One week suspension for BC nurse that swiped drugs, worked while high

A B.C. nurse has been suspended for one week for stealing narcotics and working while high.

According to a March 5 BC College of Nurses and Midwives decision, the unnamed registered nurse pilfered the drugs and worked while impaired for a period of two years from April 2022 to April 2024.

The nurse was later diagnosed with an opioid use disorder and agreed to treatment, the decision said.

“(The regulator) recognizes that nurses and midwives, like any member of the public, may grapple with health issues that may impact their ability to practice safely, competently, and ethically,” the decision read. “The BC College of Nurses and Midwives expects that registrants will work only when they are fit to do so and will remove themselves from practice when they are unwell.”

The decision doesn’t name the registered nurse or say where they worked. There’s no reason given for how they were able to swipe the narcotics for two years without being detected.

Along with a one-week suspension, the nurse will now be monitored for a minimum of five years and will have limits on their ability to access and handle narcotics.

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“(The nurse) will also have limits on their practice, including not working night shifts, not working overtime, not acting as the nurse-in-charge, not being assigned students, and not being involved in the orientation of staff,” the decision read.

They’ll also have to take a comprehensive ethics course. 

The nurse signed a consent agreement admitting to their behaviour.

In the last couple of years, more than a dozen nurses have been caught swiping drugs from work. Some falsified records, leaving patients to get incorrect doses, while one nurse replaced the stolen drugs with over-the-counter medication. In another case, a nurse was suspended for a week after they were caught for a second time pilfering narcotics.

While theft is a criminal offence in Canada, there’s no indication the nurse has or will face any criminal proceedings.

The regulator said it’s satisfied that the terms will protect the public.