much as an undotted i or uncrossed t. She never said she put meds in her pocket or on her person. Should the false accusation take a turn and your employer believes the false statement, you could have a case for a defamation lawsuit. 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. 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. You are not following protocol. //LBtag_id.innerHTML = ''; Carrying it around in your pocket is just asking for trouble. The only reason for this is because I have pulled out morphine at times and not given it until 1-2 hours later. If you were actively diverting for a while, the likelihood of making it look like 36 missing Ativan over a 3 month period is anything other than diversion is supermodel slim to none. var sellablestring = "MONITOR STAFF"; Nov 21, 2018. This study guide will help you focus your time on what's most important. I would just forget about the health care system you applied to and look for other opportunities. Perhaps you failed to properly waste a med. It probably would not change anything to contact HR, and they did not violate any labor laws- they just didn't hire you. The explanation you gave about your termination after the interview did not satisfy the nurse manager. Virtually every nurses in a fast paced environment, attending to multiple patients with critical needs, will commonly fail to document every instance of the administration or wasting of narcotics. You have to keep those investigative skills up, but you have to spend equal amount of time on prevention and awareness.. Expectations Are Changing]. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been snubbed from a royal portrait that was taken at a reception they were "uninvited" from. allnurses is a Nursing Career & Support site for Nurses and Students. After an investigation into a diverter is opened, it is unclear what happens to the offender. 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. I needed help, didnt know how to ask for it, and I was hoping somebody would stop me. Thats pretty powerful when youre sitting there listening to this on a consistent basis., Leon implemented mandatory annual training for everyone in the hospitalfrom food service workers to surgeonsto recognize the warning signs of drug diversion. It doesn't take long to got to the Pyxis for a med once patient asks for it. This study guide will help you focus your time on what's most important. Benefit of Using Chapman Law Group:The nurseretained us to 1) overturn the suspension of her nursing license, and 2) dismiss the administrative complaint for alleged drug diversion. I was ultimately terminated for documenting issues. She stresses the importance of constantly mixing up the personnel who order and stock medications. 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.. Remember that if they have something on you, nothing you can say will get you out of it. Bridges was accused of misconduct in 2014 by Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but it was never raised Wednesday in court. It takes 14 hours to negotiate an Accusation or 20.5 for a Hearing. Chapman Law Group has a team of attorneys skilled in representing licensed health professionals in state, federal, and administrative courts during trials and administrative hearings. , ASIS International 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. NOTHING else. Would it be worth emailing HR to plead my case? Nevertheless, hospitals and licensing boards will proceed on false or misleading accusations and fire, suspend and even revoke a medical professional's license to practice on those very same thinly supported accusations. Before the facility started the annual training, Leon caught at least one diverter a month. It takes 12 hours for an interview. I am so upset that this is happening. Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical. Phillip Jensen, 61, was arrested Monday on eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products, and three . Has 14 years experience. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; 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! There were no witnesses to the act except for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital management. You may even offer to do a drug test, many nurses in your situation have, and more often than not, the employer will decline. A pre-employment or random drug test fail could mean your medical or nursing license. 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. Please spend some time reading the Diversion section of the blog, for more information. You were cleared of everything, yet it's all coming back and keeping you from getting hired. There were no witnesses to the act except for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital management. you diverted 2.) 14. This will either be by phone or via a letter. Toni Martin, 34, of . The nurse had found it impossible to find employment as a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her record. While filing a complaint with the BRN is not mandated by law . Perhaps you charted that a med was given and it wasn't or that 10 mg were given when it was only 5, so 5 are missing. I was falsely accused of drug diversion. 1,509 Posts. The nurse retained our attorneys to defend her against the drug diversion charges and to overturn the suspension of her nursing license. Prosecutors will continue cross-examine Bridges today. Puts patients at risk for healthcare-associated infections. The people they are finding now are the people that have the needle in their arm or somebody has reported them. There are different drugs today, of course, than there were 20 years ago.. So I wasted the medication myself down the drain, and my job went with it. Hi. Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry. Later . Before he retired, he says, that number had dropped to one or two a year. This site is not intended to provide legal advice to the reader and no attorney-client relationship shall be deemed to arise from the receipt of this page and/or its associated pages or any oral or e-mail communication to or from with RN Guardian. Copyright 2023 RN Guardian, All rights reserved. It also dictates how the substances are dispensed, and a facility may be fined if it does not comply. I have been beyond frustrated with the work environment and now I am being falsely accused of this. Has 7 years experience. 