Nurses found guilty of diversion/chemical dependency that want to go back to work
Addiction is a disease which affects many people in our society. There are many different addictions, for example, alcohol, nicotine, narcotics or gambling. Some addictions impact the lives and jobs of citizens more than others, and there are occupations where some addictions are not acceptable; nursing is one of them. Guided by the Code of Ethics, nurses are trusted to provide the best possible care. Responsibility, compassion, patience and honesty are only a few of the characteristics describing the nursing profession. Unfortunately, stress, difficulty coping and many other factors may result in an addiction. Nurses are human too and are not immune to an addiction.
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There are programs and peer support groups that help nurses with rehabilitation and returning to work. However, the stigma attached to having an addiction and distrust can make it difficult for coworkers to forgive and allow the nurse to reenter the profession, because it “threatens professional standards, conduct and morals” (Cook, 2013, p.21). In times of nursing shortages, it is imperative to allow these nurses to return to the nursing profession and earn back the trust of coworkers and society.
Literature Review
Substance abuse is a disease that affects nurses to the same extent as the general population. “Addiction is a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal disease involving the continued, often compulsive, use of mood-altering, habit-forming substances despite perceived negative consequences” (Patrick, 2010, p. 8). Patrick (2010) describes addiction as a disease. He explains the physiology of the brain, the involvement of neurotransmitters in the development of the addiction, and the changes in brain function with the use of addictive substances. Multiple factors can influence the development of an addictions, including the environment, past experiences,
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During this time when the nurse works under supervision, random drug tests are given and participation in 12 step meetings is mandatory. According to Cadiz, et al., (2012), a special program, called Fit to Perform, was developed in Oregon, which trains nurses responsible for monitoring nurses returning to work. The supervising nurse has to be able to quickly identify the signs and symptoms of relapse and address any issues related to unsafe practice. It is imperative for the supervising nurse to have a good understanding of addiction as a disease, as well as the attitudes of his or her co-workers related to substance abuse. Lack of this knowledge can “lead to prejudice and discrimination against nurses who return to work after seeking treatment for substance use disorder” (Cadiz et al. 2012, p. 136). Another goal of the program is building the supervisor’s confidence, improving their communication skills, and teaching them constructive confrontation. Constructive confrontation is imperative to appropriately address issues of unsafe or unprofessional behavior, and “may lead to increased employee acceptance of treatment and subsequent improvement in overall job performance” (Cadiz et al., 2012, p.141). Appropriate training of supervising nurses is imperative to provide patient safety as well as to build a positive team approach to coworkers recovering from
She explained how she relapsed after being 3 months clean. Since the relapse in 2015 to 2016 she became clean again in August of 2016 with the help of her fiancé and her family. Since she took responsibility for her actions and explained that she does have a problem. I believe that is the first step to recovery. She was very adamant about how she does do wrong and then she had a plan to do what was right in her life for herself and not for anyone else. It may seem selfish, but that is the only way to control an addiction within one’s self, in my opinion. Accepting what is wrong and willing to deal with it is a start and having a great support system will help tremendously. The State Board of Nursing should allow her a second chance to prove that she can overcome and control her addiction while preforming the career she worked hard to achieve. The board should place a strict probation, and tasks that she can perform should be evaluated periodically. In the Nurse Practice Act it states, “Use or unlawful possession of any controlled substance, as defined in chapter 195, or alcoholic beverage to an extent that such use impairs a person 's ability to perform the work of any profession licensed or regulated by sections 335.011 to 335.096 (pg.
Fortinash, K. M., & Holoday Worret, P. A. (Eds.). (2012). Substance-related disorders and addictive behaviors. Psychiatric mental health nursing (5th ed., pp. 319-362). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Substance abuse among health care professionals is an issue that is continually gaining more attention due to the harmful affects it can have individuals as well as the patients. Substance abuse can greatly hinder the ability to provide quality care and if left unchecked could lead to serious implications within the health care facility. There are a significant amount of nurses and health care providers that deal with substance abuse problems. At one point, it was estimated, that 2-3%, of all nurses were addicted to drugs (Trinkoff, & Storr, 1998). To encourage nurses to seek help, the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses was created. This program gives employers, LVNs and RNs the ability to seek help, education, guidance, and support in dealing with substance abuse and mental health illnesses. In this paper, we will examine the ethical perspectives that these programs foster and the ethical responsibilities of the patient, nurse, and coworkers as determined by the Texas Board of Nursing and the Nurse Practice Acts.
