B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended a nurse for one week after finding they diverted painkilling drugs from patients and practiced while impaired.
On July 15, a consent agreement between the college and the unnamed nurse was approved to address conduct and fitness concerns from 2022.
“The concerns related to diversion of narcotics from the workplace, practising while impaired, diverting narcotics away from patients leaving them in discomfort and falsification of records in order to conceal the diversion activities.
A public notice said the nurse was diagnosed with and "admitted to a disability with a casual relationship to the concerns." The nurse has agreed to comply with the treatment recommendations and terms of a medical monitoring agreement.
The notice said the nurse has voluntarily agreed to:
• a suspension of their registration for one week;
• enrolment in a medical monitoring agreement with an independent agency for a minimum of 36 months with regular reports of compliance being provided to the college;
• disclosure of treatment recommendations to relevant employer representatives;
• a limit restricting access to and handling of narcotics, benzodiazepines, controlled substances, and the sedatives, with concurrent medical monitoring for a period to support the stable return to work and ongoing fitness to practice;
• a limit on working overtime, acting as the nurse in charge, working night shifts, having supervision over students or be involving in the orientation of staff for a term; and,
• completion of an ethics course.
The nurse’s name was withheld to protect their medical privacy.
The college is currently one of several 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.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will protect the public,” the college said.
The newly formed College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC amalgamates the regulation of professional chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists in B.C. to ensure they have the competencies needed to practice and ensure they adhere to safe and ethical care standards.
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.
