Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Coincidence

This morning at 8 am there was an email from the pharmacy to the medical staff notifying us that they're having a shortage of (for the sake of having some anonymity) "Awesomely Potent IV Narcotic." The memo basically advised physicians of the indications for said narcotic and to use it only when needed.



At 1 pm I went over to cover our psych ER. There is a nurse from a med-surg unit being triaged in for psych eval. Nurse reports, "This patient is a nurse in our hospital. This morning, she got busted for stealing Awesomely Potent IV Narcotic intended for patients for the past week. She said she was stockpiling it in order to overdose on it."



I showed this to my attending and hilarity ensued. Hospital storage of narcotics....wait for it... because a nurse is stealing right from under your nose!!



There is obviously more to the story, but none of it was cool enough for this blog.



-Psych Doc

16 comments:

tracy said...

Actually, it's really sad.

tracy said...

What seems to me even more sad is that "hilarity ensued...". i guess you had to be there...and be "One of You".

SerenityNowHospital said...

Its funny b/c she used a cop out that she was hoarding it to off herself. She had a narc history and likely was using it to I dunno...get high.

Even so, the irony is funny. Report of being low on hospital supply of IV meds in AM, then nurse gets busted in PM. Thats not your run of the mill daily stuff.

-ER Doc

shash said...

It is sad. But it's still funny. I'm glad the perp was caught.

moomag said...

And where is the hilarity?
1. Nurse stealing meds
2. Patients not getting meds prescribed
3. Suicidal nurse

Oh yeah that's real funny. So glad you are not my doc.

C said...

The irony is funny, not the drug abuse.

tracy said...

PS PSYCH DOC did you ever get my question?

tracy said...

It's not funny if one is sucicidal......

Anonymous said...

She wasnt really suicidal she said that as an excuse so she wouldn't get in trouble with the LAW

SerenityNowHospital said...

Shash and C...thanks for getting it.

Moomash...I am sure he is glad you aren't his patient either...you are way too sensitive.

-ER Doc

SerenityNow said...

Chill out Tracy. Check out some of the other comments. It's the irony of the situation. Made me think of The Onion website or The Weekend Update on SNL.

Don't worry, I don't think she was suicidal. She said that to cover up something....along the lines of what ER doc said. Let's just say if a medical board already has someone's license under scrutiny, they will say anything to get out of another, similar incriminating scenario.

The whole point of our posts is that it's unhealthy for us to take our jobs too seriously. I could blog on and on about severely depressed patients, dementia, head injuries, life-altering schizophrenia, etc. But those are all pretty boring and most definitely sad.

If we don't find some humor, even in the smallest or most atypical places, anyone will go insane.

Including doctors. Believe it or not, we are people too.

I'm not making fun of suicidal people. If anyone is having those thoughts, they should see a doctor immediately.

-Psych Doc

KCMDinKY said...

That's pretty funny--the IRONY of it. ;)~

I enjoy reading y'alls stories and accounts. Please keep it up, and pay no mind to the people who appear to be too sensitive to read this blog in the first place.

Anonymous said...

DITTO!

Learn what "gallows humor" is or...................
stick to blogs about cooking and birdwatching.

Pattie, RN

SuFu PhD said...

it must come from completing gross anatomy. ie having a cadaver give you a "hug" to get a better angle at the axilla dissection. after that "gallows humor" is just the norm.

Maddie said...

I thought it was funny. And fitting that I started reading 'Impaired' today, which is a free book on the iPad about a drug-addicted nurse.

Anonymous said...

Your sense of humour is sort of psychotic. Anyway this is what Nurse Jackie is about...