For the 9 years that I have worked as a mental health support worker I have come across cases involving drug addiction and mental health. My passion to work with and help those in need of services grew over the years as I came to realize that with the right services and support, one can eventually become clean of drugs and reintegrate into society and live a normal life. I have been privileged to work with genuinely enthusiastic and caring colleagues who have enhanced my professional identity which makes me so proud to be part of a wider health care industry. I’m fortunate to have tremendous amount of sincere affection for service users and staff and this had made me resilient in adversity, and have a passion to want to do the right
A nurse is required to exercise appropriate clinical judgment and respond safely and quickly in order to effectively care for a patient. Substance abuse among nurses is an issue that compromises the delivery of quality care and professional standards of nursing. Many nurses are not recognized as having a problem until a patient has been endangered (Clark and Farnsworth, 2006). It has been estimated that 10-...
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 ...
Substance abuse in the field of nursing has become a serious problem. Every day exposure to drugs in addition to other factors have contributed to the issue of substance abuse among nurses and the impact on patient care. Some may still be unaware of the substance abuse problem nurses struggle with, and they don't realize until they see the consequences on overall patient outcomes and work productivity. Learning to recognize the chemically impaired nurse has allowed the health care field to expand its awareness and begin to take action on this issue. “To ensure productivity, safety, and quality of care, most hospitals have instituted drug-free workplace programs...that identify prohibited behaviors and the consequences of violating the policy” (Epstein et al., 2010, p. 515). In hope of change to this issue, further action continues to be a work in progress.
The consequences that follow the use of any drug are unfavorable. Although many individuals may see drug addiction as a mere lifestyle choice, it is a problem that many individuals suffer from and inevitably a growing issue that leaves major social and economic impacts.
According to Leshner, drug addiction is a chronic brain disease that is expressed in the form of compulsive behaviors (Leshner, 2001). He believes that drug addiction is influence by both biological, and behavioral factors, and to solve this addiction problem we need to focus on these same factors. On the other hand, Neil Levy argues that addiction is not a brain disease rather it is a behavioral disorder embedded in social context (Levy, 2013). I believe, drug addiction is a recurring brain disease that can be healed when we alter and eliminate all the factors that are reinforcing drug addiction.
Therefore, when I work with substance abusers I will show empathy, encourage and validate their successes and their feelings about any failures. In addiction, I will help the person learn from their failures and normalize the situation. Furthermore, I would attempt to ensure that the person had several coping strategies in place, to help when he or she finds themselves in a difficult situation. Moreover, I intend to ensure the client has all the tools he or she needs to succeed while getting to the root of their problem through counseling.
One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.
Nurses want to give complete and quality care, but are unable to, due to the constant needs of their workload and inadequate staffing. They have to prioritize their patients needs based on the most critical treatments first. Then whatever time is left, they fill in what treatments they can. Some reasons that nursing treatments are missed include: too few staff, time required for the nursing intervention, poor use of existing staff resources and ineffective delegation.” (Kalisch, 2006) Many nurses become emotionally stressed and unsatisfied with their jobs. (Halm et al., 2005; Kalisch,
As I reflect on my nursing education, I relieved that I have unexpectedly created a set of values and beliefs for myself, otherwise known as my personal nursing philosophy. I believe that the core of nursing is advocacy, knowledge, integrity and caring. The focus of nursing is on patient need and patient health. According to the (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2017), “nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.” I believe that nursing is an art allowing the nurse to be competent,
Before I start to discuss the various ways to get control of substance abuse I
Initially I thought that nursing was a career that can be taught. I felt nursing was only science and once you had mastered the science of nursing you could become a competent nurse. Since fall my view of the profession has changed drastically, I am starting to realize and appreciate the uniqueness of each quality that develops the art of nursing. For instance, I thought nursing knowledge was limited, once you have graduated nursing school you would have gained all the knowledge necessary. I now realize that knowledge does not only come from books but also from experience. With accountability, it is important for me to be able to admit to my mistakes. When I admit to my mistakes I grow as a nurse and as a person as I am able to learn from my mistakes. When being an advocate for my patients, I must not allow my own biases to interfere. I have to acknowledge my own biases so that I do not neglect care for my patients or make biased assumptions about patients rather than advocating for their needs. I always thought that sympathy is a universal value in nursing but rather empathy is. As a nurse I must understand the patient’s situation in order to be efficient rather than being sensitive to their situation. I also realize that it is very important for nurses to be adaptable as they face different and unique situations every day. I have concluded that a nurse is never done