2 B.C. nurses diagnosed with substance use disorder, suspended for weeks after diverting narcotics

Two B.C. nurses who have each been diagnosed with a substance use disorder were disciplined in the same week over their individual efforts to divert narcotics for personal, off-duty use.

On Monday, the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives posted two consent agreements it reached with the unnamed nurses—one of whom faces a four-week suspension, while the other’s moratorium is set to last a full month.

4 WEEK SUSPENSION

The nurse facing the shorter suspension is being disciplined for narcotic diversion that began in 2018 and ended in this May, according to BCCNM.

During this period, in order to obtain drugs for personal use, the college says the nurse went to their workplace while off-duty, withdrew narcotics under patient names and lied about their personal health “in order to get a peer to insert intravenous access.”

When their security pass was deactivated, BCCNM says the nurse used another person’s pass in order to get access to narcotics.

On top of their nursing registration being suspended, the individual has voluntarily agreed to not return to work “until abstinent and medically cleared,” the notice explains.

Now that the individual has received a diagnosis and admitted to having “a disability with a causal relationship to the practice issues,” they’ve agreed to comply with treatment recommendations, which they have to disclose to a “relevant employer representative,” according to the BCCNM.

The person has also agreed to one-year limits on working overtime and night shifts, as well as being the sole nurse on duty.

They also consented to a minimum two-years worth of limits related to their “access to and handling of narcotics, with concurrent medical monitoring, to support the stable return to fitness to practice.”

1 MONTH SUSPENSION

The college says the other person who it disciplined this week over narcotics diversion did so between December 2021 and May 2022.

According to the online notice, the nurse voluntarily disclosed that they had been diverting narcotics from both medical settings and, on some occasions, from patients.

“This disclosure ensured that their medical diagnosis and subsequent prognosis and treatment recommendations matched the extent of their substance use disorder, providing a greater likelihood of treatment success,” the BCCNN notice reads.

In addition to a one-month suspension on their nursing practice, the individual’s access to and handling of narcotics will be limited “with concurrent medical monitoring,” until they’re deemed medically fit to resume regular work.

The person has also agreed to limits on being the sole nurse on duty, practicing in critical care settings and working overtime.

On top of disclosing the facts and treatment recommendations surrounding their substance use disorder, the nurse has agreed to undergo “regular reports from treating physicians regarding compliance with treatment recommendations,” as well as “remedial education in documentation, professionalism and ethics.”

Both consent agreements reached with each nurse will remain in place for four years of continuous nursing practice, according to the college.

The names of the individuals are being held to protect their personal information and to respect their medical conditions, in accordance with the Health Professionals Act.