B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended an unnamed nurse for a week after finding they had been working while impaired on narcotics they had stolen.
On Oct. 4, a college inquiry committee panel approved an agreement with the person to deal with issues occurring April 2023 to August 2023.
A public notice said those issues involved diverting narcotics from the workplace for their personal use, for falsifying medical records in order to conceal their diversion activities and for practicing while impaired.
“The registrant also has a history of narcotic diversion and regulatory intervention for the very same concerns,” the college said.
The public notice said the person was diagnosed with and admitted to a disability connected to the issues and agreed to comply with treatment recommendations.
The person has agreed to a one-week suspension and a public reprimand.
They must also enrol in a medical monitoring agreement for 36 months with regular reports of compliance being provided to the college.
There will also be a limit restricting access to and handling of narcotics, benzodiazepines, controlled substances and other drugs with concurrent medical monitoring for a term to support the stable return to work and ongoing fitness to practice.
Further, the person cannot work in excess of full-time hours, work night shifts, act as the nurse in charge, have supervision over students or be involved in the orientation of staff all for six months.
The agreement will remain in place for a minimum of four years of continuous nursing practice, the college said.
The person’s name was withheld due to health information privacy protection laws.
The college is currently one of 18 regulatory bodies empowered under the Health Professions Act to regulate health professions in B.C. It regulates the practice of four distinct professions: nursing, practical nursing, psychiatric nursing and midwifery.
Similar legislation in other self-regulated areas such as the legal and notary public professions also allows citizens to know about discipline issues in the public interest.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the college said.
