flabbergasted

i'm a bit flabbergasted.

i got called into the principal's office today.  well, not really.  the manager's office.  but i felt like i was getting in trouble.  and i don't like it one bit!

in the last year, two nurses have been investigated on our unit for possible narcotic diversion.  and neither works on our unit now.  interestingly enough, the rumor mill tells me that both nurses who were investigated and asked to leave were in fact innocent.  rumor has it their urine and hair samples came back negative.  but drugs have definitely gone missing.    

in fact...

there have been more than 87 incidences with oxycodone in the last year.  there are inappropriate removals of the common street drug from 33 different nurses on our unit (that's more than 1/3 of or staff).  and to my horror and dismay, i am one of those nurses.  some person on my unit has stolen medications under my name.

Source: funnypk.com via Nancy G on Pinterest

 

this is how it works.  i log into pyxis (where all of our medications are dispensed) with my fingerprint.  when i am done, i press exit.  however, if i forget to press exit, my login remains open for 60 seconds.  in those 60 seconds (before i am logged out), any person can remove medications under what looks like my bio-id.  we have access to all the patients on the floor and to their entire medication profile.  so, even though i am taking care of patient A and patient B, i can remove medication for patient Z.

last november, under my bio-id, SEVEN doses of oxycodone were taken.  they were removed from three different patients, none of whom were my patients that day.  there was never a discrepancy noted in the narcotic count, because whoever stole the medications "counted" them accurately.  they simply never gave the doses.  somehow, this has been happening for almost a year.  and just NOW, our unit is sleuthing and attempting to find the thief.

the thought of me pilfering narcotics almost made me laugh.  i had to tell my manager in all seriousness that there is NO WAY i would take oxycodone.  i don't even drink.  i won't take benadryl.  and i think caffeine is a mood altering drug (one i indulge in frequently...).  but nonetheless, i wouldn't handle oxycodone well!