Drug Addiction Work Sheet: Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott, an employee at Roper Hospital System in Charleston, South Carolina, admitted in December of 2009 to diverting the controlled substances Darvocet and Lortab from the hospital for her own personal use. She was diagnosed with opiate and alcohol abuse and dependency and completed the Cornerstone of Recovery program on April 29, 2010. Her nursing license was placed on probation for at least one year and open for reinstatement as long as she agreed to comply with the following terms: the Board must sign off on the location she continues practice; she must remain under the observation of a registered nurse at all times; she will not have access to any controlled substances for at least one year after reinstatement; her coworkers must submit four written reports each to the Board for at least one year regarding her professional ethics and adherence to said guidelines; she must remain completely drug free, including alcohol, unless it is prescribed for a serious medical reason; she will be required to take random blood or urine drug tests; she must have proof of a written contract with the Recovering Professional Program; she is to pay a fine of $500 to the Board; and she must regularly attend Board approved classes on ethics and medication administration.

Addiction to an illegal substance is not so much a social or moral problem as it is a disease of the brain that leads to changes in its structure and function. Over time, the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. The cause of these intense changes is the neurotransmitters being negatively affected. The main pathway involved th...

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