B.C. nurse suspended 1 week for stealing drugs, falsifying medical records

A nurse holds a tablet in this stock image from Shutterstock.

A B.C. nurse has been disciplined by the regulatory body for the profession for diverting narcotics from the workplace for personal use, and falsifying medical records in order to conceal said diversion.

A consent agreement between the unnamed registered nurse and the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives was approved Tuesday to address the “issues” that occurred between December 2022 and February 2023.

“The falsification of the medical record left the impression that patients were requiring more ("pro re nata" or as needed) narcotic medication than what was actually administered, a practice that potentially could have resulted in patient harm,” an online summary of the agreement reads.

“The registrant also has a history of narcotic diversion and regulatory intervention for the very same concerns.”

The nurse was diagnosed with a disability with a “causal relationship” to the drug diversion and will undergo treatment, the college said. For that reason, the registrant isn’t named in the decision under medical privacy laws.

As discipline, the nurse will be suspended for one week.

In addition, the individual must enroll in a medical monitoring plan and will not be allowed to handle narcotics, benzodiazepines, controlled substances and the "zed” class of drugs. They will also not be able to act as nurse-in-charge, work night shifts or supervise students for six months, or work overtime for 12 months.

“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the notice concludes.