Another B.C. nurse reprimanded for swiping narcotics

Another B.C. nurse has been reprimanded for taking narcotics from work for personal use.

According to an April 25 B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives decision, the unnamed registered nurse pilfered the drugs from work between September 2020 and September 2022.

The decision says the nurse used the narcotics when on and off duty but the nursing regulator says the nurse did not swipe narcotics that were scheduled to be given to patients.

The issue came to light when the nurse disclosed what they’d been doing when seeking treatment.

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“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 decision reads. “The extent of the disclosure was considered mitigating by the (regulator).”

The College says the nurse was diagnosed with and admitted to a disability with a causal relationship with narcotics and has agreed to treatment.

This case is the seventh this year involving a nurse being reprimanded for stealing narcotics from work. One nurse received a three-month suspension after admitting to swiping the drugs for seven years.

READ MORE: Two more B.C. nurses disciplined for swiping narcotics

The nursing regulator placed conditions on the nurse who will not be allowed to handle narcotics for a period of three years.

The nurse will also have to comply with treatment and monitoring and disclose this to their employer.

The College says it will be monitoring will continue for four years.

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The regulator says is satisfied that the terms will protect the public.

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