Brown Law Office

  • Home
  • How We Can Help
    • Services + Benefits
      • Investigation
      • Personal Appearance
      • Charges
      • Probation or Suspension
      • Employment Matters
    • License Protection
    • Employment Matters
    • Contract Matters
  • Our Team
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Blog
    • Why Should I Hire An Attorney?
  • What Clients Say
  • Media
    • Media Kit
    • In The News
  • FAQ
  • Tell Us Your Story
  • Continuing Education Websites
You are here: Home / Archives for adderall

Top 10 Blogs Of 2019

January 2, 2020 by LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. Leave a Comment

This is one of my favorite things with each New Year.  I look at my top 10 blogs to see which ones you really enjoyed.  In 2018, the favorite ones were based on license protection so in 2019, I chose to do more articles on that same subject.

Just like with the New Year’s Eve countdown, let’s go down the list starting with number 10 and head to number 1.  By the way, you can read the original blog by clicking on the bolded number for each one.

NUMBER 10:  PYXIS AND YOUR NURSING LICENSE – Probably among the most important of my videos because day after day I see where nurses are not properly following policy with medication management which is of concern to administration due to our opiate crisis.

NUMBER 9:  THE PERILS OF TRAVEL NURSING – This blog discussed the top 8 ways travel nurses can get into trouble and advises how they can protect themselves.

NUMBER 8:  WILL NURSES BECOME OBSOLETE – Is new and advancing technology creating a more automated world that is taking the place of nurses?

NUMBER 7:  MED ERRORS AND CRIMINAL CHARGES – Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught accidentally gave a patient vecuronium instead of Versed resulting in the patient’s death.  Vecuronium is used to intubate patients by repressing respiration.  While in a PET scan, the patient arrested and died. The issue was not identified until an audit by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) was done over a year after the incident.  After the investigation, nurse Vaught was charged criminally in this matter.  While she did commit malpractice, it is my opinion that it should not have risen to the level of a crime albeit for making a horrible mistake.

NUMBER 6:  REFUSAL TO DRAW BLOOD – Jonathan Moore was involved in an auto crash killing a former city council woman and her daughter.  When Moore was hospitalized, police wanted the nurse to draw blood without an order and without patient consent.  The nurse told the officer that a warrant would be needed to make the draw.  Crystal clear policies should be in place so nurses know when they can do certain activities.

NUMBER 5:  FATAL MEDICATION ERROR UPDATE – This was another article dealing with of nurse RaDonda Vaught who accidentally administered vecuronium to a patient [See NUMBER 7].  Criminal charges were filed against nurse Vaught and the Tennessee Board had initially excused her actions but then decided to take action against her license.

NUMBER 4:  NURSES IN TROUBLE WHEN PHYSICIAN OVERPRESCRIBES – A physician was actually practicing “end of life” measures by prescribing 20 times the normal dosages of fentanyl.  Nurses who carried out those orders were all fired and reported to the Board.  There was one wrongful death lawsuit that settled for $4,500,000.

NUMBER 3:  NURSES WITH ADDERALL – This item discusses a Louisiana Board’s concerns about nurses who take the controlled substance Adderall.  In fact, it shows a statement by the Board about how Adderall is the most widely abused prescription drug in America and how Boards can take action if a nurse takes any controlled substance.

NUMBER 2:  UNUSUAL NURSING BOARD CASE – A nurse received an unfavorable decision by the Delaware Division of Professional Regulations to the Supreme Court which overturned the Delaware agency’s ruling.  Two nurses were on duty and required to count medications just as if they were controlled substances.  During the count, the supply of hepatitis C medication, costing $1,000.00 per pill, was accidentally spilled to the floor.  The nurse put the 12 pills in the sharps container, but the pharmacy ordered them to be retrieved for later distribution to this patient/prisoner.  The nurse’s license was placed on probation for 90 days and required her to take continuing education.  But she disagreed with the decision and took the matter to the Delaware Supreme Court … and WON!  It is unusual for nurses to appeal a case, let alone be successful.

