With the opioid epidemic raging right now, hospitals are even more cautious of anything that could be considered abuse.  You need to protect yourself and your license so I have some tips to not only keep from endangering your license, but maybe help you avoid criminal charges as well. 1.         Do not take controlled substances.  If you are asked for a drug test, many facilities will excuse a positive result if you have a prescription.  … [Read more...]

Nurses are consistently ranked as the most trusted professional group according to a Gallup Poll.  Nurses again outpaced other professions for honesty and ethics.  They rate an average of 84%, a very high range.  The second highest were pharmacists followed by medical doctors. However, I deal with nurses everyday who have an isolated violation of their ethics or, as I prefer to call it, “integrity.” Ethics refers to the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of … [Read more...]

Many nurses come to me after being terminated from their position and tell me, “I knew I should have left, but I just didn’t.”  Nurses get into their comfort zones.  They become so loyal to their colleagues and patients that they don’t want to leave.  However, I always say, “You can always find another job, but you can’t get another license.” If you see signs on the wall or get that pain in your stomach that you need to quit … don’t wait.  Your license is too … [Read more...]