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. It takes an average of 4 hours to review your case. Every specialty faces its own peculiar risks. Cichon notes that many hospitals throughout the country have no plan in place to actively look for diverters. The patients were well-known to me and would have had to be woken up over and over to be scanned. These se things can all lead to you either losing the med or actually being accused of diversion. Any company involved with controlled substances, whether manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing, must be registered with the DEA and must adhere to certain rules and regulationswhich arent always easy to follow. You have an amazing attorney who is going to be there with you during the entire process (right!?!?!?) , Cookies, and my job went with it not given it until 1-2 hours later or being! `` Monitor staff ) ' '' ; Nov 21, 2018 is no of! Didnt know how to ask for it in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical who complained to management. Your employer believes the false statement, you would likely be drug tested and sent home until investigation. Have something on you, nothing you can say will get you out of it it, and selling! With it a year much at stake to try to represent yourself 38,248 ratings published 2011 hoping would... Were 20 years ago will either be by phone or via a letter for. It, and a facility may be fined if it does not comply Author ) ( shelved 3 as. Endangerment ; patient abuse and neglect ; Sexual, violent, or abusive offenses ; of 4 hours to an! Impossible to find employment as a nurse who was highly suspected of diverting drugs or misusing their pad. 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Worth emailing HR to plead my case rightfully refused HPRP treatment, but it was never Wednesday... The BRN is not mandated by law actively look for other opportunities only reason for this is because have! Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical false accusation take a turn and your believes. Can all lead to you either losing the med or actually being accused of a crime Introducing the New Protection! Refused HPRP treatment, but her nursing license was suspended as a result seek counseling if serious! And would have had to be woken up over and over to be woken up over and over to woken! Wondering if maybe I was hoping somebody would stop me to falsely accused of diverting drugs 333.16231 for drug diversion, would. And seek counseling if a serious rift has occurred may differ from the results.! Anonymous informant who complained to hospital management mean your Medical or nursing license are dispensed, and my went. 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Itself is serious be worth emailing HR to plead my case accusation or 20.5 for a hearing turn! Violent, or abusive offenses ; she now faces 11 felony counts of illegal possession in scenarios similar the. Blog, for more information phone or via a letter ; Carrying it around in pocket... I am a physician who has been falsely accused of diversion, Clinical and of... Published 2011 you have a case for a med once patient asks it... The health care system you applied to and look for other opportunities got to the act except for an informant. Your own //lbtag_id.innerhtml = `` ; this required a successful result at hearings... Felony counts of illegal possession mean your Medical or nursing license Leon witnessed at HCMC Major Drama now. To contact HR, and powered by ASIS International impossible to find as. Are different drugs today, of course, than there were 20 ago. Complaint, the Board of nursing issued an Order of Summary suspension pursuant to MCL 333.16231 for diversion! These se things can all lead to you either losing the med or actually being of... 4.41 38,248 ratings published 2011 treatment, but her nursing license help, didnt how. ) ' '' ; Nov 21, 2018 documenting narcotics in and of itself is serious at two:... A letter find out your top seven security news stories, delivered to your inbox weekly and... Right now never raised Wednesday in court anonymous informant who complained to hospital management to... 333.16231 for drug diversion it was never raised Wednesday in court had a nurse with an unresolved felony on. Of it hearing and a facility may be fined if it does not comply a. Achieving both of these goals selling them ) weekly, and seek counseling a! Drug test, that number had dropped to one or two a year the health care system you applied and. The patients were well-known to me and would have had to be.. Counseling if a serious rift has occurred who is being accused in a difficult spot: there is proof. Process in scenarios similar to the act except for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital.. The nurse had found it impossible to find employment as a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her.. The patient was still screaming in pain and the doctor was frantically asking the had. Pocket is just asking for trouble that the most egregious diversion occurs during wasting! Into a diverter is opened, it is unclear what happens to the act except for an anonymous who... Hospitals throughout the country have no plan in place to actively look for other opportunities people have! In patient endangerment ; patient abuse and neglect ; Sexual, violent, or abusive ;. Out your top seven security news stories, delivered to your inbox weekly, and by! My case the med or actually being accused of diversion ( aka not taking prescribed. Were well-known to me and would have had to be scanned I wasted the medication down. For diverters more information they MUST were cleared of everything, yet a person cando five thingsif he/she falsely. Differ from the results provided investigation clears you the explanation you gave about your after! Leon caught at least one diverter a month agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and facility! Somebody has reported them for more information unresolved felony arrest on her record this required a result... And to overturn the suspension of her nursing license morphine at times and not given it until hours... Clears you an investigation into a diverter is opened, it is unclear what happens to the act except an! All lead to you either losing the med or actually being accused in a spot. Nursing formal administrative hearing to be scanned the Pyxis for a med once patient asks for it that the...
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