NUMBER 1:  PATIENT KILLS NURSE – A nurse accosted by a patient who, before others could restrain him, violently slammed the nurse’s head onto a desk.  Lynne Truxillo subsequently succumbed to blood clots in her leg leading to a pulmonary emboli.  Though the patient was charged with manslaughter, the obvious truth was that the charge could never bring back nurse Truxillo.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:  My personal favorite blog was an interview with nurse Yolene Lofton who lost her license simply for recording the wrong date on some documents.  It was sad that she lost her license over that error.  But it does show just how important your license is and how even a minor error could result in loss of your license and livelihood.

My hope is that you can learn from these blogs and do everything you can to protect your most valuable asset: your license.

What was your favorite blog in 2019?  Was it any of the above or perhaps a different one?  Let me know in the comments below.

Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0

Filed Under: License Protection, Newsletter Tagged With: 2019, adderall, blogs, board of nursing, criminal charges, lawsuit, license defense, license protection, medication errors, nurses, nursing, nursing board, nursing license, overprescribes, Patient kills nurse, pyxis, revocation, Top 10, travel nursing, violence, wrongful death, Yolene Lofton

Nurses And Adderall

July 11, 2019 by LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. 3 Comments

Nurses work crazy shifts and can have trouble sleeping.  In addition, we are being bombarded with information and get interrupted approximately every 5 minutes.

It would make sense that a nurse would go to her physician and say, “I’m having trouble focusing.”  The physician prescribes Adderall and, at first, it’s amazing.  You not only find that you suddenly have all this energy and are extremely focused, but you’re also losing weight as an added benefit!

Then nurses start thinking, “Oh, how could I have ever gone on without this?”  Make no mistake, Adderall is an amphetamine, a controlled substance and is addictive.  Some nursing students even get addicted to Adderall which they use to help them study.

If you participate in a peer assistance or substance abuse program, note that these programs are abstinence-based meaning, you will have to get off of the controlled substance it in order to participate.

It can be difficult for a nurse who has taken Adderall for a long period of time to get off that medication.  The nurse may feel like they can’t focus as well and feel like they need it for their job.  But, when asked to come off it, some nurses choose Adderall over their license.

In an article published by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, “The Epidemic of Controlled Dangerous Substance Abuse,” “Adderall has been called the most widely abused prescription drug in America.” For full article, click here.

The Louisiana Board questioned whether nurses and nursing students should be allowed to practice while taking controlled dangerous substances which includes Adderall.  The article goes on to state that up to 25% of college students have abused amphetamines.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, an estimated 4 to 5% of adults have ADHD and there are non-controlled substances which work for nearly all these patients.

“We believe that a professional who wishes to take controlled medications should make a choice between the medication and the profession.  Professional Licensing Boards in all professions understand that the risk of impairment and damage to the public greatly outweighs any possible individual benefits in specific cases where practice of a profession and concurrent use of controlled medication is at issue.  The overwhelming majority of such organizations choose to take the safest course and prohibit use of controlled substance medications or alcohol while practicing a profession. We agree with this policy.”  [Click here to read more]

Therefore, it is a strong warning of the Boards that nurses should not take controlled substances including Adderall.  Even if you have a valid prescription and your hospital may view a positive drug screen as a negative, it may come back to haunt you should you ever be called before the Board.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic.  Please share your comments below.

Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0
Share
0

Filed Under: Employment, Newsletter, Workplace Issues Tagged With: adderall, board of nursing, Controlled Substance, nurses, nursing board, nursing license, peer assistance, prescription, Substance Abuse

BLOG CATEGORIES

  • License Protection
  • Employment
  • Workplace Issues
  • Nursing & Healthcare License Defense – Brown Law Office
  • License Protection
  • Employment Matters
  • Contract Matters
  • Our Team
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Blog
    • Why Should I Hire an Attorney?
  • What Clients Say
  • Tell Us Your Story
  • FAQ
  • Disclaimer
Avvo brown
Lawyer Lorie Brown | Lawyer Licensing
Brown Law Office is a national law firm with its principal office in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well as relationships with nurse attorneys and other attorneys throughout the country. We can serve you in person, by phone or Skype.
TRU tv American BroadcastingCompanyAbout.comTAANAIndyStarAllNurses

Contact Information

317- 465-1065
844-Nurse Attorney
Toll Free: 844-687-7328
info@Brownlaw1.com

Attorney Advertising

Copyright Brown Law Office, P.C.

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google +
  • youtube

Copyright © 2021 · Outreach Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in