One night ,while working as usual, Jane Doe injects nasal spray butorphanol (Stadol) to a couple women who are in labor. Some of the women did not require the full dosage of the drug so she slipped the leftovers in her pocket. Once her shift had ended that night, Jane was getting ready to leave when she decided to use the restroom. When she was there she remembered that she had some leftover drugs in pocket. Jane cautiously looked around and checked every stall to make sure no one was there. She then took the drugs out and injected herself. Thirty minutes later a colleague finds Jane passed out in the restroom. She is immediately treated and once awake, is taken to a drug-testing facility to provide a urine sample. At the drug-testing facility Jane admitted to stealing the drug and justified herself by saying it helped her cope with the stress of taking on extra shifts, and caring for her two young children and her severely disabled mother. Jane said “I thought I could stop any time but I was wrong.”
Substance abuse is a critical issue that has been visible within the nursing profession for more many years. According to Todd Monroe and Frances Pearson “[f]or more than a century, the US nursing profession has been aware of substance abuse problems among its practitioners and student nurses.” Among nurses, substance dependencies have been linked to a number of factors such as family history, stress at work, and easy access to medications. It is extremely important that these addictions be adequately addressed because “[s]ubstance abuse among nurses is a problem that threatens the delivery of quality care and professional standards of nursing”(Talbert). Addressing these addictions requires nurses to report evidence of substance...
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... of Nursing 107.8 (2007): 78-79. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Monroe, Todd, and Frances Pearson. "Treating Nurses And Student Nurses With Chemical Dependency: Revising Policy In The United States For The 21st Century." International Journal Of Mental Health & Addiction 7.4 (2009): 530-540. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Monroe, Todd, and Heidi Kenaga. "Don't Ask Don't Tell: Substance Abuse And Addiction Among Nurses." Journal Of Clinical Nursing 20.3/4 (2011): 504-509. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Talbert, JeanAnne Johnson. "Substance Abuse Among Nurses." Clinical Journal Of Oncology Nursing 13.1 (2009): 17-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013
Wright, E. Laura, et al. "Opioid Abuse Among Nurse Anesthetists And Anesthesiologists." AANA Journal 80.2 (2012): 120-128. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Strasser, Judith A., Shirley Damrosch, and Jacquelyn Gaines. Journal of Community Health Nursing. 2. 8. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1991. 65-73. Print.
Walsh, A. & Clarke, V. (2009) Fundamentals of Mental health Nursing New York: Oxford University Press.
Trinkoff, A.M, & Storr, C L. (1998). Substance use among nurses: differences between specialties. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1508454/?page=1
Rather than preparing graduates in education or consulting as previous graduate nursing programs had done, this program educated psychiatric-mental health nurses as therapists with the ability to assess and diagnose mental health issues as well as psychiatric disorders and treat them via individual, group, and family therapy (ANA, 2014). Thus, the Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (PMH-CNS), one of the initial advanced practice nursing roles (Schmidt, 2013), was born. After Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963 led to deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental illness, PMH-CNSs played a crucial role in reintegrating formerly institutionalized individuals back into community life (ANA, 2014). PMH-CNSs have been providing care in a wide range of setting and obtaining third-party reimbursement since the late 1960’s. In 1974 a national certification for PMH-CNSs was created (APNA, 2010). Subsequently, PMH-CNSs began to be granted prescriptive privileges in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1970s, that practice has now spread to 37 states and the District of Columbia (APNA,
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has been a cyclical topic dating back to the 1960s. Only recently have employers in certain regions of the nation stated a decline in the demand for RNs. Consequently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014) report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, American nursing schools denied admission to 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012. The reported decrease in job availability and rejected admissions has left many individuals to question if the nursing shortage still exists. On the other hand, some experts project that the United States will be short more than one million RNs by 2020 (Dolan, 2011). Although some parts of the country are in less of a demand than others, it is undeniable that there is a national shortage of RNs.
Craven, R., & Hirnle, C. (2009). Fundamentals of nursing: Human health and function (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott.
There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged adults. Alcohol, medications, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter medicines can be both abused and misused. It is a widespread belief that age plays a role in the level of influence that drugs and alcohol diminishes. As a person becomes older, drugs and alcohol is not as influential in their loves. This widespread belief has truth. However, it is important to understand that substance abuse is still prevalent in the elderly community.
This article was written by several well educated professionals in the nursing field. The article appears in a peer reviewed nursing journal that covers topics in psychiatric and mental health nursing that has a 37-year history. The sources history, along with the use of various references from other professional sources establish the journal entries
The consequences of substance abuse as a practicing nurse are endless. According to the Alabama Board of Nursing Administrative Code, the Board will take disciplinary action toward a nurse who is proven to be negligent from the use of alcohol or has been proven to be addicted to any habit-forming drug (2017). Either of these criteria render the nurse unsafe and or unreliable to practice as a nurse (Alabama Board of Nursing, 2017). Depending on the extent of the offense, the Board may discipline the transgressor in several ways including reprimand, fine, and suspending or revoking their license (Alabama Board of Nursing, 2017). Any nurse facing these charges also must endure the embarrassment of having their name permanently put on the Disciplinary Action Reports page of the Alabama Board of Nursing website for all of the public to review (Alabama Board of Nursing, 2017). Thus, if said nurse loses his or her job in the process, future employers will access this database for hires, leaving the nurse to be scrutinized by any possible employer. Not only do nurses risk their own credibility, they also risk the lives of their patients when under the influence. A study recorded by Cares shows that substance abuse rates were highest among nurses working in specialty fields (2016). The nurses working in the fields such as adult critical care and
Over the years, substance abuse in the United States has become a persistent issue affecting many individuals. In 2008, it was estimated that 17.8 million Americans over the age of 18 where substance dependent (Epstein, Burns, & Conlon, 2010). Many of these individuals being affected are nurses. Ponech (2000) stated that "approximately 10% of the nursing population has alcohol or drug abuse problems, and 6% has problems serious enough to interfere with their ability to practice" (as cited in Talbert, 2009, p.17). Studies show that nurses have a 50% higher rate of substance abuse compared to the rest of the public (Epstein et al., 2010). Among the many factors that contribute to the nurse’s issue of substance abuse, accessibility to drugs in the work environment has played a significant role. Substance abuse among nurses is an arising issue in need of attention, it is alarming to know that patient safety and care is in danger when a chemically impaired nurse is in the workplace.
When she comes home from work she shuts all the drapes and sits in the dark drinking. She wants badly to terminate the pregnancy. At work she inquires with a doctor about receiving an abortion. His direct response is of shame. He resents her for even asking him. She is desperate and pleas for his help. His response is, “you put yourself in this situation”. In extreme desperation she returns home that night and takes an abundance of migraine pills. It only results were vomiting.
Stuart, G. W. (2009). Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing (9th ed. pp 561). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) developed a foundation for which all nurses are expected to perform their basic duties in order to meet the needs of the society we serve. The ANA “has long been instrumental in the development of three foundational documents for professional nursing; its code of ethics, its scope and standards of practice, ands statement of social policy.” (ANA, 2010, p. 87) The ANA defined nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” and used to create the scope and standards of nursing practice. (ANA, 2010, p. 1) These “outline the steps that nurses must take to meet client healthcare needs.” () The nursing process, for example, is one of the things I use daily. Other examples include communicating and collaborating with my patient, their families, and my peers, and being a lifelong learner. I continually research new diagnoses, medications, and treatments for my patients. As a nurse of ...
Walsh, A & Clarke, V. (2009) Fundamentals of Mental health Nursing New York: Oxford University Press.
Before I start to discuss the various ways to get control of substance abuse I